Book: The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby
Author: Ellery Lloyd
Rating: ⭐️5/5⭐️
The book follows three timelines. The first is set in Paris 1938 following Runaway heiress Juliette Willoughby and her married lover. The second is in 1991 where two art historian students at Cambridge stumble across proof something sinister was at play in Juliette’s death. The third timeline is in Dubai in the present day where an art dealer is accused of the brutal murder of his oldest friend – who happens to be the last surviving member of the Willoughby dynasty.
This is a mystery, thriller book with elements of dark academia. When dark academia is done well, it can be sensational and this is definitely the case for The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby.
This book absolutely blew my socks off. I was initially intimidated by the synopsis but I had absolutely nothing to worry about. The story has been written so incredibly well and plotted to perfection!
It is quite a slow burn book yet I was never bored. The story oozes with glamour. I learnt loads about the art world and a little about Cambridge university life, I was so fascinated!
How everything ties together in the end is so clever and I’m not going to be able to stop thinking about this book. Some twists shocked me but I did guess a couple. Usually I was knock half a star off for guessing plot twists but I have that 5 star feeling!!!
P.s. I tandem read this flitting between the paperback and the audiobook. The audio has a full cast and is excellent!
If you like the sound of this, it is available on Amazon here.
| If you like this book, you may also like… The Inheritance – Trisha Sakhlecha (click here for the full review) The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins (click here for the full review) |
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