Quercus
Quercus
Quercus
Quercus
Perfect holiday reading from Domenica de Rosa, author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway series under the name Elly Griffiths. Previously published as SUMMER SCHOOL.
Patricia O'Hara's carefully composed ads for the writers' retreat she runs at her thirteenth-century Italian castle promise so much. But while the splendour of their surroundings and chef Aldo's melanzane never fail to wow the guests, huge maintenance bills and bad news from the bank threaten to close Patricia down. It's make or break time for the Castello.
Each of her seven aspiring authors arrives with the inevitable baggage alongside their unpublished manuscripts. But this August something is different, and soon lifelong spinster Mary is riding on the back of Aldo's vespa, and smouldering odd-job man Fabio has set more than one heart racing.
As temperatures rise, the writers gossip, flirt and gently polish their prose by the pool. But with ghosts, scorpions, and some unexpected visitors to contend with, one thing's for sure: neither the Castello, nor Patricia, has ever seen a summer like this.
A fascinating account of Italian life, written with skill and insight - Katie Fforde on The Italian Quarter
A fascinating story vividly told, this is a classic page-turner - Italia magazine on The Italian Quarter
A charming and warm novel about families and secrets - Brighton Argus on The Eternal City
A charming tale of family secrets, lost trust and learning to forgive - Good Book Guide on the Italian Quarter
Witty and as light as a tiramisu but with tart insight on sibling rivalry - Nottingham Evening Post on The Eternal City
Domenica de Rosa started her career working at the Bookseller, and went on to work in children's publishing. She is now a full time writer and, under the name Elly Griffiths, is the author of the bestselling Dr Ruth Galloway mysteries and the Brighton mysteries. Domenica is half-Italian and loves the Tuscan coast. She has two grown-up children and lives in Brighton with her archaeologist husband and their cat, Pip.