Venice sets the stage for a diamond caper gone wrong, where everyone is someone else, and no one can be trusted.
During her Venetian trip to participate in an international art exhibition, Carla Romano brings along her deceased friend’s ashes. But is that all she has in her tote bag? The FBI, Venetian police, and a gaggle of misfits believe otherwise. Five-million-dollars in stolen diamonds are … diamonds are expected to be unloaded in Venice, and Carla is the suspected bag lady.
Slipping into designer shoes and donning her sleuth-in-training cap, Carla sets out in a city of secrets that everyone knows, to solve a diamond caper with more twists and turns than the Venetian labyrinth of narrow streets and canals.
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Suspense is here in full force
A likable main character (Carla Romano)—smart, inquisitive, and funny at times; a beautiful setting (Venice) that made me feel like I was there; endless twists and turns as the story unfolds—I was glued to the screen; and even little romance, you have it all in this skillfully written, amusing and intriguing story with satisfying resolution. I loved it a great deal and can highly recommend Ashes to Ashes, Diamonds to Dust to lovers of cozy mystery and of just an enjoyable read.
Fabulous food, fine wine, fashion and art set the table for this wonderful romp through the streets of Venezia. Besides being fast-paced and witty, the heart of this charming caper is its well-crafted mystery, which has more potential suspects and evil doers than you can shake an urn at. The whole madcap story begins with the death of Carla’s best friend and spirals out of control once Carla sets out to keep her promise of scattering Sara’s ashes in the Grand Canal in Venice, a place that has special significance for both women.
But there’s nothing simple about the pilgrimage Carla sets off on; before she can even deplane, trouble shows its ugly head, or in this case, its multiple ugly heads. It seems everywhere Carla goes, trouble and mortal danger follows. The cast of bad guys, shady characters, lunatics and miscreants is large, assuring poor Carla doesn’t have a moment’s peace. It’s well-written and fun throughout, with never a dull moment. Truly enjoyable, and a perfect vacation/staycation read.
I loved this book, set in Venice. Such fab descriptions and the atmosphere was wonderful throughout. It is an unusual story and the characters are quirky but I really enjoyed it. The first but not the last book by this author I have read.
I loved this book so much, I didn’t want it to end.
A brilliantly written story of Venice, the art world, diamond smuggling, and some very shady characters.
Very highly recommended.
A Romp through Venice Worth Taking!
When you do, I suggest wearing sensible shoes. Not like Carla Romano, the protagonist in this Cozy Mystery, who runs around Venice in her Adolfo pumps and incurs a blistered toe on account of vanity.
Of course, when you’re a reader who enjoys this book as much as I did, you can go barefoot.
For me, more than the who-dun-it-aspect of this Mystery, I wondered just how Carla would prove she didn’t have any stolen diamonds, so she could walk away unscathed in her Adolfo pumps or Fiorucci boots.
What a romp it is!
Carla is pursued by the thief and an assorted bunch of inept slimeballs, the FBI, and Polizia Veneziana. Throughout this madcap venture, Carla’s suspicions of everyone around her, and her imaginative scenarios go through the roof of the Hotel Bonvecchia.
Like the diamonds which sparkle in this mystery, the story is multifaceted:
The author’s thumbnail descriptions of her characters are priceless. How charitable of her to give the reader a whiff of them too—Mabel Gastrom’s breath is to die for.
By integrating snatches of dialogue in Italian, and by weaving interesting facts about Venice throughout the story, the reader virtually follows in Carla’s footsteps.
These are often artistic renderings:
“Opening her eyes, she watched scattered ivory clouds float overhead and imagined them to be delicate fragments of lace that had escaped the lace makers’ fingers on the nearby island of Burano.”
Also, right up my alley—there’s plenty to chuckle over via self-deprecating wit, slapstick, and bawdy humor.
As you can tell, I highly recommend this gem!