Last Night at Villa Lucia
Thriller
Simon McCleave
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

• ᴀʟᴄᴏʜᴏʟɪꜱᴍ • ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ • ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀ •

I found the start of this book to be quite sluggish and repetitive. It was clear that the author was trying to begin with some strong world building but instead it made me want to skip paragraphs until things got more interesting. Within the first 2% of the book, "the view/my view" is mentioned and described 7 times.

I did like the multiple POVs but the shifting timelines did become confusing.

I instantly disliked Harry. He seemed obnoxious with a big ego and an even bigger chip on his shoulder.

Lucia and Lorenzo were the most interesting characters to me. I liked the hints to their dangerous past and how scared they were of being found. I wanted to know their secrets.

It did feel like there was a lot of filler. Mainly with the descriptions and characters almost constantly having flashbacks or delving into their memories.

I did manage to predict a few of the small plot twists but the big one towards the end was a complete surprise. It tied up a few loose ends but there were still things that didn't make sense to me. For example, Lorenzo's past was spoken about but when 2 suspicious cars were seen by his wife, which then fled, it wasn't adressed again. There's no information about who was in the cars, what they wanted etc.

By the end of this book I did like the writing style but I wish it was a bit more tense and, well, thrilling. As thrillers go, it was just "ok" for me.

*Thank you to @Netgalley, the author, and the publishers for providing this ARC. This is my own opinion and an honest review, which I am leaving voluntarily*

Cerys runs a villa in Tuscany with her daughter Lowri, with early morning yoga sessions and freshly cooked local food. All sounds idyllic, right? Wrong! Cerys is an alcoholic, trying to cover up her drinking from her daughter and things really go from bad to worse when a guest is found floating dead in the swimming pool.

Author Simon McCleave is a master storyteller, with flips between characters and storylines always leaving you wanting more. With only a few people at the villa on the fateful night, who had the motive and the opportunity for murder? As the trail unfolds, we learn more about Cerys and the people around her.

What's really great about the Cerys character is that she's normal - she's had a tough life and she's struggling to deal with it. There's so much realism in the story that you find yourself invested heavily in what's happening, and the eventual outcome.

This is an excellent standalone book; I enjoyed it as much, if not more, than the other series!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Storm Publishing, and Simon McCleave for access to this arc! I really, really enjoyed this book. This book contains many things I love in thrillers such as short chapters, an engaging storyline, a perfect setting, and a well-done who-dun-it story. This is such a good summer thriller or beach read for my thriller lovers out there and the overall vibes of the book were amazing. I also loved the multiple POVs and it had me guessing who could have done it since everyone had a motive. I do wish that there were a few more twists and turns in the book but I do appreciate all of the clues and secrets that were revealed over time. I would definitely recommend this book!

✨book review✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Simon McCleave, and Storm Publishing for the ARC of Last Night at Villa Lucia, coming out on July 26th!

This novel follows two families and one murder located at the beautiful Villa Lucia in Italy. Cerys owns the Villa and she and her daughter Lowry welcome guests to rent a portion of it for vacation, except one of them won’t make it out alive. The question is why a murder committed and who did it?

The character backstories are well developed and set up for the reader to follow as the story progresses, also building a solid plot to unravel. The story uses multiple perspectives and unreliable narrators to help establish these elements. They also develop strong themes of abuse, addiction, and trauma, successfully highlighting the relationship that links them all.

This is a quick and fun mystery! Part way through it started to feel predictable. It felt like the clues were a little too obvious at moments, but there were some minor surprises in the end that kept me intrigued.

Cerys and her daughter Lowri own the Tuscan Villa and operate it as an AirBnB. Zoe and Harry, along with their son Charlie, are the current guests, vacationing for the summer. Zoe is hopeful that this vacation will provide Harry some much needed relaxation and allow them to reconnect and both a couple and a family. Upon arrival, they are in awe of the idyllic surroundings and even more taken with Cerys, who proves to be an impeccable hostess.
Then, tragedy strikes. A body is found in the pool, the Villa is on lockdown, and there is a killer on the loose.

The character development in this book was fantastic. Unfortunately for me, I could not find a single redeeming characteristic with any of them. The story was solid and moved at a nice pace. I appreciated the plot twists, which were sudden. Kept me on my toes!

I feel like this could have been a solid 4, however the ending was just a little too tidy for my liking.

Huge thanks to Storm Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for the ARC.

When I see this cover, I would like to jump on a plane to find myself, a few hours later, basking in Italian sun enjoying the view with a refreshing beverage in my hand. 

