Atmospheric with a great mystery and family drama. I enjoyed the way to book pulls you into all the setting

The Medici Curse was a great psychological thriller. This story gave off very gothic vibes with that eerie, unsettling feeling of not knowing who to trust, what's lurking around the corner, and nothing being as it seems.
The story circles around a necklace that is believed to be cursed, but is basically a family heirloom. Anna's mother died right in front her eyes as a child, but during that time, Anna was plagued with sleep walking and night terrors, making the events of the night a blur in her memory and making her feel unsure of what was real and what was part of her dream state. Now, her father has passed and she's inherited the villa and is returning to her home. But as she enters the town, everyone is treating her suspiciously, as the rumor was she pushed her mother down the stairs and stole the necklace. Now that she's back in the villa, her plan is to search for the necklace and figure out what to do with it. What she ends up finding is hidden rooms, locked basement doors and caves and tunnels right under the villa.
This story was thrilling and fast paced and captivating. If your in the mood for a mystery, psychological thriller, I recommend giving this one a chance!

Thank you, NetGalley and Penzler Publisher for a digital copy of this book. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Anna de Medici Rossi moves back to Italy, after 16 years away. her mother died when she was young and her father whisked her away to America, where she intended to stay until her father dies and she inherited the Medici estate.

Anna reconnects with her grandparents, her "aunt" and her cousins. But Anna is in search for the necklace her mother was wearing the night she died, and it hasn't been seen since.

This book has the elements of Gothic mystery and some supernatural themes. It is very picturesque. I felt like I was in the vineyards of Italy, the catacombs of Rome and the caves.

It's more of a relaxing read mystery (until the end) then a can't catch your breath suspenseful thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was an entertaining read that I finished in a few hours.
A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They were all realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

Everyone has secrets to keep

Anna de'Medici Rossi spent the first twelve years of her life in Italy, raised there in her mother's magnificent Tuscan villa. Anna was a sensitive, artistic child...not surprising, given that her mother Vittoria de'Medici was a well-known and gifted opera singer...and had begun having bouts of extreme night terrors. Late one night Anna was in the throes of one of these attacks when her mother returned from a night out at the opera, and Vittoria ended up dead at the base of the stairs. A tragic accident, it was ruled, but whispers in town and even within the family surmise that Anna pushed her mother down the stairs. The famed family necklace, a ruby and diamond heirloom known as the Medici Falchion that is rumored to be cursed, was missing from Vittoria's neck, and again the consensus is that Anna must have taken and hidden it. Anna's American father, a gambler and philanderer who had no great love for his wife's family, swept Anna up and brought her to the US, severing ties with her Italian relatives. Anna has few memories of that night and has always blamed herself for the tragedy, and after her father's recent death has decided to return to Tuscany and face up to her demons. On the surface everyone in the family is thrilled she is back, but there are undercurrents of tension and resentment simmering below the surface. The more Anna probes, the harder things get for her....her night terrors are back and she is having frightening visions, but she will not stop until she has uncovered the truth of what happened all those years ago. No easy task when she senses that no one is being completely honest with her.
A lavish, elegant estate, a tragic family history, and missing treasure are woven into the fabric of this psychological Gothic thriller. Anna's unreliable memory and traumatic past set the stage for this tale of family secrets, curses, and lies. It is a novel that is richly atmospheric and has an intriguing premise, although the pace is slowed by the depth of detail. It rates high on the creepy scale...demon bugs, a lecherous old painter, and more...and is likely to be enjoyed by readers of Kate Morton, Sarah Waters, and Elizabeth Kostova. I'm not always a huge fan of Gothic tales, and would have liked the book better had the suspense been ratcheted up a bit...but that is a matter of personal preference. It is still an intriguing read, one that I would rate 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 4. My thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Scarlet Books for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.

One of the best gothic thrillers I have ever read. It was so creepy & fast paced, I found it hard to put down my kindle.

A villa. On a vineyard. In Tuscany, Italy. A curse. Creepy caves. Supernatural? Murder?

This one is full of nonstop suspense from beginning to end. This author is definitely on my radar now. I absolutely recommend reading this one.

Anna’s character annoyed me but that didn’t take away from anything happening throughout the book. This was easy to follow along with & very well written.

2.5 stars.

I really wanted to like this one but it felt convoluted and disjointed. I did like how the author described the Italian setting but the writing as a whole felt abrupt and jerky. I found myself focusing on the writing style which took me out of the story.

