The Unraveling of Julia
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- ¥2,200
Publisher Description
"A compelling thriller with excellent twists!” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author) in which a young widow inherits a mysterious Tuscan estate and finds herself thrust into a dangerous conspiracy—twisty and transportive, this is suspense with a passport.
One awful night, Julia Pritzker witnesses the murder of her beloved husband during a mugging on a Philadelphia street. Later, while grieving him, she’s suddenly fearful that her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.
Her luck seems to change when stunning news arrives from Italy, informing her that she’s inherited a fortune, a Tuscan villa, and a vineyard. But she’s mystified by her Italian benefactor, a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. She flies to Tuscany for answers.
There, Julia learns that Rossi suffered from delusions of grandeur, believing herself to be a descendant of Caterina Sforza, a powerful Renaissance duchess. Julia doubts that is true, but she can’t deny the uncanny resemblance between her, Caterina, and Rossi. She starts to unearth eerie parallels between them—and disturbing secrets.
Before long, Julia suspects she’s being followed and experiences disorienting delusions of her own. Even meeting a romantic Florentine doesn’t quiet her unease. Then events turn deadly, and Julia finds herself in a harrowing struggle for sanity and survival.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edgar winner Scottoline (The Truth About the Devlins) delivers a pulpy paranormal gothic set in the Tuscan countryside. After Julia Pritzker's husband is murdered in their Philadelphia neighborhood, she receives a letter informing her she's inherited a €3 million estate in Chianti. Her benefactor is a stranger named Emilia Rossi, and Julia—who was adopted as an infant, and has no idea who her birth parents are—suspects the inheritance might point toward answers about her origins. As Julia settles into her Italian villa, she learns from her neighbors and new housekeeper that Emilia was a recluse (some say madwoman) who believed she was a descendent of the strong-willed 16th century duchess Caterina Sforza. Though Julia's not opposed to the occult, she's mostly embarrassed by Emilia's musings, until she starts sensing the duchess's presence wafting through the villa's corridors. As Julia scrambles to figure out what's going on with the help of handsome librarian Gianluca Moretti, she learns she may possess long-dormant supernatural abilities. Scottoline serves up plenty of Tuscan atmosphere for the armchair traveler, but her plotting is unfocused, with Julia's journey of self-discovery too tangled up in convoluted subplots to land. This is a mixed bag.
