Such a pleasure today to be joining the blog tour for Murder in the Tuscan Hills by T A Williams, and sharing my review – the tenth in the irresistible Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series. Published on 2nd February 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).
You’ll already know that this is one of my favourite series – and as I rarely read cosy mysteries, that came as something of a surprise to me too. Each book has a cleverly plotted and gripping story, but I also thoroughly enjoy the relationships (none more than Dan’s with Labrador sidekick Oscar), the humour, the characterisation, and the richly detailed Italian settings. You’ll find (spoiler free!) reviews of every book in the series if you pop the author’s name into my search bar – and of many of his romances too, which were what introduced me to his lovely writing. You could read every book as a standalone – but I’d really recommend starting at the beginning with Murder in Tuscany (you’ll find my review here), only because it’d be such a shame to miss out on the ongoing character development and the pair’s earlier adventures together. Let’s take a look at the latest….
It’s murder in paradise!
A picturesque scene…
As grape harvest season rolls around, retired DCI Dan Armstrong and his beloved canine companion, Oscar, are looking forward to a nice quiet September. But when Dan is contacted about a mysterious death out in the Tuscan Hills, it seems that work must come before pleasure.
A suspicious find…
At first it appears that the body found lying outside a prestigious winery has been the result of a tragic hit and run. But then the police discover that this is a cover up for murder…but who would kill in such an idyllic spot and why?
A face from the past?
As Dan investigates, he meets famous ex rock star, Digger, owner of the winery and prestigious Podere Dei Santi hotel. Digger’s guests include wealthy businessmen, tourists, and, among them, suspected mafia hitmen. But more significant for Dan is a face he knows only too well from his own past and he soon finds that wine isn’t the only thing fermenting around him.
Could this murder be the start of a gangland war, or do the killer’s motives lie much closer to home? Will complications from Dan’s past return to trouble his future? Either way, Dan and Oscar must work around the clock to solve another mystery.
The police ask for Dan’s help – translating, but it always becomes rather more than that – when an apparent hit-and-run accident, on the road near a luxury hotel and its associated winery, victim’s identity unknown, turns into a murder inquiry. Owned by an English former rock star, there are some rather dodgy characters currently in residence – suspected Mafia chiefs, together with their bodyguards – but there might just be some murky things going on at the winery too.
With the victim’s identity established, the stakes are raised by a further murder – but, for Dan, things are made even more complicated by the presence of someone important from his past, and that causes problems in his relationship with the long-suffering Anna.
Oscar’s presence, as it often does, proves critical to resolving the case – he has an unerring knack for detecting the good guys from the bad, with a nod of agreement or a paw on the knee. This time, he even finds the murder weapon – ok, he was only looking for a stick for throwing – but his various timely interventions do mean he’s really earned that promised steak when the investigation is finally over.
The whole story is quite perfectly paced, with suspects galore moving in and out of the frame – and with lots of smoke and mirrors around the gangland involvement, and with multiple red herrings leading the investigation team (and the reader) in the wrong direction. This time, our pair and the police team are working in harmony – with new female sergeant Dini a welcome addition, although she does rather go through the mill before the investigation ends.
The characterisation is as strong as ever, the plot both clever and gripping – and the final resolution blindsided me as it always does. And Dan’s relationship problems added that extra element of intrigue – he really does have an unfortunate and unerring knack for putting his foot in it, but the situation he’s in certainly makes doing the right thing more difficult than ever. The setting – of course – is richly drawn, the approaching vendemmia with its blistering heat making everyone grateful for time in the shade. And there are the usual copious amounts of delicious food (breadsticks for the salivating Oscar) and wine (though perhaps give the Rockstar Chianti a miss…). The surrounding resident community is really nicely drawn too – I particularly enjoyed the small diversion of the neighbour asking for his smiling wife to be discreetly followed, and the local postman who always knows more about what’s going on than anyone else.
Every book in this wonderful series has been a five star read for me – I really hope it’s a very long time until Dan decides to focus on his novel writing and leave the investigating behind. The perfect addition to this long-running series, and I’m already looking forward to the next.
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 love this series as well! Wonderful x