This very specific subgenre of thriller that is about “troubled, unhappy woman getting herself into quite a spot on the continent has become a strangely crowded field of late, and this is one more offering that is well-written enough but can’t quite set itself apart from its many competitors.

Teddy is a tougher character to relate to than she theoretically should be, though she isn’t unlikable at all. She’s just…fine. And that’s mostly what this book is overall: Fine.

The plot is slow moving but keeps your interest, but I can’t help feeling like I’ve read this all before in some capacity, and multiple times of late.

I wish this had had more atmosphere, and I wish we got more spy-related intrigue and less pill-popping and the endless and repetitive theme of “here are the many ways women get treated badly by those around them.” It’s not new, it’s a real downer, and the saving grace here is that Teddy rescues herself in the end. I can’t help but feel I would have been more interested about this woman’s life *after* the events of this book.

Teddy is the wife of a diplomat in Rome. She has a past and that past is ready to collide with her present. Solid story.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I had high hopes but was not able to connect to the story so I did not finish.

The character of Teddy has a hard time staying focused on anything and this book seemed to meander along with her. The story is about a spoiled over indulged rich girl and little else. It seemed to take a long time to actually get to the plot.

DNF, I just couldn't get into this. I pictured something different than what I found; I didn't realize this was going to be quite so political. We did purchase a copy for our collection, though.

Wow, what a fantastic read. The glitz of wealth and 1960s Rome, movie stars and intrigue, a possibly unreliable narrator -- I loved it.

The blurb calls this "wildly entertaining," it is not. It is mostly boring. This is Historical Fiction meets Mystery. But I would say it is 90% Historical fiction and 10% mystery. It's the kind of book that you can't wait to end, so much so that the mystery has lost it's charm.

Teddy is a debutante from Texas, a highly political family that is quite influential. At 34, she is considered to be a spinster, but after a whirlwind romance marries David and moves to Rome. If you love stories about the 1960's high society set you will really get into the lovely descriptions. As far as setting goes, the author really does nail this part of it. The story jumps between a police interview in July 1969 and the previous 6 months, as Teddy tells the officers her story.

I was given this book as an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review, thank you to NetGalley and Harper books. Book to be released July 2, 2024.

TEDDY is a well-written historical novel with a great sense of place and deft characterization. I was curious to find out what had happened to this wife abroad. Teddy's past, including when she first met her husband, is woven throughout the narrative. I like how the author conveys the time period and incorporates her research into the story, which is, for the most part, gripping. However, my one complaint is that the pacing is pretty slow. As the investigators urge Teddy to get on with it, I felt myself thinking the same thing. Perhaps it would have been better if cuts had been made, leaving us to enjoy a leaner, faster-paced story. Not every book needs to be 320 pages. I wish more publishers would be willing to publish shorter books if that's what the story justifies. Nonetheless, I still recommend this novel for fans of sophisticated historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance e-galley; all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Historical fiction featuring multiple timelines? This will be a great bookclub pick. It takes a minute to get to the meat of the story, but fans of slow burning plotlines won't complain.

Whoever wrote the blurb a cross between Lessins in Chemistry and MadMen -well false advertising. Nothing redeeming about this poorly written story with the characters not like able in any way. If you want a book full of stereotypes including government workers, politicians and Texas women. Well this is for you.