This is a seriously fun beach read--the Gothic epistolary novel, updated. Set in Capri, Lola d'Aquaviva is a bored English duchess, estranged from her Italian husband. Deciding to kill boredom by writing a novel about the legendary villa next to hers, she contacts Simon Parks, a bookseller in the U.K. Following their email conversation via Lola alone, the reader learns about Lola's difficult marriage and her interest in two local mysteries (both involving pedophilia); soon, it becomes clear that her husband is involved somehow, and the reader is left waiting for the inevitable end.

I've said before that I hate guessing the twist in mystery novels and thrillers, but in this one, we are expected to, because the stress of that knowledge carries the novel to it's creepy conclusion. This was literally a weekend read, started Saturday AM and finished Sunday PM. My only complaint is this: I found the speed through which Lola and Simon became intimate unrealistic. I think a merchant--no matter how chatty the customer--would not be asking for a photo or physical description at their fifth email interaction, especially when the first four were brief. ( )

10-year-old Tonino Vito dies after falling off a cliff. Augusta Esposito, a young deputy teacher, notices his behaviour at school, but does not supect anything might have been wrong. A woman living on the island of Capri suspects her husband was involved in the boy's death. ( )