Mine is definitely the minority view so please take it with a grain of salt. If you like domestic suspense, dysfunctional families, and a gothic vibe, then you should check this one out.

Thanks to the publisher for this complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenzlerPublishers for the book #TheMediciCurse by #DacoSAuffenorde. This mysterious book about the medici necklace and curse was super good. Anna has returned home after 16 years of being away since her mother’s death. A death everyone thinks that she did by pushing her mother down the steps and taking the curses necklace. But as Anna digs for the truth and an unexpected twist, can she survive the curse?

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

The Medici Curse By Daco Auffenorde
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Publisher: Penzler Publishers | Scarlet

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, Penzler Publishers, Scarlet, and NetGalley for this #gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

The Medici Curse is a slow-burning, atmospheric thriller set in the gorgeously picturesque backdrop of Italy - and it was easy to see why my friends at Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse have been falling in love with this story! This book is more than just a thriller -- it's a story about family lore, complicated family dynamics, and uncovering the truths about generations of family secrets.

While the prologue started out with a bang, this was definitely one of those slow-burns that picked up speed and became even more compelling as I got further into the story. By the last third of the book, I was FLYING through the pages, and I didn't want to put it down because I was so curious to see how this would all turn out.

When aspiring artist Anna de’ Medici Rossi inherits her family’s opulent villa in Tuscany, she returns (after 16 years) to a place steeped in tragedy and mystery. As a child, Anna suffered from debilitating night terrors, frequently waking to find that she had wandered far from bed. During one such episode when Anna was 12, her mother took a fatal tumble down the stairs. The death was officially ruled an accident, but an heirloom ruby-and-diamond necklace was missing from her bruised neck. Whispered suspicions suggest Anna pushed her mother and stole the precious jewels. But if that’s true, then what became of the necklace, which has long been associated with legends of a family curse?

Auffenorde's detailed descriptions of the Italian countryside, the Italian culture, and the Italian sites made this story so picturesque as I read that it felt almost immersive. I loved the way she gave the de'Medici family home a personality of its own in the story and the way she wove paranormal aspects throughout the book. If you're a fan of thrillers that include a beautifully-crafted story surrounding the suspenseful mysteries, you'll absolutely love The Medici Curse. Coming July 1st!

#TheMediciCurse #DacoAuffenorde #PenzlerPublishers #Scarlet #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARCs #thrillerbookloversthepulse #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

Anna didn't kill her mother even though just about everyone else thinks she pushed her down the stairs. But what happened to her mother's priceless (well, almost everything has a price but still) necklace? Anna's back in Tuscany after years away and the tragedy still hovers over her. Who can she trust? Who should she trust? She's looking for the necklace but all sorts of creepy things happen. This is atmospheric-quite Gothic- and at times melodramatic but even when I thought I knew the answers, I didn't. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

This book oozed suspense with its creepy, atmospheric Italian setting combined with the mystery of what happened to Anna and her mother years earlier. I binged this one, needing to know how it would end. Fans of creepy thrillers will love this one.

Was Anna responsible for the death of her mother who fell down the stairs at their Tuscan villa years ago? This dazzling gothic tale will keep you up into the wee smalls, lights blazing 'til dawn. Whew!

Thank you to Penzler and The Pulse for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one had it all. It was atmospheric and the Italian setting was so much fun!

If you enjoy: a house full of secrets, family scandals and questionable characters, a missing heirloom, murder mystery, and alllll the drama, then this is for you and definitely worth a read.

releasing July 1! Go grab this one when it releases!

I love gothic thrillers…throw in the setting of Tuscany and I am obsessed. Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse is buzzing about this one for good reason!
It has a moody Tuscan setting, an ancient ruby necklace gone missing, and the looming question…what really happened to Anna’s mother that night? I was completely hooked.
Three words. Atmospheric. Twisty. Immersive. Be sure to pick this one up!

If I hear gothic thriller I am running to get my hands on that book. This one took the cake with the setting. A villa steeped in tragedy in Tuscany. You cannot start a book any better. I ripped through this one like I was running for my life. It kept me on my toes. While constantly yelling at the main character, Anna. I seriously wanted to shake her, slap her, and ask what she was doing? Anna made the wrong choice every single time. No matter the proof that was right before her eyes.

