I’m really delighted today to be helping launch the blog tour for Murder in Verona by T A Williams, and sharing my review – and can you believe this is already the ninth in his excellent Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series? Published today (3rd November) by Boldwood Books, it’s now available as an ebook (free via Kindle Unlimited), in paperback, and as an audiobook. Thank you, as always, to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading copy (provided via netgalley).
As soon as every new book in this wonderful series lands on my kindle, I have to fight the temptation to throw my strict reading schedule out of the window and get stuck in immediately. And don’t you just love that glorious cover? If you haven’t yet discovered the joy of spending time with Dan and Oscar, I really would urge you to give this series a try – you’ll find my reviews of all of them all if you pop the author’s name into my search bar. I’d always recommend starting at the beginning with Murder in Tuscany, published in October 2022 (you’ll find my review here) – but if you’d really like to start with this one, you’ll manage just fine, other than missing out a bit on Dan’s journey so far and Oscar’s many wonderful moments in the spotlight. But let’s take a closer look at the latest….
A tragic accident?
When Italy’s greatest opera singer, Rodolfo Argento, is killed in a terrible car accident, the police initially rule his death a tragic accident or suicide. But his elderly mother, Violetta, believes this to be poppycock! Her son was a brilliant driver and had too much to live for. She suspects foul play and turns to Private Investigator, Dan Armstrong to discover the truth.
A cheating spouse?
So Dan and Oscar travel to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, to find out what really happened. There Dan discovers Rodolfo’s private life could have come straight out of a Shakespeare play. Although now happily married, Rodolfo was a man with a reputation to rival Casanova, his past strewn with heartbroken women. Could his death have been a star-crossed lover determined to get revenge?
A family feud?
Or does the truth lie much closer to home? With his large inheritance still to be settled, the motive for Rodolfo’s murder could simply be greed. As Dan searches for suspects while staying at the Argento Opera Academy (where people randomly launch into operatic arias) life for Dan is complicated by the fact that Oscar has a habit of joining in with the singing…
Can Dan solve the case before he and his tone-deaf dog get thrown out?
The gift of tickets to the opera in Verona doesn’t exactly fill Dan with joy and anticipation – it might be girlfriend Anna’s cup of tea, but it’s not really his. But chance brings another reason to be in the area – a commission from elderly Bugatti driver Violetta Argento to investigate the death of her opera singer son Rodolfo in a freak driving accident. The police seem satisfied there were no suspicious circumstances – although there might be the possibility of suicide – but Violetta is convinced it was murder, and is quite certain it was the work of his gold-digger wife. The family are extremely wealthy – Rodolfo founded an Opera Academy near Verona, where Dan and Anna (and Oscar – dogs welcome!) have been invited to stay, and there’s also a nearby family business he ran together with two cousins.
When there’s an unexpected death, it makes sense to follow the money – but his widow is already independently wealthy, and his cousins didn’t benefit from his death although might have expected to do so. But there was an unexpected windfall for his agent – and, during Dan’s investigations, an estranged sister is found who will inherit everything should Violetta meet a similar fate. The relationship between Violetta and her son was an interesting one too – although elderly, she was very much his business partner and devoted supporter, refusing to believe the stories about his womanising or that he was capable of putting a foot wrong.
It soon becomes plain his car crash was no accident – and, as always, there are multiple suspects who might have had good reason to want him dead. As ever, Dan meticulously sifts through the evidence, wanting to reach his own conclusions – with the support, for once, of the local police – while Oscar, with a nod here and there or a paw on a lap, assists his deliberations. The Academy’s quite a setting, with opera singers in the making delivering impromptu concerts over sumptuous dinners – but Oscar only wants to join in if it’s a soprano, so he’s not too embarrassing. And he is just a little distracted – there’s a female Labrador in residence, a companion for their walks, and he’s rather keen on her.
As ever, the many suspects move into and out of the frame – although Dan’s fairly soon convinced that Violetta’s wrong about it being his wife. And there’s a particularly interesting concert at the Academy later in the book that finds all the suspects brought together for the occasion – a bit of a gift for a detective wanting to observe their interactions. And no, of course I didn’t unmask the guilty party before Dan and Oscar – but, as always, I had great fun trying.
The many touches of humour in the book are as perfectly judged as ever – Dan’s wry observations, Oscar’s often timely interventions – as well as the most wonderfully drawn characters and the vividly drawn setting, and a central mystery with all the complexity a seasoned crime reader would thoroughly appreciate. Sheer entertainment from beginning to end, so very cleverly constructed, and the most fantastic addition to this enjoyable series that always has me eagerly awaiting Dan and Oscar’s next adventure… I really loved it.
About the author
I’ve written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I’m enjoying myself hugely writing romance and whodunnits. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. Murder mystery is all very well, but it needs to put a smile on your face, so that’s why I like to inject some humour.
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I do like the sound of this book, Anne. Thank you for the heads-up.x