Then I realise that every time I read a book with a similar cover, one of the holiday makers finds themselves murdered. Maybe I ought to stick to booking a hotel or an apartment to spend my free time abroad, although on the other hand I have nothing to be afraid of because I am not someone acting vicious or doing despicable things to others. So maybe I could consider renting a villa in the future?

I enjoyed this story a lot. The author gave the reader the time to settle in the villa, getting to know the characters a bit before adding a body to the mix. I liked the setting and the ending was perfect.

I had a great time on my virtual journey to sunny Tuscany. 5 stars

Thank you

First work that I have read by this author.
I found it to be a really enjoyable read. A proper ‘whodunnit’ with around eight characters, all who had a potential motive.
Set around a holiday villa, this added a warmth which was perfect for a summer read.
Even when you thought you had it sorted out, further revelations and twists came to light.
Good characterisation and plot development, this was a most enjoyable read. 
Thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I absolutely loved this! I would definitely recommend it to any fans of crime and thrillers. Thank you net galley for the early release of this book

#LastNightAtVillaLucia should have been the perfect summer thriller for me but it didn't quite hit the mark unfortunately. Great short chapters and the words flowed well so very easy read yet I was left with so many questions which is such a pet hate of mine. We're given so much back story of all possible suspects and some of these stories are not resolved. Especially when it appeared that someone admits to a crime they didn't commit, we don't even find out why they did they, very bizarre and confusing.
I did love the friendship made between the 2 women who bonded over their domestic abuse and also the teenagers who grew up in that environment. How they discussed their confusion as they still loved their dad's knowing they hated them too. Complex and difficult emotions to deal with.
Sadly as the plot felt too incomplete I can only rate 3 stars. Thanks for #NetGalley for the opportunity of the arc.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Cerys thought buying Villa Lucia in Tuscany and renting it out as a luxury vacation home would be the fresh start she needs, letting her put her past behind her. Those hopes are dashed when one of her guests is found floating in the villa’s infinity pool and the police begin to uncover everyone’s secrets – those of Cerys, her daughter Lowri, her ex-husband, their employees and their guests. Finding the truth amid all the lies will not be easy.

This is a new-to-me author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I got was a well-written story set in Tuscany, with a twisty plot that kept me guessing. At times it felt like there were a lot of characters to keep track of, but there really were only a handful of them. They were all flawed in some way, all with secrets that made it hard to know who to believe. Every time I thought I knew who the killer was, yet another twist turned everything upside down. I eventually gave up trying to figure it out and just followed along with the investigation. The reveal at the end of the book was a stunner and not anything I had even thought about.

I have the first book in one of this author’s other series on my to-read list, and I’ll move it higher up on my priority list to read in the near future.

Well paced, this book was a quick and easy read with short chapters. Cerys runs a Tuscan holiday villa and drinks a lot of alcohol. Zoe arrives with her husband and son for a holiday and the women quickly become close, as do Zoe's son Charlie and Cerys's daughter Lawri. The book is told from several different viewpoints, including Lucia, the Italian woman who also works at the villa together with her husband.
Harry, Zoe's husband, is an arrogant man who (mentally) abuses his son and wife. He also tries to force himself on Lawri. There is some relief when he is found dead in the swimming pool the next morning. The rest of the book is about who killed him. Most of the occupants had some degree of motive. The description of the investigation is probabily the weakest part of this book, though no parts of the book are told from the detectives point of view. A couple of times the detective did not understand some English expressions, knowing Italy, I am suprised he knew any English.
There are a couple of twists is the plot, certainly one or two which are totally unexpected .
All in all a good read, thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

Recently divorced Cerys thought buying a luxury Tuscan villa would be the fresh start she so desperately needed. But a year later, she's struggling to move on from the pain of her past. Determined to make Villa Lucia a success, she's pinned all her hopes on this season's guests. Until one of them is found murdered in the villa's infinity pool. Now, as the police descend on the property, the secrets of the guests begin to unravel, and Cerys is forced to confront her own demons. But can she uncover the truth about that fateful night before the paradise she's built shatters around her?

When you know that alcoholic Cerys owns the Villa Lucia, you automatically know there's going to be trouble. A murder takes place early on in the book. Things start to reveal themselves as the murder investigation progresses. It seemed everyone had a motive.

It did take a couple of chapters for me to get into this book, then I was hooked. The story is told from multiple perspectives. The characters are well-developed, but they are all flawed. The pace is fast in this twisted but quick read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #StormPublishing and the author #SimonMcCleaave for my ARC of #LastNightAtVillaLucia in exchange for an honest review/

Enjoyed! Felt some of it could have been edited down. Interested in checking out more by this author.

