The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby

the intoxicating and darkly glamourous mystery from the bestselling authors of Reese Witherspoon bookclub pick The Club

By: Ellery Lloyd

Narrated by: Eleanor Jackson, Joshua Akehurst, Nneka Okoye

'Intoxicating, enthralling, compelling' Harriet Tyce

‘Bold and ambitious and consuming from start to finish’ Louise Candlish

A stunning, intricately plotted and clever mystery’ Claire Douglas

‘Think The Secret History meets Saltburn’ Holly Watt

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Some women can’t be erased from 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?

Narrated by a full cast including Nneka Okoye, Joshua Akehurst, Eleanor Jackson, Matt Addis and Polly Edsell

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‘A clever, richly imagined, first-class mystery. A story both thrilling and deeply layered, touching and fun. I loved it.’ Chris Whitaker

‘A whip smart page turner with twists and turns that'll keep a hold on you right up until the final, gripping denouement. A terrific, hands down, five star read.’ John Marrs

‘A big complex thriller about art, family secrets and dark academia and is hugely entertaining and fun. Fans of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair will love it.’ Mark Edwards

Critic reviews

Intoxicating, enthralling, compelling . . . the reclaiming of an artist's story wrapped up in a mystery with a great love story to boot. I loved it!

An original, compulsive and brilliantly told mystery set within a world of secrets and privilege spanning decades and continents. Like a reversal of the painting at its centre, the layers of the story are carefully peeled back until the picture is revealed. From the first page to the last, I loved it.

Indiana Jones meets The Thomas Crown Affair - an art-world thriller that blends Bullingdon Club hijinks with an academic adventure so richly drawn you'll be googling to see whether it really happened. Egyptology, Surrealism and country house mystery - Juliette Willoughby is the new Da Vinci Code.

A whip smart page turner with twists and turns that'll keep a hold on you right up until the final, gripping denouement. It paints such a vivid picture of the international art world that you'll be Googling whether Juliette Willoughby actually existed or if she really is just a figment of the authors' frighteningly vivid imagination. A terrific, hands down, five star read.

A clever, richly imagined, first-class mystery. A story both thrilling and deeply layered, touching and fun. I loved it.

I LOVED it - a beguiling, twisting, endlessly surprising tale, and a delicious romp through the art world to boot. A compulsive read.

A page turner filled with plot twists and secrets. Fans of Ellery Lloyd will not be disappointed.

A vivid, whirlwind adventure in art and academia that spins you through decades, from Cambridge quads to a crumbling country house via the glitz and glamour of Dubai. Think Secret History meets Saltburn - I adored it.

'A haunting, twisted tale about love, mystery and romance that will have you holding your breath by the end. Everyone will be talking about this book.

A deliciously dark mystery set in the art world that reaches into the heart of a privileged aristocratic family to expose the tragic secrets they have tried so desperately to hide. Clever and sophisticated, I loved it.

A stunning, intricately plotted and clever mystery that spans decades and has everything I love in a thriller: a rambling old mansion, a family secret, a missing person, a painting with hidden clues to a murder, and a love story at its heart. I loved it.

A big complex thriller about art, family secrets and dark academia and is hugely entertaining and fun. Fans of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair will love it.

The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is smart, stylish, and sly. This page-turner sets us in rapid motion with a murder, aristocratic intrigue, and the mesmerizing story of a Surrealist painter and her masterpiece through time, keeping us happily in orbit until the very last page.

What a fascinating, intricately stitched literary treat from Ellery Lloyd. Bold and ambitious and consuming from start to finish - I absolutely loved it.