Murder in Tuscany by T.A. Williams

 

An Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery

This first crime novel by T. A. Williams is set in the Tuscan hills above Florence and has many descriptions of the gorgeous scenery and local food and wine enjoyed by the characters.

Villa Volpone, the home of the best-selling crime novelist, Jonah Moore, is hosting a creative writing course, and among the 11 students are writers of erotic novels at various stages in their careers.  Some are established authors - ladies in their sixties, seventies and eighties - and some of the younger ones are yet to publish their first books.

Standing out from the other students is retired Detective Chief Inspector Dan Armstrong, who has still not finished his first novel, a historical murder mystery set in Florence. His former colleagues have paid for the course as a retirement present for him and have chosen the genre of erotica, either by mistake, or for a laugh.

Although he has misgivings about the focus of the course, Dan has been persuaded to participate anyway by his daughter, and he also feels in need of a holiday, having just parted from his wife after many years of marriage. He is looking forward to exploring Florence in his free time, to gather background material for his own book.

His host, Jonah Moore, turns out to be arrogant and unashamedly lecherous towards the younger women, and not many tears are shed after he is discovered in the dining room with his own Silver Dagger award sticking out of his chest.

Dan has already met the investigating officer in the case, Commissario Virgilio Pisano, who is a friend of one of his ex-colleagues. Pisano is keen to have Dan to help out with the investigation by using his translation skills, and he also encourages him to share his own ideas about the murder, based on his long experience.

Once you get into the novel and become more acquainted with the cast of characters, some of who are described at the beginning by Dan as ‘septuagenarians who are remarkably sprightly for their advancing years,’ Murder in Tuscany is an enjoyable read.

Dan is a likeable character and remarkably charitable towards his former wife, who despite having set up home with another man, has taken his house, car, and a large chunk of his pension away from him.

But the other star of the book is the villa’s black labrador, Oscar, who befriends Dan by knocking him into the pool and then remains by his side throughout the novel helping with the investigation.

The author, T. A. Williams, is the author of many earlier romance novels set in Tuscany, and Murder in Tuscany, published in 2022 by Boldwood Books Limited, is a promising start to his crime series.

Dan, as a retired detective inspector, is well set up to help the local police and investigate more intriguing cases, and I look forward to reading his adventures in the next book, Murder in Chianti.