Bestselling Suspense Author Rachel Hawkins Discusses New Thriller

The St. Louis County Library Foundation’s Favorite Author Series presents suspense writer Rachel Hawkins, author of the blockbuster thrillers “The Wife Upstairs” and “Reckless Girls.” Hawkins will discuss and sign her latest novel, “The Villa.”

The event will take place on Thursday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. at the Grant’s View Branch, 9700 Musick Rd., St. Louis MO, 63123.

The program is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase at the event from The Novel Neighbor.

From New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins comes a deliciously wicked gothic suspense inspired by Fleetwood Mac, the Manson Murders, and the origin of ‘Frankenstein.” 

Villa Aestas in Orvieto is a high-end holiday home now, but in 1974, it was known as Villa Rosato, and rented for the summer by a notorious rock star, Noel Gordon. In an attempt to reignite his creative spark, Noel invites a group of friends on a wild getaway. But he also sets in motion a chain of events that leads to the writing of one of the greatest horror novels of all time, ––and ends in a brutal murder.

Forty years later, a group of friends on a girls’ weekend uncover clues that suggest there might be more to the story of that fateful summer in 1974 than a tale of sex, drugs, and rock & roll gone wrong.

As secrets from the past come to light, equally dangerous betrayals from the present also emerge––and it begins to look like the villa will claim another victim before the summer ends.

Rachel Hawkins is the author of the hit gothic suspense thrillers “The Wife Upstairs,” a contemporary retelling of “Jane Eyre,” and “Reckless Girls,” which was an instant New York Times bestseller, as well as multiple books for young readers. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries. 

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.