A body in a pool. A rifle. And a scream that carries across the valley.
But is that the end, or just the beginning?
It's been a hard couple of years, but things finally seem to be looking up for Danielle. Her boyfriend Matteo has inherited a dilapidated old farmhouse in Tuscany, complete with olive groves, vineyards and – most importantly – a pool. They will swim, drink wine and sit out under the stars. It couldn't be more perfect.
But when she gets there, Danielle finds it's not quite as idyllic as she thought. There's a lot of work to be done on the house, but first she turns her attention to turning the algae-infested concrete swamp into the infinity pool of her dreams.
As she digs up the old foundations, Danielle brings to light long-buried secrets that will shatter the tranquillity of her Tuscan dream forever – and make her question how well we ever know the people we claim to love...
A page-turning psychological supsense for fans of C.L. Taylor and T.M. Logan
The Infinity Pool ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (rounded to 4) Genre: Thriller Format: Kindle eBook Date Published: 4/14/22 Author: Claire Lewis Publisher: Head of Zeus Pages: 288 Goodreads Rating: 2.85
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for providing a copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: A body in a pool. A rifle. And a scream that carries across the valley. But is that the end, or just the beginning? When Danielle arrives at her boyfriends newly inherited farmhouse, she finds it's not quite as idyllic as she thought. There's a lot of work to be done on the house, but first she turns her attention to turning the algae-infested concrete swamp into the infinity pool of her dreams. As she digs up the old foundations, Danielle brings to light long-buried secrets that will shatter the tranquillity of her Tuscan dream forever – and make her question how well we ever know the people we claim to love...
My Thoughts: A lot of thrillers can be a slow burn but usually heat up in a few chapters, this one took a little longer to heart up. The story is narrated by Danielle and told from her POV mostly, there is another narrator with a past story that is weaved in and it is hard to tell how the past and present connect. I did like that the author worked in the pandemic as part of the story, it made it feel truly in real-time. The author did an amazing job of describing the scenes in Tuscany, Italy, while I have never been there, the author made me feel like I was. The characters were well-developed and made you feel disdain towards one of the characters. Overall, this was a good read and I would venture out to read other books by this author.
I liked this book, but unfortunately didn't love it.
It was a very slow burner, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this instance, I did feel the story took a long time to really get going
It's about Danielle and Matt, a lawyer and writer couple living in London during the Covid pandemic until Matt receives a letter from Italy, telling him that he's inherited a Farmhouse in Tuscany. Without much thought for the consequences, Danielle jacks in her job, sells her flat and they set off for a new life in Italy. But when they arrive, the farmhouse is pretty much derelict and there is a lot more work to be done than they originally thought. Danielle has plans to transform the old swimming pool into a dreamy infinity pool overlooking the beautiful Tuscan views. Thus begins the start of a twisted and dark tale of long buried secrets and lies.
The descriptions of Tuscany were stunningly written, I could almost picture myself there. The characters were also cleverly drawn, although not particularly likeable, especially Matt. But for me, getting to the crux of the story was fairly convoluted and by the time this happened, I had already worked out the ending.
I also found the continual references to the pandemic a bit wearing. I understand the author wanting to set the book in "real time" and parts of this is done well, but the constant referral to the restrictions etc meant this got a bit tiresome after a while.
I would read another of the author's books, but this wasn't one of my favourites.
Thanks to the publishers Head of Zeus and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This slow burn thriller was captivating with exquisite descriptions of Italy & the scenery. While I had a hard time keeping my attention and intrigue with this novel, there were certain aspects I enjoyed. I felt this a bit too slow of a burn for me and highly disliked Matt. It's the middle of the pandemic & Danielle and Matt are struggling, not just financially but mentally. A mail notice comes to Matt that his great uncle has left him a family home farm in Italy. Although resigned about it due to his past with the home, Matt reluctantly agrees after major planning & researching from Danielle. Once they arrive, they realize just how much work will be needed, & Danielle is obsessed with remodeling the pool into an infinity pool to compliment the panoramic view. But soon that pool holds deep, dark secrets as well as the rest of the house. I tried to stay engaged but I really struggled with this one. Although certain aspects & the ending did save this novel from utter disappointment, it wasn't what I had hoped for unfortunately.
