A haunting Christmas song from a faraway land. A child with striking green eyes. A man with no past.When elderly widow Mrs De Blasi catches sight of eight-year-old Betta Giordano, all she can see is the face of her son, Marco. But how can this be? Marco died tragically young, many years before Betta was born.Travel writer Giò Brando can’t help but be intrigued by the string of coincidences … writer Giò Brando can’t help but be intrigued by the string of coincidences connecting Betta to the De Blasi family. Why does the child bear such a strong resemblance to a long-dead man? How does she know an ancient tune from the remotest parts of Britain? And why does the carillon that Mrs De Blasi gifts to Betta play that very same tune?
In the busy run up to Christmas, the wealthier families of Maratea are gripped by fear. A spate of thefts has seen them losing their most treasured possessions, and with panic edging towards hysteria, Brigadiere Paolo Rossi has his work cut out to solve the mystery before the townspeople take the matter into their own hands.
Will Giò and Paolo between them be able to ensure it’s a happy Christmas for everyone in Maratea?
Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and M C Beaton will love this heart-warming festive story, the third in the An Italian Village Mystery series. Delve into the pages of The Mystery Before Christmas and breathe in the delicious scents and flavours of a Mediterranean December.
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This is a delightful Christmas mystery. This story has so much to offer: friendship and help to a stranger, love, and a mystery with lots of twists and turns. I also adore the scenic descriptions! The author makes you feel like you are there! This book will not disappoint!
I received an advance copy of this book and I voluntarily wrote an honest review.
Who spoke? Did I dream it? Giò wondered. Carillon–it was ages since she’d last heard that word, used in Italy to refer to any sort of musical box. Time to go home. Never mind Christmas lights, it looks like I’m getting Christmas hallucinations.
Gio Brando, travel writer, living in the small town of Maratea In Italy where she and her family help out a stranded woman and her daughter in this, the third book of the series. A seemingly unconnected series of mysteries are tied in with losses all over Maratea and it seems Gio needs to solve them before Christmas so the traditions can move forward. Will Gio do it? Will kindness win?
I am quite familiar with European Christmas traditions like the Market; however, Italian Christmas is fairly unknown to me so I loved the word pictures Adriana Licio writes and learning the traditions almost overshadowed a crowded Christmas mystery. A different type of puzzle for Christmas. Recommended.4/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
This series about a travel writer (Gio) and the town she lives in (Maratea) is proving to be absolutely captivating, there are so many things to love, such as the way the author depicts life in a small Italian village, her depictions of family life in the village and of course the mysteries. In this book there is more than one mystery, books disappearing from the library, thefts from affluent houses and a mysterious likeness.
This is a wonderful, heart-warming book spiced up with a little excitement, and ideal for the run up to Christmas.
A Mystery Before Christmas by Adriana Licio is the third story in An Italian Village Mystery series. This charming novella has realistic characters who live in a charming Italian village. Gio Brando is busy finishing up her Scottish travel guide before the holidays. She is not feeling the Christmas spirit since there are no decorations up in town yet. The town has a tradition and Gio must wait until the night of the tree lighting. Gio is kept busy when newcomer Betta Giordano bears a close resemblance to Mrs. De Blasi’s deceased son. There are a couple of other coincidences that send Gio into sleuthing mode. Paolo, with the local carabinieri, is dealing with a rash of jewel thefts. The thieves are clever leaving Paolo with few clues. When Gio goes looking for a book at the library, it is missing. The librarian states this has been happening for a month. They decide to do a stake out to catch the book thief. With family coming to town for the holidays, Gio wants to wrap up these mysteries before the bickering begins. I thought A Mystery Before Christmas was well-written and it moved along at merry pace. The mysteries were well-crafted and intriguing. They are the type that play out and I could not wait to see how everything turned out in the end. I liked the message that the best way to repay kindness is to pay it forward. I loved the author’s vivid word imagery that brought the town, Christmas market, the holiday decorations as well as the characters to life for me. A Mystery Before Christmas can be read as a standalone if you have not had the opportunity to read Murder on the Road and A Fair Time for Death. A Mystery Before Christmas is an appealing cozy mystery with jewel thefts right and left, illicit library loans, kindly citizens, wrangling relatives, and a magical Christmas market.
This was a totally hilarious cozy in a few spots. Some of the things that the author comes up with just make me LOL! I get strange looks from my hubby. These two characters, Dora and Etta, just work their way into your mind as they contemplate how this murder occurred, who done it!, and how to live on their meager teacher pensions now that they have retired. A delightful and easy read that will make you feel good and have you smiling.
Great mysteries with a hint of romance equal “I love this story!”.
