The 1970s, an iconic era of fashion, rock-n-roll and the birth of feminism is the setting of a murder that takes place in “The Villa” by Rachel Hawkins and when a woman in the modern era stays at the same villa, she unearths the mystery behind the home.

While contemporary fiction isn’t typically my go-to, this novel was chosen for my monthly book club, a perfect excuse to dip into other authors, genres and styles I don’t normally seek out.

Flipping back and forth between the two main characters, Emma from the modern era and Mari from the 1970s, Hawkins draws parallels between the two women and their experiences.

Emma is an author of cozy mysteries whose best friend Chess, influencer and self-help author, takes her on a trip to a small town in Italy, the site of a murder Mari experiences in the 70s.

When she finds a copy of “Lilith Rising,” written by Mari, Emma finds herself submerged in Mari’s world and the events that led to the death of Pierce, her boyfriend.

Through the book, Hawkins includes excerpts from “Lilith Rising” and the reader can quickly notice similarities in what Mari wrote and her own thoughts and feelings. After I finished the book, I wished Hawkins had written “Lilith Rising” because I had the strong desire to drive into it.

But who knows, she might write it as a companion novel.

Pretty early in the story, I found myself strongly disliking a couple of characters and wasn’t too fond of the others but I think that’s what Hawkins was going for. She wanted the reader to see the flaws in the characters and to realize that not everybody is innocent.

I always enjoy dual timelines and points of view and Hawkins was successful in her process and clearly labeled the chapters so it wasn’t a question which era or POV she was writing in.

Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll played a big part in Mari’s timeline and with both women, they had a negative male influence and it was interesting to see the parallels between how they responded to it.

Hawkins did her research and really shows the difference between the two women and how much or little they stuck up for themselves based on the era. Mari was quieter and went along with whatever Pierce wanted to of whereas Emma sent her abusive husband packing when he threw a fit because she decided she didn’t want children.

She does a good job at inserting the feminism themes without going overboard with it.

In a relatively short novel, less than 300 pages, Hawkins accomplishes a lot with plot, character development, a juicy twist and leaves a little left for reader interpretation.

I highly recommend “The Villa” for a read that sucks you in quickly you don’t want to put down. And it will prompt good discussion at a book club meeting.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.