Thank you to NetGalley & Head of Zeus for this DARC. Release Date: April 14, 2022
I admit, what initially drew me to this book was its title and its cover. There is something relaxing and refreshing about a pool...and an infinity pool is just the ultimate of luxuries. Apart from that, I had to question myself what else - besides my dream of swimming in an infinity pool - drew me to this book? Because the premise was moderately intriguing, with the storyline only marginally so. I have to be honest though...THE INFINITY POOL started out with promise. But then what happened?
The story begins in London in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Danielle is fed up with her humdrum life as an entertainment and media lawyer, which all but dried up thanks to the pandemic, and returns home to boyfriend Matt lounging on the couch in front of a football rerun. Despite having seen it before, he can't drag his eyes away from the screen for a second. Nor can he load the dishwasher or do anything remotely domestic while Danielle is at work. But Matt is a writer...or a wannabe writer, more like. He spends his time editing for a publishing company whilst trying to come up with the perfect story of his own to publish.
And then an official letter from Italy arrives. Matt has inherited a farmhouse, vineyard and olive grove in Tuscany. Danielle is ecstatic. So much so, she takes a voluntary redundancy, sells her one bed flat and they pack up their lives and move to Italy. But her dream and their reality are two different things. And upon arriving at the Tuscan farmhouse, Danielle discovers that she may have been a little too hasty in chucking her life away in London for a derelict old farmhouse, overgrown vineyard and algae infested pool. Danielle dreams of ripping up the ancient pool and putting in an infinity pool, overlooking the Tuscan countryside to compliment the panoramic view. But there is more to this place than the eye can see.
As Danielle becomes a little too obsessed with renovating the property she soon discovers that the pool holds a deep dark secret of its own. What is Matt not telling her? And what secrets is the book he's writing also holding?
THE INFINITY POOL is a slow burn that is a relatively quick read despite its slow pace. I finished it in an evening but it's not a memorable story that will stay with me and none of the characters were incredibly likeable. Danielle was a little too eager to swap her safe existing life for a fantasy that could end up costing her her life. Matt was shifty to say the least. I didn't like or trust him from the moment I met him. I wasn't sure about Antonio but he did seem to lurk an awful lot.
The story unfolds through Danielle's narrative with alternating chapters peppered throughout about "The Hitchhiker". It didn't take long to join the respective dots for the intervening chapters as it was fairly predictable and easy to figure out. But that never detracts my enjoyment of a good story. The slowish pace and the unrelateable characters, not to mention the somewhat far fetched backstory that jumped all over the place, is what let it down. I found myself struggling to maintain interest and by the end, I've already forgotten how it ended. That's how memorable I found it.
I wanted to love THE INFINITY POOL but I just couldn't. The pace never really picked up and the story just sort of petered out into something far fetched that ended up with rushed conclusion. I think the point of this infinity pool was to drown oneself in it because the story certainly doesn't hold enough interest.
I would like to thank #ClaireSLewis, #Netgalley, #HeadOfZeus for an ARC of #TheInfinityPool in exchange for an honest review.
There is something appealing about a swimming pool and the picture of the infinity pool on the front of this book attracted me immediately. I saved it as a holiday read and finished it in a couple of days. Danielle narrates the book which tells the story of her decision to move to a Tuscan Villa which her boyfriend Matt inherits. Danielle’s present day narrative set in the Pandemic is interspersed with extracts from a story set 10 years earlier when a hitchhiker is picked up on an Italian road and forms a relationship with someone called Ted. How are the present day and the past story connected? Danielle and Matt have a difficult relationship- Matt is not likeable and I wondered why Danielle wanted to stay with him. The move to Tuscany during the Pandemic is fraught with problems and I questioned Danielle’s sense in leaving her well paid lawyer’s job, selling her property and giving all proceeds to Matt to renovate the Italian property. She has her heart set on a beautiful infinity pool but the construction of this leads to some dark secrets being revealed. Matt is very difficult to read and seldom tells the truth so it is incredibly difficult to work out what happened all those years previously. There are many versions and even the ending throws up more questions than answers. I loved the description of the Tuscan countryside and local towns. I really felt I was there. Danielle was rather naive but she conveyed the menace of her situation very well. Matt was just unpleasant and I could not find any redeeming features in his character. All in all this was an enjoyable psychological thriller which although slow moving at first, succeeded In ratcheting up the tension as the story progressed. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. This book started out great! Very suspenseful and very atmospheric. I have not read too many books set during the COVID 19 pandemic, so I found it interesting reading about the lockdown after experiencing it firsthand so recently. The descriptions of Italy were also stunning - you really feel like you are there in the wind or the heat or the sunset. I enjoyed the alternating chapters and did not expect what was revealed as how they relate to one another. But! The character of Matt is horrible. Not one redeeming quality - basically emotionally abusive to Danielle. So I found myself thinking for pretty much the entire book, why is she with him, and hoping that some twist would be that she leaves. Also, it is not until more than 90% through that the ending climax/ big reveal starts. I noticed how far along I was in the book and wondered how anything would be resolved. Well, it wasn't! I did not find the ending to settle anything and was left with questions which I do not enjoy at the end of a book.
