THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA by Lisa Scottoline

4 stars

Lisa Scottoline digs into her Italian heritage, historic writing chops, and great mystery storytelling to conjure up a complex and thrilling gothic story set in Tuscany. Julia Pritzer has been devastated by a mugging that left her young husband stabbed to death, and the killer at large. Both of her adoptive parents died prior to this, and Julia has barely emerged from a lethargic depression – her only lifeline her worried best friend Courtney.

Out of the blue, a respectable Italian lawyers contacts Courtney to tell her she’s inherited both a villa, vineyard, and a small fortune from a woman named Emilia Rossi. Julia has never heard of Emelia but wonders if there’s some biological family connection. Julia heads to Tuscany to figure this out.

Astrology plays heavily in the events that start to spiral, with Julia a deep believer, along with Julia’s discovering budding abilities to commune with the dead. Whether you buy into astrology determining fate, or spirits guiding the living, the thrilling plot wraps you up into cascading violent events.

There are people following Julia, cops not doing their jobs, a secret well, a hidden room, a potential newfound love interest, and murder afoot as Courtney arrives to lend support and together with Julie works to figure out what’s going on. A whirlwind of a novel, and especially geared for those who like dark thrillers.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.