Michael Falco kicks off his Bria Bartolucci cozy mystery series with Murder in an Italian Village. Readers who enjoyed Lorenzo Carcaterra’s Nonna Maria mysteries might enjoy this one. Just a warning, though, that there’s quite a number of Italian phrases thrown into this book.
Bria Bartolucci, a widow with an eight-year-old son, Marco, is about to open a bed-and-breakfast in Positano, Italy, on the Amalfi coast. It was her husband Carlo’s dream. When he died six months earlier, she continued the work on the B&B, with the help of a local handyman. Now, she’s ready to open in a week. Well, she’s ready until she returns home from dropping Marco at school, and finds an unknown man dead in one of her bedrooms.
Bria panics and calls her best friend, Rosalie. Only afterwards does she think to call Rosalie’s brother, Luca, the chief of police. He arrives with Nanzi, his second-in-command. It doesn’t take Nanzi long to take Bria’s handyman in for questioning. While she and her mother trust Giovanni Montaverdi, he has a past history with the police. But, what will happen to Carlo’s dream and Bria’s B&B if it’s known as the scene of a murder?
Bria’s mother, Fifetta, is the one who inspires her to investigate the case. She’s sure Bria will uncover who killed him. “You have a sharp mind, good instincts, and an open heart.” While Bria is sure her handyman didn’t kill anyone, she’s worried when her investigation looks like Bria’s wealthy, influential mother-in-law might be involved.
Rosalie and Bria are a little too eager to investigate at times, and their actions don’t always make Luca happy. But, it’s their questions and observations that lead to the solution in this slow-moving, atmospheric mystery.
Falco’s first in the series bogs down at times, between the Italian language and details. Sometimes, it goes off track. But, the characters and setting are appealing, and it could develop into an engaging series.
Murder in an Italian Village by Michael Falco. Kensington, 2023. ISBN 9781496742131 (hardcover), 304p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from NetGalley to review for a journal.
