The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby

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What to expect

'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

Critics Review

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!
Harriet Tyce
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.
Charlotte Philby
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.
Harriet Walker
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.
John Marrs
A clever, richly imagined, first-class mystery. A story both thrilling and deeply layered, touching and fun. I loved it.
Chris Whitaker
I LOVED it - a beguiling, twisting, endlessly surprising tale, and a delicious romp through the art world to boot. A compulsive read.
Freya Berry
A page turner filled with plot twists and secrets. Fans of Ellery Lloyd will not be disappointed.
BA Shapiro
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.
Holly Watt
'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.
Celia Walden
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.
Nikki Smith
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.
Claire Douglas
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
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.
Dominic Smith
What a fascinating, intricately stitched literary treat from Ellery Lloyd. Bold and ambitious and consuming from start to finish - I absolutely loved it.
Louise Candlish
A terrific, transportive read that had everything I could wish for in a mystery, all twisted up with a darkly satisfying plot that was worthy of Edgar Allen Poe. Wonderful!
Gytha Lodge
Expertly paced and extraordinarily plotted, Ellery Lloyd’s new novel mixes academic ambition and family secrets with explosive results. The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby is a deliciously erudite thriller that makes even a trip to the archives seem fun, if deadly. Truly, the perfect thing to read after you’ve finished watching Saltburn.
Katy Hays
Totally compelling. Such an intricately plotted mystery that takes us through the art world, in to stately homes in the 90s, 30s Paris & Dubai now. It’s a hold your breath ride that also asks why so many women have been written out of art history.
Araminta Hall
A rollicking thriller, an epic love story, and a brilliant examination of the many ways women are painted out of history. The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby has an Indiana Jones sense of fun and a heart of fury that brought to mind Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Ellery Lloyd just keeps getting better.
Abigail Dean
I was completely absorbed by this rich and immersive read. Mysteries heaped upon mysteries with a fascinating and glamorous cast. It made me stay up late into the night to discover the truth. What a brilliant story.
Cesca Major
The Final Act Of Juliette Willoughby is a behemoth of a thriller that spans decades and continents. Whether Ellery Lloyd were writing the ultra-privileged world of art dealers or a Bullingdon Club-esque boys’ club and dark academia, this story had me gripped. On the one hand a page-turning thriller but also - with the depth of character and richly-drawn world - I would absolutely pass this novel on to someone looking for a literary fiction recommendation. - Caroline Corcoran, Sunday Times Bestselling Author of Through the Wall
A richly ingenious puzzle novel, adroitly juggling disparate timelines and addressing such issues as the underrepresentation of women in fine art.
Financial Times

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