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A luxury villa in the breathtaking, picturesque Tuscan countryside. Sounds sublime, right?

But for Anna Pace �� early thirties, working a dead-end job at an ad agency in New York �� a once in a lifetime vacation is upset by two major obstacles:

1. Her toxic and frustrating relationship with her dysfunctional family �� her parents, twin brother Benny, sister Nicole, brother-in-law Justin, and Benny’s new boyfriend Christopher. The saving grace is Anna’s two nieces �� Waverly and Mia.

2. From the moment Anna steps inside Villa Taccola she is plagued by an uneasy feeling. Cold spots, footsteps, strange voices speaking Italian, objects moving around, doors slamming, and every night brings vivid nightmares.

And then there’s the tower room �� the door leading to the staircase is locked, concealed by a tapestry. The locals have warned the Pace family not to open it �� ever! But the key is beckoning, calling out to them��

Diavola was unnerving, macabre, spine-tingling gothic horror at its finest. I loved the subtlety of it. And there were several nail-biting twists. It may not be fast-paced or exciting enough for some horror reader fans, as a lot of time was spent on the Pace Family’s vacation experience and familial drama. But for me the scariest part was them doing normal touristy things one minute and then being confronted with something supernatural the next. One of the creepiest notions was that the haunting probably couldn’t have taken hold if this family dynamic had of been healthier �� their lack of communication, selfishness, and various resentments were their ultimate downfall.

Disturbing cover art aside, content-wise there was some body horror, blood, and descriptions of rotting food. I would characterise Diavola as mild horror, and any regular readers of thrillers who want to dip a toe into horror this October would be able to handle this just fine. The novel was narrated entirely by Anna, and I loved her particular brand of sarcasm and humour right down to the mocking chapter titles. Both her plights - family and paranormal - made her a sympathetic, relatable character, although not particularly likeable. No one was loveable in this, except for the two children, and the cats, neither of which were harmed in this book.

I know we are only thirteen days into the month, but Diavola is currently my top pick horror read, and it is a tale that will stay with me for a long time to come.