Danielle had only just met Matt when the pandemic struck and they decide to live together to enable them to see each other.
During this period, Matt inherits a property in Tuscany from his family as his grandmother has dementia and can no longer look after the place.
Once they move Matt can continue to write his novel - but is it all fiction?
The story is told from Danielle’s POV and also that of the ‘hitchhiker’ which is quite clearly a story of Matt’s youth even if the names are not quite the same.
Matt is a nasty piece of work - gaslighting Danielle and being quite nasty and unpredictable.
She puts up with way too much from him and probably should have given up on him many months ago. Unfortunately her money, not his, is tied up in the renovations so she dose take really have much choice.
I still wonder if there was a child involved in the parallel stories - for me that was an unanswered question unless I missed something.
An easy read but I felt a bit unsatisfied by the ending
Danielle and Matt are living in London, struggling through the pandemic, when they find out that Matt has been left a Tuscan farm by his great uncle. They decide to relocate their lives to Italy, and restore the farmhouse to its former glory. Dani's main aim is to replace the delapidated pool with an infinity pool, but what secrets will the house and land give up during their renovations?
It was an interesting premise, having the book chapters written from Dani's point of view, interspersed with chapters entitled "The Hitchiker". As the book progresses, the reader understands these chapters more and more, and I thought the slow drip of clarity was well done.
I did find the crossovers sometimes confusing (as it seems did the author at times, when character names or facts were not quite in the right place) and the story just didn't keep my attention fully. The location however was beautiful, the descriptions made me crave the Italian countryside!
I read this book in just a couple of days, the imagery was fantastic and I really could imagine myself right there in Tuscany.
I found the mention to the pandemic good at first, it made the book more relatable but soon got tired of hearing about the restrictions, especially as I didn’t experience the restrictions like what were described in the book… I found myself out loud asking, when was that restriction a thing? Also, I didn’t find the characters very likeable, especially Matt.
The ending felt so rushed after such a slow burn and I felt there was so much that could have been explored further.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and felt the descriptive aspect of the scenery to be fantastic. However, it left me feeling unsatisfied.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The action in this book takes place along two different timelines and we, the readers, know they are linked but not how exactly. Certainly both sets of events centre around the swimming pool of an isolated villa in the Italian countryside - a location which should be idyllic but turns menacing.
The more recent events occur during the grip of the Covid pandemic. While this initially helps to set the tone of isolation and fear, I felt the numerous references to restrictions, precautions etc. meant that the point eventually became a bit laboured and I was itching to move on with the story.
However, the sense of place is irresistible thanks to the detailed descriptions of the various locations. The pace picks up and what follows are some great twists and turns, particularly as the links between the two sets of events emerge.
Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk, the author and the publisher for the eARC of this book.
It's a novel full of potential but somehow it failed to keep my attention alive as I felt everything was moving too slow. I liked the description of the places but the the story is not my cup of tea. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I'm afraid to say I didn't love this book. The constant references to the pandemic were irritating, as were the characters. Danielle came across as very stupid and naive and Matt was just horrible. I really wanted to like this, but it just wasn't for me
An exceptional thriller: My second listen… “The Infinity Pool” is written by a new author to me, Claire Lewis; it is expertly narrated by the brilliant Rachel Atkins and the reasons I’m relistening, a habit I picked up years ago. With 200+ titles a year and 10 years with Audible, it works for me. This dynamic duo in British suspense kept me hooked from start to finish. The story seamlessly weaves back and forth in time, unraveling a complex and intriguing murder mystery that had me guessing. I was captivated from the very beginning and couldn't wait to see what twists and turns lay ahead. The surprises are expertly woven throughout, culminating in a jaw-dropping conclusion that will leave you speechless. I highly recommend “The Infinity Pool” and it's well worth using a precious credit. I was fortunate enough to find it in the Audible Plus catalog at no extra cost, then later, I wanted a second listen and purchased it. Grab it now and you can thank me later. Epic, I say!