Here’s an admission. I really didn’t care who killed the count in David P. Wagner’s Roman Count Down, the prequel to his Rick Montoya Italian mysteries. I enjoyed the glimpse into Rick’s move to Rome. But, I loved all the discussion of food and sites. Wagner does a beautiful job creating the atmosphere and taking readers on a walk of the city.

The prequel takes readers back in time. Montoya, who parents were American and Italian, moves from Albuquerque to Rome to restart a business there. He hopes to make a living as a translator and interpreter. He stays with his uncle, Commissario Piero Fontina, until his uncle suggests an apartment owned by a relative. He also suggests that Rick help with a murder investigation.

Count Umberto Zimbardi’s behavior was unusual on the night of his death. He took a bus, instead of a taxi or car as he normally did. The count usually was a creature of habit, gambling on horses, playing cards with other old men. Uncle Piero wants Rick to translate the manuscript the count was working on to see if that will provide clues. The papers don’t answer much, but it does lead them to a street of shops, and Rick and a police sergeant spend time questioning the shopkeepers.

This mystery is a little convoluted with complex connections between people, even with the ending. But, as I said, I didn’t really care. Roman Count Down is an excellent introduction for anyone who has not read the books. It provides the background, and introduces characters who reoccur in later books.

If you have read the other mysteries, the latest story is an introduction to the food and streets of Rome. Wagner is an excellent guide as Rick Montoya relearns his way around the city. Welcome to Rick Montoya’s Italy.

David P. Wagner’s website is www.davidpwagnerauthor.com

Roman Count Down by David P. Wagner. Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press, 2019. ISBN 9781464211638 (paperback), 232p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of the book, hoping I would review it.