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Louise Douglas (1)

Auteur de The Secrets Between Us

Pour les autres auteurs qui s'appellent Louise Douglas, voyez la page de désambigüisation.

11 oeuvres 469 utilisateurs 39 critiques

Œuvres de Louise Douglas

The Secrets Between Us (2011) 94 exemplaires
The Love of My Life (2008) 91 exemplaires
The House By the Sea (2020) 72 exemplaires
The Secret By the Lake (2015) 47 exemplaires
In Her Shadow (2012) 43 exemplaires
Missing You (2010) 34 exemplaires
The Room in the Attic (2021) 28 exemplaires
The Scarlet Dress (2021) 24 exemplaires
The Lost Notebook (2022) 13 exemplaires
The Secret of Villa Alba (2023) 12 exemplaires
Your Beautiful Lies (2014) 11 exemplaires

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A 4.5 star read for me. This is the first of Louise Douglas’s books that I have read and I was originally drawn to it by its beautiful cover as well as the description. I’m not a huge romantic fiction fan but I was intrigued by the plot synopsis and the mystery element.
This is an atmospheric and haunting read, with some really eerie parts that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Although I guessed the story as I was reading, it was still a compelling and thoroughly enjoyable read. Set in the early 1960’s but harking back to the 1930’s it is well constructed and leads you through the intertwining stories of the lives of the characters both past and present in a way that flows beautifully. Intermixed with the eeriness, the bleakness of the circumstances in which Julia, Amy and Viviane find themselves, and the horrific events that unfold is the touching and gentle story of Amy’s developing relationship with Daniel which gives a pleasant relief from the tension building in the rest of the story. I loved the end I am a true sucker for a happy ending,… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
b00kdarling87 | 4 autres critiques | Jan 7, 2024 |
I find it hard to sum up this book as it is many layered. It is not the sort of thing I usually read, but is a slow-burning mystery combined with a family story.

Mila has been living in Brittany for nearly a year at the home of her deceased half-sister Sophie and Charlie, Sophie's husband. Both were lost in a boating accident although Charlie's body has never been recovered. Mila is looking after their fourteen-year-old daughter Anni, as the only other relation, Mila's stepmother, is an older woman who has suffered a heart attack the previous year, although she is still running an investigatory business where Mila helps out part-time.

Mila is trying to write a novel but between working for her stepmother and looking after Anni, it has been neglected. Meanwhile she has a long-distance relationship with her police detective partner who is back in Bristol. She is still grieving for Sophie, whose voice she hears constantly as a sort of commentary on real-life events. And during the book she suffers a sense of inadequacy regarding her surrogate parenting of Anni, which she feels she can never get right and feels guilty because of that.

The action of the story is triggered off when Gosia, an elderly travelling lady in a caravan helps Anni after the girl falls off her bicycle. Mila meets her, intrigued by Gosia's large notebook. The next day the old lady is dead, seemingly of natural causes, but the notebook has vanished along with Gosia's phone, and the local police and doctor are not interested in Mila's concerns. Mila comes into possession of a photograph of Gosia's son and wants to trace him to let him know about his mother, but becomes targeted by hostile forces when she posts on the local social media group for the community asking for information on Gosia. And soon, these forces wreck more havoc.

The setting is well evoked of the small town communities in the area, and the seaside environment. The interweaving of family concerns and the wider one of tracking down a murderer is also well achieved with some lovely lyrical writing and good characterisation. There is a good sense of slow building tension and suspense. The only issue is that certain questions are left unanswered at the end of the book, but I think the author may intend to follow up with a sequel. Altogether I thoroughly enjoyed the book and have no hesitation in awarding it 5 stars.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
kitsune_reader | 1 autre critique | Dec 22, 2023 |

Happy Publication Day!
July 3, 2023

In 1968 Sicily, twenty-four-year-old Irene Borgata (nee Weatherbury), the second wife of Enzo Borgata disappeared without a trace. Irene and Enzo had been driving back from town to Villa Alba Trapani, the Borgata family home when their car broke down on a deserted road. Irene had lost a leg from injuries incurred during a devastating earthquake some months ago that destroyed the nearby mountain town of Gibellina. She waits in the car while Enzo walks home to get help but when he returns Irene is nowhere to be seen. Over the decades there have been whispers and conjectures but no one could ever find out what happened to Irene who is presumed deceased.

