Book Review: Palace of the Drowned by Christine Mangan

By Kimberly Foreman

Genre: Psychological suspense 

From the author of the spellbinding Tangerine, I present Palace of the Drowned this week. It’s a bewitching slow-burn mystery that seduces the reader with its atmospheric tension. Though it unfolds at a slow pace, I found myself utterly engrossed. 

Frankie Croy feels like a failure. Her last novel was a flop, and a scathing review from a book critic sends her into a downward spiral of depression. Very soon after, Frankie is involved in a public scandal at the Savoy. As everything mounts and becomes too much for Frankie, she flees to Venice and hides herself away in an ancient Italian palazzo. It is here that she attempts to write her next book—in a wintery Venice, devoid of the usual tourists and people wandering its narrow streets.  

Her seclusion doesn’t last long though. A girl named Gilly arrives at the palazzo, claiming to have met Frankie in the past. But Frankie doesn’t remember this tiresome girl and she’s not sure how she feels about Gilly’s ever-growing presence in her life. Gilly, however, is determined to become Frankie’s close friend. But the more she pushes, the less Frankie wants to know her. And there’s just something about Gilly that Frankie doesn’t trust… 

As time passes and Frankie becomes more and more uncomfortable with the situation, she starts to question her sanity. The palazzo suddenly feels like a prison, haunted by old ghosts, and Venice has lost all its charm for Frankie, despite its many beautiful arches and winding canals. Who is Gilly really? And can Frankie shake off her demons in time to find out the truth?  Set against the evocative backdrop of 1960s Venice, Mangan brings the city to life with such intricate detail that the narrative becomes almost hypnotic. Her prose immerses you in the dark, damp Venetian alleyways alongside Frankie and the haunting grandeur of the old Italian palace. It’s a story that lingers, weaving a spell as enchanting as the city itself.

Not quite horror and not quite thriller, but this story will pull you in with its ghostly elements. I found the ending equally satisfying too. For anyone who has travelled to (and loved) Venice, then this is a must-read! 

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