Palace of the Drowned: A Novel by Christine Mangan

 

 Palace of the Drowned: A Novel by Christine Mangan. Flatiron Books, 2021. Adult fiction, mystery

Frankie Croy can't seem to get past her writer's block long after an early successful novel. She has a very public mental breakdown after a negative review is published and goes to 1966 Venice to rest and write. When she is approached by a young woman who claims to have met her before, Frankie can't quite remember. Gilly becomes a strong presence in Frankie's solitary life. Can Gilly be trusted? Will the relationship destroy Frankie's decades long friendship with Jack? What about the swirling images and memories in Frankie's mind?  The suspense and atmospheric, moody setting of the great flood in Venice in 1966 make great reading. Readers will find themselves fascinated by it all! 

There must have been something in the water during the pandemic when writers seem to have concentrated on writing about writers! See review of The Plot: A Novel also.

If you enjoyed the creepy first novel, Tangerine, by this author, you'll love this new one! Mangan writes complicated characters and no one is better at time and place descriptions.