Crime in the Villa

In 1974, an artistic retreat at a villa resulted in a brilliant book, an epic album, and a crime. Now, two friends are going there on holiday.

As children, Emily and Chess were inseparable, but, in their thirties, the bond between them had been affected by the demands of adult life. So, when Chess suggests a trip to Italy, Emily takes the opportunity to reconnect with her best friend.

The Villa Aestas, in Orvieto, is now a luxurious holiday home. However, in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and had been rented for the summer by rock star Noel Gordon, who, in order to rekindle his creative spark, had invited up-and-coming musician Pierce Sheldon to join him, as well as Pierce's girlfriend, Mari, and her half-sister, Lara. By the end of that summer, Mari would write one of the greatest horror novels of all time, Lara would compose an epic album — and Pierce would be brutally murdered.

As Emily investigates the complicated history of that house, she begins to believe that perhaps Pierce's murder in 1974 was not just an unfortunate story of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, but that something sinister may have happened — and that there may be clues hidden in the now iconic works that Mari and Lara left behind.

However, the closer Emily gets to the truth, the greater the tension grows between her and Chess. As secrets from the past come to light, dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge — and the villa may claim another victim before the end of the summer.

Inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson murders, and the infamous summer that Percy and Mary Shelley spent with Lord Byron in a castle on Lake Geneva, in Switzerland — the birthplace of Frankenstein —, Crime at the Villa welcomes you to a deadly legacy…