A very different style of book from the author compared to his usual gritty London and Welsh crime series but one I really enjoyed.

Cerys finds herself waking up one morning to a body floating in the pool of her Tuscan villa, with only hazy memories of the night before. The story is told fork multiple perspective and flips between past and present, and in doing so is very fast paced and interesting, always leaving you wanting a bit more. I really good whodunnit story which keeps you guessing until the end as lots of possible outcomes and motives are proposed throughout the story. I did find Cerys to be slightly whiney and irritating as a main character, though her flaws are very much part of the story and add to the background. Overall a good read, and a solid mystery book.

Thank you to net galley and storm publishing for an ARC of this in exchange for my honest views

"Last Night at Villa Lucia" by Simon McCleave is a gripping thriller set in a Tuscan villa. The story follows two families: Cerys, the villa's owner, her daughter Lowri, and ex-husband Nick; and Zoe, her husband Harry, and their son Charlie. The caretakers, Lucia and Lorenzo, also play crucial roles. When a body is found in the pool, everyone becomes a suspect, and secrets unravel.

The story unfolds over a short timeframe, making it a quick read. The alternating perspectives and flashbacks add depth, and the theme of overcoming personal struggles is well done. Trigger warning: there are sensitive topics including alcoholism, spousal abuse, and rape. But the plot twists kept me guessing until the end, and even then, there was a final twist!

I highly recommend this book to thriller enthusiasts. It’s a perfect vacation or poolside read. This was my first book by McCleave, but it won't be my last!

Publication Date: July 26, 2024
My thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC.

I loved this, it is the perfect summer read.
Totally different from the author’s two police procedural series this is a brilliant locked in style murder mystery. The book also covers some hard hitting subjects, like coercive abusive relationships, alcoholism and sexual assault and handles them very well.
Three families are gathered in an Italian villa, the owners, the holiday makers and the housekeeper and her husband, who himself has a chequered past. When the father of the holiday makers is found floating dead in the pool one morning everyone has a motive for wanting him dead.
Brilliantly executed as the plot unravels we get to know more and more about the characters pasts but nothing prepares you for the most brilliant and unexpected twist.

Simon McCleave transfers his attention away from his stories in Wales, to another of my favourite places to visit, Tuscany in Italy.
This is a well-written compelling thriller and the book has a wonderful cover.
The story revolves around two families: Cerys owns and runs the Villa Lucia of the title as an AirBnB. Her daughter Lowri has joined her for the summer. The second family is Zoe, her husband Harry and their son Charlie who are guests at the Villa. The families have their problems. Cerys has an issue with alcohol and is also trying to escape the attention of her abusive ex-husband. Zoe and Harry’s marriage is in trouble.
Then a body is found floating in the Villa’s picturesque pool and the police suspect this is no accident. Once the death happens, the rest of the story revolves around piecing together what happened before, during, and after the event and is told from the main players' points of view
This is a strong story with an intricate plot. A twist to this is that even though it includes strong themes of alcoholism, sexual assault, drugs and abusive relationships, not one of the characters is eminently likeable, including the victims.
If I can find any criticism, it would be that the murder happens fairly early in the book so the story gets a little bogged down after that and the ending is too neat and tidy.
Still, I would highly recommend this as the perfect summer read.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon McCleave and Storm Publishing for the much appreciated ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

I am excited I received this book from Storm Publishing as an ARC copy to read and review. This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed the book. This was a great beach summer vacation read.

The owner of a Tuscan villa experiences a murder on her property and the tangled web of lies and deception keeps you engaged in the story the entire time. I enjoyed the twists and turns and really couldn’t put it down.

Last Night at Villa Lucia is a portrait of two dysfunctional families which include abused mothers, children trying to find out what to do with their lives, alcohol abuse, and controlling and 'sick' husbands. The scenery is beautifully described as are the people who are part of the story which is engaging, well-written and full of mystery and doubts. Great entertainment!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

A thriller by a great author! It takes place at an Italian villa that a couple and their son have rented for a few days. Cerys is the owner of this luxurious getaway. She stays in the house next door and makes sure that the guests have everything they need. But when a body is found floating in the pool everyone is totally shocked and wondering who the killer is. Last Night at Villa Lucia by Simon McCleave. 3.5 stars. I highly recommend this author. He wrote The Snowdonia Killings series.