Fast forward to the present day (thirty-five years after Irene’s disappearance) when a celebrity investigator Milo Conti unearths the mystery from decades back, intent on proving that Enzo murdered Irene and plans to expose him on his popular television program. Enzo’s daughter from his first marriage, Maddalena Borgata, asks estranged friend April Cobain, former DI of the Avon and Somerset Police in England, for help to find out what happened to her step-mother and prove the rumors wrong before Conti broadcasts the episode implicating her father. April, who knew Enzo from when she and Maddi were school friends was fond of him and considered him a father-figure in her life, comes to Sicily to help Maddi despite the fact that they had lost touch after an unpleasant incident year ago. As April delves into the history of the Borgata family and those closely associated with them she uncovers a complex web of lies and deceptions, links with Mafiosi, infidelity, blackmail and cover-ups exposing long-buried secrets harbored by several members of the Borgata family. It is also evident that Enzo’s English wife didn’t have an easy time adjusting to her new life and not everyone was equally welcoming to her. But would anyone cause her harm? But what truly happened to Irene? Was Enzo truly the loving devoted husband everyone thought him to be? What evidence does Conti have to prove his theories?

The Secret of Villa Alba by Louise Douglas is a well-crafted mystery that strikes the perfect balance between suspense and family drama. The narrative is shared across two timelines with the present day told in the third person with excerpts from what can assume are Irene’s journal/letters covering the timeline in the 1960s. The 1968 Belice earthquake is incorporated into the 1960s timeline and is well woven into the events of the story. The dual timelines are seamlessly woven into a consistently paced, well-structured and engaging narrative. Each of the characters (the main and supporting characters) is well defined though the resolution of a few sub-plots did feel a tad abrupt. I could predict part of the final reveal around the halfway mark (plenty of breadcrumbs, so it wasn’t difficult to do so) but there were several twisty surprises along the way. The elegant prose, immersive setting and suspenseful pacing render this an enjoyable read that I would not hesitate to recommend.

Many thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Rating: 3.75⭐
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
srms.reads | 2 autres critiques | Sep 4, 2023 |
I don’t remember how The House by the Sea, by Louise Douglas ended up in my Audible library, but I’m grateful it did! While scrolling through my Audible library, I noticed this book with an “Included until…” notation. Did I add this book? Did Audible know how much I needed this book in my life, and added it to my library as part of my membership? I’m grateful the universe provided me an opportunity to read an incredibly good book, and introduced me to a new-to-me author.

The House by the Sea is set in Sicily, in an idyllic seaside village with excellent food and old, dreamy villas. A setting so easy for me to imagine and mentally escape for a little while. Edie’s former mother-in-law, Anna, has died and left her property in her will. Edie and her former husband, Joe, divorced 10 years earlier following a tragedy. Edie, living in London, has to travel to Sicily where she and Joe will meet with an attorney to resolve the will. Anna left Joe and Edie the family villa.

Anna is understandably annoyed with having to see Joe again, and having to navigate what to do with Joe’s family’s summer vacation villa. Talk about awkward! As the story progresses, Edie’s attitude begins to soften and it turns out traveling to Sicily isn’t a terrible experience. I love how the story evolved. Edie grows as a woman and has the opportunity to heal and gain peace. There’s a hint of ghosts or remnants of a long family history. The local community and neighbors are colorful and present with moments of...

I have photos, videos, and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
NatalieRiley | 2 autres critiques | Jul 24, 2023 |

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Statistiques

Œuvres
11
Membres
469
Popularité
#52,471
Évaluation
½ 3.7
Critiques
39
ISBN
103
Langues
6

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