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.

The description of this book really drew me in. The narrator did it great job of the characters and brought them to life and the author’s writing and descriptions of the characters and scenery were really well written, with great dialogue. Overall it was an excellent story, I did feel the middle section was a little drawn out but the ending, which I did not see coming was really good. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early release of this book.

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

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I enjoyed this book mostly because I couldn't figure out who did it until the very end, and I loved the surprise ending as well.

So, I liked this one…and I didn’t…

We are at a beautiful Italian Villa. Cerys is there with her daughter, and she runs/owns the place. Her husband is no longer in the picture…

Lucia and her husband ‘work’ there…which I thought was odd, considering the name…

And then we have a slew of people coming and going, and staying at the villa.

I liked how there were multiple ‘layers’ of this story that opened up as you read. Starting with a very big “bang”… a dead body! 😮

I did not like how they kept going back in time. So, the chapter would open up with ‘one year ago, or three years ago’…but, at least in the audiobook, there was no note to say we were back to present day…so I was lost, several times…

A LOT of characters. A lot of backstory…sometimes hard to keep everything clear… And a lot of people just doing bad things… So, a lot of people to NOT like….

BUT, also some sweet moments too.
And the ending…😮😮😮

3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me, rounded up to 4.

Thanks to #NetGalley, #DreamscapeSelect and #StormPublishing for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. (And I AM always honest!)

#LastNightAtVillaLucia by #SimonMcCleave and narrated nicely by #ClareCorbett.

****** This one releases in a few days on 7/26/24. *****

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If you love a classic murder mystery with unlikeable characters all set at an Italian Villa, this is your book!

I always love a good murder mystery as well as alternating timelines and multiple POVs. So I knew this was a book I wanted to read. And while I was drawn in by all these elements, I didn't love the book. I liked it, I just had a hard time getting pulled in. I didn't connect with the characters. Even with how unlikeable they all were, I didn't care enough about them. I don't think this is a book problem, I think it's a me problem. It just wasn't the book for me.

Last Night at Villa Lucia kept me hooked, the ending was a pleasant twist I did not see coming.

This story is about an alcoholic owner of Villa Lucia- a vacation spot in Tuscany, who is trying to forget her past and move on from her abusive ex husband. Her daughter Lowri is visiting with her which guests visit the Villa.
After a heated dinner amongst the guest- one ends up dead floating in the pool. As the story unraveled you think you have all the information, until you realize you don’t.

Very enjoyable audio book that I couldn’t stop listening to. 😊

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a great thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. The story opens with a dead body floating in a pool. Told through multiple POV.

Just finished the audiobook of ‘Last Night in Villa Lucia’ and what a let down. The beginning was slow building and it did not pick up even at the end with the “big twist”. There were tons of questions left unanswered, details that didn’t make sense, and characters backstories that were included that didn’t matter at all.

My husband read this and gave it a four star….and he has questionable taste in books, so that makes sense.

Thanks NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5/5
Last Night at Villa Lucia is a murder mystery set in the idyllic Italian countryside. Cerys runs a bed and breakfast villa in Tuscany and is committed to having everything be perfect. Her daughter, Lowry, worries about her, knowing Cerys has her own silent struggles. A new family is coming to the villa this week, and Cerys can’t have anything go wrong. When a body is found floating in the pool, their fraught world is shattered.

This is a great audiobook for summer. The narrator is wonderful, keeping me invested in the story. The novel is full of secrets, toxic relationships, and devastating revelations. I’ve rated this 3.5 stars because I struggled with the many POVs and multiple timelines. There were a bit too many pieces to this puzzle which I found hard to keep up with. The characters are well written, with the men being despicable (they constantly gave me anxiety). This was an exciting story with a shocking ending which genuinely left me surprised. Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the advance reader copy!

This is definitely the kind of book you can't stop listening to - each of the characters is so well-developed that you feel like you can completely envision them and their next steps. I loved the alternating POVs, giving you a glimpse into each character's motivations and decisions. This is definitely a well-written, suspenseful, enthralling story that I solidly recommend.

I devoured this one! I loved how we had imperfect characters (one with an Alcohol Use Disorder), toxic relationships, and a twisty murder to solve. This was a great popcorn mystery/thriller that is perfect for summer and a great read to get you out of a slump. This book features multiple POVs and timelines. This was my first book by this author that I’ve picked up but I will definitely be reading more by him in the future. I was lucky enough to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
⚠️: Substance abuse, attempted assault, domestic abuse, references to rape.