Last Night At Villa Lucia by Simon McCleave follows two families that are completely different; and when their worlds collide, someone ends up dead. On one side, a family of three, on holiday, staying in a villa. The other side of the story follows a single mom and daughter who run the villa, starting over after separation from her abusive ex husband.

This story starts off slow, introducing each character before getting to the juicy murdery parts. The twists though! I was not prepared!!! Overall, this book was well written, slowly built up anticipation, and kept the reader guessing all along. I listened to the audiobook and aside from getting used to the accents, it was an enjoyable listen.

Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Select, and Storm Publishing for this advance listening copy!

I loved this book! It was a murder mystery that kept you on the edge of your seat and kept me guessing. I thought I had it figured out and I was so wrong. Those are my favorite mysteries! I audibly gasped when all the pieces fell together. It was so good!
I listened to this on audio. The narrator was great. Just at times it was too quiet. I had my head phones on max but couldn’t listen if I was at a loud place.

This was such a good mystery! I couldn’t put it down! Will definitely be reading more from this author

As a fan of his Snowdonia based detective series, I was intrigued to read this Italian based mystery from Simon McCleave. Set in Tuscany, the audiobook tells the story of a murder at the villa owned by divorced Welsh ex-pat and functioning (just) alcoholic Cerys. Cerys forms an immediate bond with Zoe, one of the villa’s guests, who arrived with her husband Harry and son Charlie. A few days into their stay, Harry is found floating in the villa’s pool and an investigation ensues. With a cast of unreliable witnesses - alcoholic Cerys, abused wife Zoe, ex-Mafia Lorenzo - the Italian police have a huge task on their hands to identify the perpetrator but also seem a bit inept in their investigative procedures. I enjoyed the slow reveal of relevant back stories and was kept engrossed by the narration. The only slight irritant was the mispronunciation of the Welsh name Lowri by the narrator.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the audiobook producer for the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook.

A vacation getaway in the perfect beautiful setting, two families meet, what could possibly go wrong? This book is a bit of a slow burn while it builds the characters and sets the stage. By mid book the story takes off and is full of mystery and suspense!!! The past meets the present and you will begin to piece together the last parts of the puzzle. I would recommend reading this book versus audiobook. I struggled with the narration and felt it would have been a more impactful book if I had read it. I would rate this book 3.5 ⭐️ as completer via audiobook.

Thank you Net Galley, Dreamscape Select and Storm Publishing for an ARC via audiobook of Last Night at Villa Lucia.

In the book Last Night at Villa Lucia, author Simon McCleave follows Cerys, a recently divorced mom who started a new life by buying a luxury Tuscan villa and creating an airbnb. But when a guest is found dead, the police descend on the villa and everyone’s secrets begin to come out. Who killed the dead guest? And who didn’t have a motive? This was a solid story that kept you guessing as to how the author would wrap up all the threads. I would recommend this book. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this audio book ARC opportunity!

This story contains multiple points of view and timelines, starting when the main character, Cerys, moves to a villa in Tuscany, to start over after her divorce. As other guests arrive, one is found murdered in the pool, and we are left to wonder how this happened, and why. While the build up was slow in the beginning, the characters were built up so you not only got to know them, but were consistently wondering “who done it” and their motive, which kept it interesting. There were a few surprises and a unique setting. Well done!

This was a good book. I love how friendships were made through different tragedies. This book kept me intrigued, and the twist in the end caught me by surprise. I thought the narrator did a good job.

This is shown as a thriller, but to me it was more suspense, without the thriller part.

Last Night at Villa Lucia is an interesting read. The beginning is rather slow, and you really don't care for the MC right off the bat. However, the book does pick up as you move toward the middle, and then it is rather BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. That kept me reading.

I did like the narrator. It was a good mix for the book.

Overall, decent read. A good poolside read.

This was an enjoyable mystery with an idyllic setting and a cast of flawed and interesting characters. I thought the narrator did an excellent job at capturing all of them, including different accents, but a multi-cast of readers would have been even better.
It was a bit of a slow-burn (not always a negative thing) but once the twists started coming, they didn't stop. I definitely could not have predicted all that transpired.
Definitely check out this good summer read by McCleave, who normally writes books in his series about DI Ruth Hunter. I may head there next!
Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC. All opinions are mine.

Chilling suspense, fabulous scenery and Italian balmy nights....what more can you ask for! A drama filled thriller that was both intense and passionate offering the reader the opportunity to immerse oneself into the Tuscan ambiance.

If you're in the mood for a gripping vacation read, Last Night at Villa Lucia by Simon McCleave is your go-to! Picture a stunning Tuscan villa, a relaxing Villa getaway, the beautiful infinity pool, but then one morning there’s a body floating face down in that same pool!

