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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It was a great read! Enjoyed that it took place in Rome and Tuscany as I was there a couple of years ago. Thus the book made me feel I was visiting the area again.
The story and and plot kept me turning the pages. Very well written.
Reading the book made me want to go to Volterra to experience the city and see some of the places described in the story.
I recommend thismore as a travelogue and a guide to food and wine
Suspenseful along with the wonderful tastes of Tuscany.
Brings ancient history to life and tells about life in Italy
With lots of twists and turns this book is great for puzzle solvers.
I love archeology stories. This is a nice adventure through Tuscany. As a detective novel it is comfortable bubblegum reading. Predictable with a bunch of really nice scenery
Good mystery
enjoyed this story
An enjoyable read, particularly if you know and love Italy, Italian food and good wine.
good mystery.
Lovely journey into towns of Tuscany while solving art history mystery. My mouth watered at the description of meals and enjoyed reading about the countryside while doing some armchair detective work
Great characters, good plot, very intriguing
I can barely wait to begin Book 2.
This was a good read. Will look for other books by the same author.
Great read! Interesting characters set in a marvelous atmosphere.
Very descriptive of places, people and even food. I felt drawn in from the start and was kept guessing right to the end.
Great book
You learn about historic Italy and the Tuscany area plus restaurant Italian dishes and paring wines. The detective story was entertaining and delightful with a romantic building plot.
An easy quick read. My timing was perfect. I completed the book a few days before our arrival in Lucca. Now I will put Volterra on our “must see” excursion list