Anna de’ Medici Rossi is flying back to her childhood home. Anna's father finally passed away and she can make the trip. It has been sixteen years since she last saw the villa. The place where her entire life took a turn for the worst at the age of twelve. Her mother died before her eyes, and everyone blamed Anna. She cannot remember that night. She was gripped in a night terror. Now she is back and ready to finally figure out what happened that horrifying night. Anna cannot believe that she did that too her mother, so who did? As she enters the villa everything is the same. Nothing has changed, the bedding, the curtains, everything looks exactly the same. It appears as though it has never aged. As she begins to search the villa for the cursed necklace that disappeared the same night her mother was killed. She stumbles upon hidden rooms, a locked basement, caves, and family that she does not trust. Will she finally remember what happened that night and find the Medici Falchion?

If you are in the mood for a fast paced, thrill a minute ride, on a vineyard in Tuscany. This is a good book to pick up. I would love to explore the ins and outs of this villa. Oh the fun I would have, the creepy things can stay away. Thank you to Daco S. Auffenorde, Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse and Scarlet for my gifted copy.

This is a very drama-filled and entertaining thriller! I loved the setting of the haunting Italian estate and the mysterious caves underneath it. The mystery and intrigue kept building until the shocking and thrilling end. This is definitely one to check out!

Tuscany is gorgeous and the food, people and culture lures tourists every year. I have had the pleasure to see parts of Italy, so I could vision the scenes.
This novel is perfect for those who enjoy a Gothic and supernatural element. This is not my normal genre, but I was pleasantly surprised how invested I was in Anna de’ Medici Rossi/s story.
As a child Anna lived in a villa in Tuscany, but her childhood was filled with night terrors an her mothers fatal accident. Her mothers accident was suspicious and a precious necklace was missing.
Now, she is returning years later as she has inherited the family villa. What will she discover after all this time? Will she find out more about her mothers fate? More about the necklace?
Sometimes it is nice to find out about your past, and sometimes things are better not discovered.
A beautiful novel full of intrigue, mystery and secrecy.

Sitting down with this book and a cup of tea I was transported to the world of Tuscany, the villas, the food, the people  the superstitions and beliefs of a world that's steeped in history.

Anna knows better than most what this world can do to someone, the way it can turn the world against you on the flip of a coin but still she goes home.

Now, did Anna kill her mother during one of her night terrors.... where is that necklace... does Anna know more than she thinks she knows, those were the questions I wanted answers to, and ohh did I get answers.

I loved this book, it was full of mystery and suspense, thrilling in it's originality this book kept me glued to it.

A solid four-star read for me I'd love to know what you think if you've read it.

Thank you to Thriller Book Lovers The Pulse, NetGalley, and Daco Auffenorde for providing a copy of this ebook, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts are my own.

Anna returns to her childhood home, haunted by tragedy, whispers of murder, and a cursed necklace. Her search for the truth is slow-burning, psychological, and full of creeping dread.

I loved how this book oozes gothic atmosphere—set on a lush Tuscan estate with olive groves, a vineyard, and eerie underground caves. The old villa practically becomes a character itself, hiding secrets and dread behind its stunning facade. I kept questioning whether the supernatural elements were real or just in Anna’s unraveling mind—and honestly, that blurred line made it even better. I loved the moody, haunted vibes!!

What I Loved:
✨Unreliable memories & eerie visions
✨Family drama + a tragic legacy
✨Hidden rooms and tunnels, dark history
✨Gorgeous Italian setting with a sinister edge

Perfect for fans of dark, character-driven mysteries with supernatural vibes and gothic suspense, The Medici Curse releases this summer, so add it to your summer thriller list.

The Medici Curse
Daco Auffenorde
7/1/2025
Scarlet/Penzler Publishing

First of all go ahead and google the Medici Curse and its origins and then settle in for a tale that starts in the 1800’s with a string of mysterious deaths, betrayals, and misfortunes that haunted the powerful Medici family.

From the very first page, this book whisks you away to the sun-drenched hills of Tuscany—you can almost smell the simmering sauces, feel the warm breeze, and see the ancient villas hidden among olive groves.

But behind the beautiful facade is Anna who grew up with debilitating nightmares and was often walking in her sleep not knowing what was real and was a dream. At age 12 Anna lost her mother to an accident where she fell down the stairs. The rumor that Anna killed her mother followed her relentlessly until she left only to return 16 years later to uncover more secrets and hidden memories. Seamlessly weaving gothic atmosphere and supernatural intrigue with a powerful exploration of identity and legacy, The Medici Curse is a slow burn thriller that will have you asking a lot of questions at the end !