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Murder in Chianti: A Tuscan Mystery #1    by Camilla Trinchieri Amazon.com order for
Murder in Chianti
by Camilla Trinchieri
Order:  USA  Can
Soho, 2020 (2020)
Hardcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

If you're longing for a change of scene right now, then where better to head than Tuscany? Camilla Trinchieri's series opener, Murder in Chianti, will immerse you in Tuscan life, with a murder mystery on the side.

The lead is half Italian, half Irish, former NYPD homicide detective Nico Doyle. Mourning the loss of the wife he adored, he's moved to her home town of Gravigna in the Chianti region. He spends his time there renovating a run-down farmhouse and helping his sister-in-law Tilde at her restaurant.

One morning, a gunshot and a stray dog (soon a fixture in Nico's home and named OneWag) lead to his discovery of a corpse in the woods, oddly wearing gold tennis shoes. Having no experience with murder cases, local Maresciallo Salvatore Perillo soon enlists Nico's reluctant help. Friendship grows between them as they investigate together.

It turns out that the victim is an American, but originally from Gravigna, and that he had followed Tilde's daughter Stella for a couple of days before he died. He also had advanced cancer. Why had he returned to Gravigna and what would motivate someone to kill a man with such a short time to live?

Of course, Nico figures it out - and strengthens his ties to the community along the way. I enjoyed the mystery and also all of Nico's descriptions of his mouthwatering culinary experiments.

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