#Blogtour The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby by Ellery Lloyd. 'From the bestselling authors of Reese Witherspoon bookclub pick The Club'

About the Author

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for London based husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos.

Collette is a journalist and editor, former content director of ELLE UK and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.

Paul is the author of two previous novels, Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day Is Like Sunday. He is the programme director for English literature with creative writing at the University of Surrey. Follow @ElleryLloyd on X

About the book

Some women can’t be painted out of history . . . A story of love and madness, of obsession and revenge. Paris, 1938: Runaway heiress Juliette Willoughby perishes, with her married lover, in an accidental studio fire alongside her Surrealist masterpiece, Self-Portrait as Sphinx. 

Cambridge, 1991: Two art history students stumble across proof something sinister was at play in Juliette's death, threatening to expose the long-buried secrets of the artist's aristocratic family.

Dubai, now: An art dealer is accused of the brutal murder of his oldest friend – the last surviving member of the Willoughby dynasty. Three suspicious deaths over the course of a century. Is the key to unlocking them all hidden in Juliette Willoughby’s lost painting?

Review

When Caroline is asked to go through the large collection of a prominent family to look for pieces of the story of a tragic forgotten artist called Juliette Willoughby, she has no idea that will stumble upon a mystery and a cover-up. Perhaps it's also more of push than a stumble. Either way it is a dangerous path to wander, this search for the truth about an elusive painting and talented artist - known only for her tragic and sudden death.

What emerges is a piece of a puzzle that doesn't seem to have a place to fit. Could it be possible that the painting survived the fire. If so, how did it, why and where. Is this a way to show the world the talented art of Juliette Willoughby - a woman with a name and talent that disappeared into obscurity. That in itself is a worthy element of this story, the way hidden figures create a world, but are never given the accolades for their work.

This would make a perfect on-screen extravaganza - a Gosford Park meets Christie with a smidgen of Saltburn. The casting would be a treat. I love the way this author duo brings in a variety of sub-genre styles to create a story within a story, which in itself is carried within a larger frame of a mystery. It's a great read, one that delivers home truths and the complexity of class structures with the element of charm that keeps everyone coming back for more.

As always an incredibly delicate and finely woven plot that keeps the reader riveted until the last page.

Buy The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher : ‎Macmillan pub date 20 Jun. 2024. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour The Club by Ellery Lloyd

It's a pleasure to take part in the BlogTour The Club by Ellery Lloyd.

'For fans of The White Lotus, Big Little Lies and The Hunting Party, Ellery Lloyd's The Club is an exhilarating, addictive read, telling a story of ambition, excess, and what happens when people who have everything – or nothing – to lose are pushed to their limit.'

About the Author/s

Ellery Lloyd is the pseudonym for London-based husband-and-wife writing team Collette Lyons and Paul Vlitos. Collette is a journalist and editor, and former features editor at Stylist, content director of Elle and editorial director at Soho House. She has written for the Guardian, the Telegraph and the Sunday Times as well as two travel books.

Paul is the author of Welcome to the Working Week and Every Day is Like Sunday. He is the subject leader for English Literature, Film and Creative Writing at the University of Surrey. The Club is their second novel. Their first, People Like Her, was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick. Follow @ElleryLloyd  

About the book

There’s no place like Home . . . - The Home Group is a collection of ultra-exclusive private members' clubs and a global phenomenon, and the opening of its most ambitious project yet – Island Home, a forgotten island transformed into the height of luxury – is billed as the celebrity event of the decade.

But as the first guests arrive, the weekend soon proves deadly – because it turns out that even the most beautiful people can keep the ugliest secrets and, in a world where reputation is everything, they'll do anything to keep it.

Review

The Home, a series of private clubs around the world is exclusive, and with all things that are exclusive it means certain groups of people will automatically be subjugated to those who are more powerful and in control. As with most situations it also means people will abuse the power structure they control. 

The timing of this story and the parallels that can be drawn to certain real life situations should be food for thought, especially when it comes to powerful networks who have procured without remorse. Timely and poignant. 

The story is told from the lead-up and aftermath of a tragic incident and the events leading up to the event. The celebrities who gather to enjoy pleasure without consequences, the people who enable them and of course the minions who suffer the greed and lack of boundaries of others.

It has the dramatic tension and style of a Jackie Collins - Lace, Lucky - and complex layers of a modern psychological thriller. The inner structure of the plot speaks to the depravity, secrecy and complacency that lives within our society. I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see this as a film or Netflix series. It will appeal to the readers who like a tight plot that keeps them guessing, the ones who like their justice delivered with a calculating swiftness and those who appreciate a jolly good story.

Buy The Club at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Mantle; pub date 31 Mar. 2022. Buy at Amazon com.