The Villa by Rachel Hawkins is an enjoyable thriller perfect for readers who don’t like anything scary and enjoy a story within a story. I really enjoyed this audiobook with a full cast to bring to life the story from the 1970s of an unsolved murder in the Italian villa that our 2020s author friends are visiting for the summer. 

Our MC Emily (voiced by the lovely Julia Wheelan) is a cozy mystery author going through an ugly divorce. She heads to Italy for six weeks with her friend Chess, a pithy memoir author. This book explores levels of deception and distrust as well as what it means to share a secret. 

This thriller won’t rock your world but I enjoyed it all the same. Well produced with music and podcast elements, I definitely recommend this one in audiobook form.