I got this book in one of my book subscriptions (that was from the UK and is closing it's book part, I am DEVESTATED). It might be one of my top reads of the year. The book I received has sprayed edges and is signed by the author. It also comes with a letter from the author. This version has been translated into English, and the translation is wonderful, not stilted at all. 

This title is amazing. Truly, I feel like it sets the tone for the novel itself. It's a mystery with some tense relationships between the characters. 

This is a publishing trip, where multiple authors are on a trip to Italy. They are joined by a small group of fans that won a contest. They go to Rome, to Capri, to Pompeii. They eat yummy food and eat gelato. Ugh, I want to go back to Italy. It's a dangerous country for me because I walk everywhere and eat so much (the food is amazing) and then I gain weight. This doesn't happen in any other country. 

Did I buy this for the synopsis alone? Yup. The cover art was just a bonus. I read this one after a disastrous book club pick (time traveling romance...not for me!). There was a LOT of mother aspects, mostly of children leaching the lifeforce from them...which is actually what happens during pregnancy. My cousin had cavities after being pregnant, even while taking care of her teeth because pregnancy requires so much from the mother that it was leeching from her teeth. Fun things to learn. 

Strangely, this is my first Riley Sager novel! It's a suspense type book. I think we could even say there's a twist or two in the book as well. Perhaps too much true crime on the brain, but the story set up reminds of Lizzy Borden. Let me explain. One of the main characters is named Lenore Hope and one night her whole family was murdered. A local nursery rhyme was created about how Lenore probably killed them all. This is similar to Lizzy Borden, who's father and stepmother were murdered one day and she was thought to be a possible suspect. A nursery rhyme also was created about that. 

I can't remember when I picked this up but I've seen other Lucy Score books before but they didn't really appeal to me (they were mostly romance based). While this one has a zanier plot, it reminded me a bit of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I actually gave up reading the Plum series although I might pick it back up at the library...it was when the giraffe was running around Trenten. I just got snapped out of the series so hard. What I mean about the feeling that they could be in the same fun genre, main lady character is divorced and down on her luck, the main dude character is detective-adjacent (he's a Private Investigator), there's a close set mystery (a neighbor murdered). Score's book has the the main lady, Riley Thorn, as a reluctant psychic, which is quite different.