I loved The Lost Notebook so much! From the opening lines, I was drawn in to a gripping story, beautifully written and so cleverly orchestrated. I rooted for the main character, I held my breath at the denouement and as for the climax of the book - just wow. Highly recommended.' Judy Leigh Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. The tension and suspense just build from the start. The fact that Irene has never been found as yet does raise the question, has a crime been committed? If not, where is Irene?

I absolutely loved every bit of this story. Louise Douglas is a master storyteller. Excellent character portrayal and development. Mind-blowing and totally unexpected ending - I LOVED IT! I can honestly say as someone who reads a lot of Louise Douglas's books, you won't be disappointed with this one!. It's a fantastic read!. On the whole, it is a simple story with well-written characters and an interesting plotline. I would recommend this more to people who are new to the genre and would appreciate the work more than I did. I will continue to recommend and read the author's works. The Secret Of Villa Alba was an intriguing, gripping dual timeline mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed. There is a lot of tension within the family, and you can tell how important April is to them. They answer all the questions that she asks knowing they must be as much help.as they can possibly be, but is someone lying to April?. Will she find out who and why?. The ending is class!!!.TV showman and true crime aficionado Milo Conti is Italy’s darling, uncovering and solving historic crimes for his legion of fans. When he turns his attention to the story of the missing Irene Borgata, accusing her husband of her murder, Enzo’s daughter Maddi asks her childhood friend, retired detective April Cobain, for help to prove her father’s innocence. But the tale April discovers is murky: mafia meetings, infidelity, mistaken identity, grief and unshakable love. As the world slowly closes in on the claustrophobic Villa Alba, and the house begins to reveal its secrets, will the Borgata family wish they’d never asked April to investigate? And what did happen to Enzo’s missing wife Irene?

I loved The Lost Notebook so much! From the opening lines, I was drawn in to a gripping story, beautifully written and so cleverly orchestrated. I rooted for the main character, I held my breath at the denouement and as for the climax of the book - just wow. Highly recommended.' Judy LeighBeautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her brilliant best’ Tammy Cohen, author of The Broken

From the letter his daughter Maddalena writes to former friend April in 2003, we discover that she was never found – and while her husband was initially under suspicion of being involved, the case was abandoned. But there’s now fresh interest – the case is to be featured on Milo Conti’s TV programme “Cold Case”, with possible fresh evidence that Enzo was responsible for Irene’s death. April is an ex-detective inspector, reluctant to become involved – she’s struggling with the recent loss of her husband, and her friendship with Maddalena fell apart rather dramatically some years before. But she has fond memories of Enzo, and decides to travels to Sicily, staying with the family at the Villa Alba, undertaking her own investigation – with a little help from the local police inspector – hoping to clear his name before the planned revelations. Overall if you enjoy easy to read but well written fiction, then this book could be right up your street! The secrets at the heart of Villa Alba entwine and tell a tale of a love so strong, nothing can stand in its way. I loved it!

As I was reading through, it felt like a movie playing in my head. The claustrophobic atmosphere at Villa Alba, Donatella's controlling nature, Enzo's refusal to speak about the incident that occurred 35 years ago, mafia meetings, grief, infidelity, and unconditional love - totally engrossing story from start to finish! There are HUGE surprises in 2003 that we later find out more about in Irene’s narration. Halfway through, my jaw was hanging open and I’m thinking wow, this changes EVERYTHING! I enjoyed the story though very few of the characters were likable. The ending to me was quite sad, when you realize all the hatred and ostracism the family endured over the years, it was really quite heartrending.

Beautifully written, chillingly atmospheric and utterly compelling, The Secret by the Lake is Louise Douglas at her brilliant best' Tammy Cohen, author of The Broken Will the mystery of Villa Alba ever be solved? Will the world ever find out what really happened to Irene Borgata? Or should some things have stayed dead and buried?I thoroughly enjoyed this dual timelined story and was there in Sicily with them all!. I loved playing detective to try and decide if Enzo had murdered Irene or whether it was someone else in the family. There were lots of clues, but also lots of red herrings designed to throw you off the scent!!. The story would flow between 1968 with Irene telling her experiences, and the present time of 2003, with April telling us about the present. I did enjoy this one very much. The family relationships, both in the past and present make for an captivating read – there are secrets and deceit which April needs to work through, with the assistance of a local Detective Inspector. Whilst I can honestly say I really do enjoy this, it’s a four star rating after all, I do have some reservations about the ending which feels a bit convenient but it’s not by any means left field. Overall, though, it’s a really immersive novel. Louise Douglas has made some great, intriguing characters, and when the story starts, poor Enzo is still being accused of murder thirty five years after the event, even though there was no supporting evidence to prove it. This is where April comes in. A former policelady, she is asked by her old estranged childhood friend to help them to clear his name. They had fallen out years ago over a man and never spoken till now. This shows how desperate Maddalena is to clear her father's name and give him some peace in his later years. A crime investigation show is also highlighting this case, and it seems the host, Milo Conti, has already decided Enzo is guilty!.