Cerys, our recently divorced, stressed-out bed-and-breakfast owner, is trying to hide her problems and her drinking from her teenage daughter, Lowri, while also trying to keep the business afloat. When Harry, a high-maintenance record executive, along with his wife Zoe and their son Charlie come to stay at the Villa no one could have predicted what would follow! This twisty, suspenseful whodunit will keep you guessing right up until the end.

McCleave masterfully weaves multiple POVs and timelines, making every character a suspect at one point or another. The vivid descriptions of Tuscany will have you wanting to book a flight, and the unfolding drama will keep you hooked. This is a perfect beach read that fans of classic murder mysteries will absolutely love!

***Contains some MA content and language

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscapeselect for the advanced audiobook copy.

When a man is found dead in the swimming pool at an Italian Villa, everybody seems to have had both the opportunity and a motive. Decent thriller in a gorgeous setting with a satisfying resolution. 3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Simon McCleave for the audio Arc of Last Night at Villa Lucia.

Narrated by Sally Corbett

This is a standalone psychological thriller set at a Tuscan Villa holiday home. Cerys is expecting visitors to her holiday home in a few hours but unfortunately there is a dead body in her infinity pool! After calling the police, the plot opens up from 3 POVs. Cerys, her daughter, Lowri and the Detective Inspector, Saachi who pieces together the mystery of the dead body.

I really enjoyed this book by Simon, my first read of his. The character building of the family and friends of Cerys and Saachi were detailed and intricate, building in the direction of the book as well as the plot itself. They also felt very real. Cerys has lots going on with her mental health, the coping strategies, the drinking and hiding it all from her teen daughter.

The plot line itself ticks along at a medium pace overall with some great twists and nice foreshadowing. So if you pay attention, you will probably figure out who the murderer is and if not, it will keep you guessing till near the end!

Last Night at Villa Lucia was narrated by Sally Corbett who has a great voice for this Mystery/Thriller. Her voice suits the pacing of the book and she put the right emphasis where needed.

4 stars

3.75 ☆ I really enjoyed this audiobook and finished it within a day. it was fast paced and I thought everything was very well developed, especially the backstories of the characters and then their development throughout the book. I didn’t know where this story was going, there were plenty of twist and turns that kept me guessing. I did think the middle was a little over descriptive and could’ve been condensed. on the whole, I liked the story and would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick and easy summer thriller read. thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Wonderful mystery with lots of twists and turns. Totally engrossing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in excahnge for an honest review.

When the murder victim is a PoS, it’s kinda hard for me to care who the killer is tbh. I was like, good riddance, byeee. I just didn’t want anyone to take the blame lol. This didn’t feel like a thriller, more like a murder mystery. There were a lot of potential suspects, so I really didn’t know who did it and they all had their very valid reasons. The ending did have a twist as to the why, but not all that surprising considering. Without spoilers, I did love the camaraderie between characters. Also the ending worked out well, nice and tidy.

As an audio book, the narration was ok but I needed a little more distinction between characters. I was getting confused as to who’s PoV it was and would restart the chapter.

*Provided an ALC (advance listening copy) audiobook from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

This was just such a great read, such a great, great time from start to finish.

We follow mainly Cerys, the owner of Villa Lucia; her daughter, Lowri; Zoe; Harry; and their son, Charlie.

I loved to see the women’s unity. I honestly loved everyone (obviously except for the people that were antagonists), and I actually didn’t expect absolutely any of it. I wasn’t expecting ANYTHING that happened; I didn’t know who the victim was when I started reading. Everything took me by surprise.
The book’s writing was flawless throughout; the characters were particularly well-developed. You really felt for them; you really did.
Although, between all this, I must say I did see a revelation coming, but, I don’t really care whether I’m right or wrong about twists; it doesn’t impact my reading experience at all.

I am just lost for words. This was just so cool, I cannot wait for this book to be published in print to get a copy of it. JUST WOW!

This is my first book by Simon McCleave, but it won't be my last. The story begins with a body face down in the pool of this stunning bed and breakfast in Tuscany. The problem is that almost everyone there could have killed him, so which character did it?
A twisty domestic thriller with multiple POV and a dual timeline, it will keep you guessing. The narrator was engaging, and I didn't want to pause the audio because I needed to know who the real murderer was.
Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Select, for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

i wasn’t a huge fan of this one. there were too many characters introduced way too quickly. it got confusing differentiating them from one another and after a while i found myself giving up trying to relate or connect to any of the characters. i love vacation thrillers but this one just felt like a cookie cutter of several other stories.