The Villa

Emily and Chess were inseparable as children, but adulthood has torn them apart. Chess has become a famous best-selling author, while Emily, struggling with illness and divorce, has been unable to finish the tenth book in her mediocre series. So when Chess suggests they go to Italy together, Emily jumps at the chance, hoping not only to rekindle their friendship but also to change something in her life.

Villa Aestes in Orvieto is enchantingly beautiful, but it hides a dark past. In 1974, it was rented by a famous rock star, who was joined by promising musician Pierce Sheldon and his girlfriend Marie. By the end of that summer, Pierce dies under mysterious circumstances, and Marie writes a horror novel that will become one of the most famous in the world.

As Emily investigates the history of the villa, she begins to suspect that Pierce's death is not just a story of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll that ended in disaster. Something more sinister is lurking behind this, and perhaps Marie's iconic works hold clues.

But the closer Emily gets to the truth, the more strained her relationship with Chess becomes. Along with the secrets of the past, painful betrayals from the present come to the surface. The atmosphere is heating up, and it seems that the villa will not let its guests go without a new victim by the end of this summer.