The Unraveling of Julia

A young widow inherits a mysterious Tuscan estate and finds herself thrust into a dangerous conspiracy--twisty and transportive, this is suspense with a passport.

"A compelling thriller with excellent twists!" --Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author

One awful night, Julia Pritzker witnesses the murder of her beloved husband during a mugging on a Philadelphia street. Later, while grieving him, she's suddenly fearful that her fate is written in the stars, not held in her own hands.

Her luck seems to change when stunning news arrives from Italy, informing her that she's inherited a fortune, a Tuscan villa, and a vineyard. But she's mystified by her Italian benefactor, a total stranger named Emilia Rossi. She flies to Tuscany for answers.

There, Julia learns that Rossi suffered from delusions of grandeur, believing herself to be a descendant of Caterina Sforza, a powerful Renaissance duchess. Julia doubts that is true, but she can't deny the uncanny resemblance between her, Caterina, and Rossi. She starts to unearth eerie parallels between them--and disturbing secrets.

Before long, Julia suspects she's being followed and experiences disorienting delusions of her own. Even meeting a romantic Florentine doesn't quiet her unease. Then events turn deadly, and Julia finds herself in a harrowing struggle for sanity and survival.

"The latest by Scottoline has it all: a shocking murder, a crumbling Tuscan villa, and a heroine forced to rise above her grief after a tragic loss. Scottoline deftly weaves a touch of astrology through this fast-paced thriller, and the result is a stunning novel that explores the lines between reality and dreams, sanity and madness, and will leave you breathless." --Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author

"This is a thriller as twisted as an Italian road with high-speed car chases, visions, dreams and terrors day and night, a hidden dungeon, a wild vineyard, corrupt cops, and a search for identity. Enthralling, intriguing, and ridiculously entertaining." -Liz Nugent, internationally bestselling author

Author: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 02/17/2026
Pages: 416
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.73lbs
Size: 8.01h x 5.36w x 1.14d
ISBN: 9781538770016

About the Author
Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 37 novels. She also wrote and a series of humorous memoirs, co-authored with her daughter, novelist Francesca Serritella. Lisa is President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. A former trial lawyer, she graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania and cum laude from its law school, where she taught Justice & Fiction. There are 30 million copies of her books in print, and she is published in 35 countries. She lives on a Pennsylvania farm with an array of disobedient pets, and she wouldn't have it any other way.