My Rating: 3.75⭐
In 1968 Sicily, twenty-four-year-old Irene Borgata (nee Weatherbury), the second wife of Enzo Borgata disappeared without a trace. Irene and Enzo had been driving back from town to Villa Alba Trapani, the Borgata family home when their car broke down on a deserted road. Irene had lost a leg from injuries incurred during a devastating earthquake some months ago that destroyed the nearby mountain town of Gibellina. She waits in the car while Enzo walks home to get help but when he returns Irene is nowhere to be seen. Over the decades there have been whispers and conjectures but no one could ever find out what happened to Irene who is presumed deceased.
Fast forward to the present day (thirty-five years after Irene’s disappearance) when a celebrity investigator Milo Conti unearths the mystery from decades back, intent on proving that Enzo murdered Irene and plans to expose him on his popular television program. Enzo’s daughter from his first marriage, Maddalena Borgata, asks estranged friend April Cobain, former DI of the Avon and Somerset Police in England, for help to find out what happened to her step-mother and prove the rumors wrong before Conti broadcasts the episode implicating her father. April, who knew Enzo from when she and Maddi were school friends was fond of him and considered him a father-figure in her life, comes to Sicily to help Maddi despite the fact that they had lost touch after an unpleasant incident year ago. As April delves into the history of the Borgata family and those closely associated with them she uncovers a complex web of lies and deceptions, links with Mafiosi, infidelity, blackmail and cover-ups exposing long-buried secrets harbored by several members of the Borgata family. It is also evident that Enzo’s English wife didn’t have an easy time adjusting to her new life and not everyone was equally welcoming to her. But would anyone cause her harm? But what truly happened to Irene? Was Enzo truly the loving devoted husband everyone thought him to be? What evidence does Conti have to prove his theories?
The Secret of Villa Alba by Louise Douglas is a well-crafted mystery that strikes the perfect balance between suspense and family drama. The narrative is shared across two timelines with the present day told in the third person with excerpts from what can assume are Irene’s journal/letters covering the timeline in the 1960s. The 1968 Belice earthquake is incorporated into the 1960s timeline and is well woven into the events of the story. The dual timelines are seamlessly woven into a consistently paced, well-structured and engaging narrative. Each of the characters (the main and supporting characters) is well defined though the resolution of a few sub-plots did feel a tad abrupt. I could predict part of the final reveal around the halfway mark (plenty of breadcrumbs, so it wasn’t difficult to do so) but there were several twisty surprises along the way. The elegant prose, immersive setting and suspenseful pacing render this an enjoyable read that I would not hesitate to recommend.
Many thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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