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 !

Everyone is buzzing about this one over at @thrillerbookloversthepulse! Thank you for the free digital arc!

Anna returns to her childhood estate in Italy after the death of her father. She is out to prove she was not responsible for the death of her mother years ago and that she is not a victim of the so-called Medici curse.

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!

Anna’s father took her away from her mother’s family home in Tuscany. Why? Well, because when Anna was almost a teenager, her mother died when she fell down the stairs. Many people believe Anna killed her and stole a valuable family necklace.
Anna is now almost 30. She returns when her father dies, determined to uncover what really happened the night her mother died. Anna is not welcomed back with open arms by her remaining family either. A lot goes on in the story, since most of it would be treading into spoiler territory, my lips are sealed. While Anna was not the most likable character, I did want to know what happened to her mother and that valuable heirloom necklace.
There were a couple of things that I didn’t pick up on while I was reading this, and I was surprised by how everything came together. Oh and the epilogue, perfect.

I love an Italian setting in a story, which is what initially drew me to this book. It’s somewhat of a slow burn, though I enjoyed it. I wish the epilogue had provided more information about the rest of the family. Not sure yet what I think of the ending, I’m still processing. Anna wasn’t the most likable main character. The family relationships in this book were unusual, to say the least. One really annoyed me and I was bothered by everyone around them acting like things were totally normal. Even though this wasn’t one I read in a single sitting, it was enjoyable and held my attention throughout. I liked the sprinkles of supernatural elements throughout the story.