Blackmail, betrayals and murder…..
I admit I think of Kayte as a historical fiction writer with the most amazing dual timelines and research. However, with this and her last novel, she has also cemented herself as one of my favorite thriller writers too. Recently widowed Vivien decides to celebrate her 40th birthday in style and rents the luxurious Palazzo Stellina in Italy which comes complete with a gorgeous Michelin Starred chef and beautiful swimming pool. She then flies her close family and friends from around the globe to come and celebrate with her.

This locked room mystery hooks you in immediately, whilst the pace slows a bit as Nunn sets things up, she drops plenty of crumbs as to what’s going to happen to keep you engaged. I enjoyed the non-linear timeline and the newspaper articles between the chapters. It was an interesting group of characters with a lot of history. As a nod to her historical fiction background I did enjoy the backstory of Stella. I found it fun to guess not only whodunnit but also who was going to be the victim. A solid thriller.