Bitter Remedy: An Alec Blume Case    by Conor Fitzgerald Order:  USA  Can Bloomsbury, 2014 (2014) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Bitter Remedy by Conor Fitzgerald is the fifth of the Commissario Alec Blume series. As can be expected, this one is another triumph for the author. Blume is having health problems and is told to rest and relax for a bit. So, leaving Rome, he heads to a villa in central Italy, even though he must leave his partner Caterina and their infant daughter behind. He has enrolled in a natural remedies class hoping to find something to cure whatever ails him. Instead he becomes increasingly unwell. He meets Silvana, who runs the remedies class, and her erstwhile fiancé Niki. A Romanian girl, who works in Niki's nightclub, approaches Blume to help find her missing friend Alina. Against his better judgment, he tries to help and finds himself in danger he did not anticipate. This is a good book that picks up its pace quickly and moves along from one incident to the next. I like Blume. So will you. Fitzgerald is a multitalented author. Along with his writing abilities, he has been an arts editor, produced a current affairs journal for foreign embassies and founded a successful translation company. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews