A special thank you to the publisher, Grand Central Publishing, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Sydney Lowe’s life in New York is shattered when her husband, Curtis, admits to a meaningless affair with a client. Begging for forgiveness and vowing to prove his devotion, Curtis suggests the couple retreat to a remote hilltop house in Spain to repair their marriage.
High above the Mediterranean, Sydney and Curtis are working on the isolated property and their relationship when a pair of Australian travellers turns up at their door in dire need of help. Lonely for companionship and desperate for free labor, Sydney and Curtis invite the attractive young couple to stay. But as the days pass, dark secrets come to light, the Lowes’ bond is tested, and not everyone will leave the villa alive.
Harding's latest is a tightly constructed psychological thriller that utilizes shifting third-person perspectives and a two-part narrative. She masterfully blends escapism with entrapment to create a setting that's both atmospheric and suffocating. The short, punchy chapters—with cliffhangers aplenty—ratchet up the tension, making this book impossible to put down.
Brimming with sharp twists, devastating secrets, and shocking revelations, Strangers in the Villa is a knockout from start to finish!
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ROBYN HARDING is the author of fourteen novels including The Swap, The Party, Her Pretty Face, The Arrangement, The Drowning Woman, and The Haters. She has also written and executive produced an independent film.
Harding lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas.
Q & A with Robyn Harding*
GWR: Being a seasoned author, what is your favourite part of the publishing process? Is there anything that you still find difficult?
RH: My favourite part is all the support and cheerleading I get from readers, influencers, booksellers, and other authors. It’s such a supportive community! But I still feel the pressure of whether a book will be well received and sell well or not.
GWR: What was the inspiration for the novel?
RH: We took an amazing trip to Spain a few years ago and met an Aussie couple who had moved to a remote house in the hills above the Costa Brava. They were living their dream life, but my brain went: How could that go horribly wrong?
GWR: Can you talk a little about your character development—do you let your characters tell you who they are, or do you decide their characteristics?
RH: I start by writing character profiles so that I really know who they are. How did they grow up? What’s their relationship history? What are their strengths and insecurities? This background informs how they behave as they move through the plot.
GWR: Tell us a little bit about your writing process. Do you hear your words as dialogue, or do you visualize the scenes?
RH: I love this question! When I write, I’m almost like an actor in a film. I’m inside my characters, feeling what they feel, and seeing through their eyes.
GWR: Intuition verses craft—when do you know to make the hard turns?
RH: I use screenplay structure to make sure I’m hitting the write beats and keeping up the pacing, but I don’t outline in detail. I do a lot of re-reading as I go to intuitively know what needs to be revealed and when.
GWR: How do you write an effective red herring when you are so close to the material?
RH: Sometimes I don’t even know who the guilty party is until I’m well into the novel. Other times I know from the outset. I think knowing your characters well allows you to create red herrings.
GWR: Strangers in the Villa is a tightly constructed psychological thriller that uses shifting third-person perspectives and a two-part narrative. How did this structure come about?
RH: As a writer, I like to stay interested and challenged, and telling a story in unique ways is so much fun for me. I love getting excited different characters’ heads and telling the story through their voices. I’m really inspired by filmmakers who make movies in unusual or unexpected ways.
GWR: The villa was the perfect setting with its idyllic location and winery potential that was juxtaposed with the physical remoteness and claustrophobic isolation. Why did you choose Spain?
RH: physical remoteness and claustrophobic isolation. Why did you choose Spain?
I’d spent about ten days in this exact location. It was so gorgeous and idyllic, but also very isolated and removed from my real life. Not knowing the language and customs seemed like a good way to add a layer of tension.
GWR: If your book was a beverage, what would it be?
RH: Spanish Vermut!
GWR: What are you working on now?
RH: I’m writing another thriller set on a private island in the Pacific Northwest. I’m having a lot of fun with it!
*A version of this post was published on STYLE Canada.
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