Gio is settling back into her hometown, a small village in Italy, after living in London for 15 years. After finding her fiancé of 10 years was nothing more than a cheating fop, she is rebuilding her life. Her granny and great-auntie are well-meaning matchmakers, but she isn’t falling for their matchmaking schemes. Does she have time for romance? She is too busy working to meet her editor’s deadline for her new travel guide, working part-time at her sister’s perfumery during the holiday rush, and trying to solve three mysteries before Christmas! While juggling all these responsibilities, will she still find time to solve three mysteries at once? 1) Who is behind the rash of robberies that are sweeping through the wealthiest homes in her hometown? 2) Why does it seem that fate has stranded a destitute widow and her young daughter in her small village? Did she hear a robin speak to her? 3) Why are books missing and then reappearing days later at the library? Once again, Gio reaches out to Paolo for assistance. Once again, Paolo is eager to help Gio. Do I detect a blossoming romance? I hope so!
Adriana Licio expertly weaves a tale of multiple mysteries and just a bit of romance in this fun read. I highly recommend this book as well as the other books in this series.
An interesting time for a mystery
As usual Ms. Licio hasn’t chosen the ordinary, she has selected the Christmas holidays as the time for her murder mystery. As always there is a lot going on that will take the reader in different directions, but she always brings us back to the solving of the mystery. Delightful characters abound, i.e. the little gypsy boy in the library, that provide further color and humanity to the story. I especially enjoy how she paints pictures of what we would be seeing if we were lucky enough to be there.
I’m looking forward to her next work!
Wonderful Christmas story!
I have read the other books in this series and they just keep getting better. The location is beautiful, the characters interesting, and the story keeps me interested until the very end. Several different mysteries going on at the same time. How can a child look like another women’s dead son when the son passed away before the child was born? Who is taking books from the library, only to return them later? And who is breaking into houses? Everything was wrapped up with a neat bow by the end!
I received an ARC. This is my honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved learning about Italian and Scottish Christmas traditions, and of course the characters are like friends by now. I also like Adriana Licio’s writing style and her descriptions which put me right in the middle of the action. I found myself cheering Gio on as she searched for a Christmas miracle.
I received an advance copy of this book and am leaving my honest review.
A young widow, Anna, is stranded in Maratea with her 8 year old daughter, Betta, with car problems. She is taken in by Nennella, treated with kindness and finds a full time job at Agnese’s perfumery shop. When widow, Mrs. De Blasi sees Betta for the first time, she faints. Betta has the same hair and green eyes and facial features that her deceased son Marco had. Mrs. De Blasi gives Betta the crib (nativity set) that was her son’s and Betta is shocked by finding out it contains a music box that plays her favorite Christmas song her father taught her. Gio finds out about the similarities and gets very curious and does some serious sleuthing, which she loves to do. It’s a delightful, sweet Christmastime novella that brought tears to my eyes at the ending.
Surprises await Anna and Betta for the Christmas holiday.
The village of Maratea provides a wonderful holiday home during this festive time of the year. Anna and Betta are hoping to find a new life in the nearby “big” city of Naples, but that will have to wait after they have car trouble. You can feel the hustle and bustle of the village getting ready for the holidays. Gio’s inquisitive mind keeps her going forward to discover why she has that “feeling”. With all the other suspicious activities happening in the village, read to discover the real mystery. I received an ARC copy of this book from the author.
Again Adriana Licio writes a book with wonderful characters, interesting plot lines, and – especially for the Christmas season – tenderness and wonder.
A widow and daughter arrive in Maratea, just passing through, and have to stay longer because of car trouble. She finds a part-time job with Gio’s sister Agnese; some burglaries of well-off people take place; books go missing from the library; and a number of connections start to appear. A customer is startled by the daughter’s looks, and Gio wonders why she sing a Scottish Christmas tune…You might think you can see the ending coming but there are still a few surprises in store as the chapters cover each day in December until the 25th.
I loved this book! Lots of twists and turns, interesting complex colorful characters! I loved the way the author was able to capture my heart with this story. very believable story line. Heartwarming and loving story about love and family.
This is the 3rd book I’ve read in this seaside Italian Village mystery series, just in time for Christmas. The holidays are approaching and Gio isn’t quite feeling the spirit. A spate of robberies in the wealthier homes in town have the residents upset, and when Anna and her daughter, Betta, have car trouble stranding them in town for the holidays, the village and Gio’s family are quick to take them in. But Gio is intrigued by the amazing resemblance of Betta to the deceased son of one of her sister’s customers. A sweet Christmas mystery with a few surprises! I did receive an advance copy of the book from the author.