Rick Montoya has moved from New Mexico to Rome, embracing the life of a translator. He’s settling in to la dolce vita when a school friend who is now senior in the Italian Art Squad recruits Rick for an unofficial undercover role. Armed with a list of galleries, suspects, and an expense account, Rick would arrive in Tuscany posing as a buyer for a Santa Fe gallery and flush out burial urn … urn traffickers.
But before sunset on Rick’s first day in Volterra, a gallery employee dies in a brutal fall from a high cliff.
The local Commissario and his team consider Rick an amateur, and worse, a foreigner. And now they suspect him in the dead man’s murder. While the Volterra squad pursues its leads, Rick continues to interview his list: a museum director, a top gallery owner, a low-profile import/export businessman and his enterprising color-coordinated assistant, and a sensuous heiress with a private art specialty and clientele.
When Rick’s girlfriend Erica arrives from Rome to visit him, she rekindles a friendship with an alluring, maybe dangerous, acquaintance. Has Rick’s role made him the target of both cops and criminals?
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Took a while to get into, but I ended up liking the book.
Great atmospheric of a portion of Italy not often focused on. A good read intertaining and well written. Good plot twists – unpredictable without being contrived.
Good story, keeps your interest, not sure of the ending,good twist at the end. Interesting notes at the end concerning setting of the novel. Will definitively check any other books of his if I come across them!
a good read, interesting history
Really liked all the characters in this one.
Fast paced mystery filled with colorful characters, twists and turns and an unexpected ending. The story gives the reader a great look at a Tuscan town, and the description of the food and wine is enough to make the reader want to pack and take a trip to Italy. Looking forward to the next book.Happy reading.
I enjoyed learning more about the area the book took place in. A great history and travel adventure.
Loved the Tuscan setting! Hoping this book is part of a series that I don’t know about, since I would certainly read every one in this series! The language paints a wonderful word picture of the Tuscany area for those of us that don’t travel. Keep them coming — please!!!!
Detective novel set in Italy.
I really have enjoyed this whole series
Very enjoyable with a few twists and interesting characters.
I enjoy reading about places I’ve visited or lived. This was light and engaging as well as informative.
This book was an enjoyable read. Set in the Italian countryside, I especially liked the added benefit of getting a brief glimpse into Etruscan artifacts and art forgery. I would enjoy reading another book featuring the same main character.
As I read this book I thought it would be predictable, but it had some great twists in it. Editing could have been tighter, but a great and unique read.
I loved everything about this story; I was caught up in it very early in the book and couldn’t put it down. I’ll be looking for more to read by this author.
I love a good mystery where I pick up some knowledge along the way, not being lectured to or as an info dump, but as an integral part of the story. Perhaps because I majored in archaeology (and I’m also doing translations), I figured out the majority of the mystery 1/3 into the book, although there was a bit of a twist I missed. All in all it was an interesting book with a likable main character. Now I want to visit Volterra. The author deserves a payment from the town’s tourist bureau! I look forward to reading more in this series, even though I really disliked the protagonist’s girl friend.
Enjoyed the story line and setting. Never sure “who done it” until the end. Characters were interesting and realistic. Decent dialogue. Some humor. I would definitely read another by this author.
Loved this book! I spent time in Volterra painting years ago so the landscape and the art made this mystery come alive!
Suspenseful. Great plot. I was confused till the end.
Interesting story line and a surprise ending.