THE BITTER TASTE OF MURDER

Scandal and murder rock a rustic Italian town. Luckily, a Big Apple sleuth is there to set things right.

After decades as a homicide detective in the Bronx, Nico Doyle is carving out a new life in the idyllic village of Gravigna in the Chianti hills of Tuscany. The latest gossip at Bar All’Angolo, where Nico regularly breakfasts with a group of villagers, revolves around arrogant wine critic Michele Mantelli, who raised local hackles by leaving his Jaguar parked in the middle of the piazza. Nico witnesses Mantelli in action later at Sotto Il Fico, the restaurant belonging to his late wife’s cousin. Mantelli tells the staff to stop buying the inferior wines of Aldo Ferri, who also happens to be Nico’s landlord and friend. Is this the trigger for the very public fight between Aldo and Mantelli that follows? Or is it the rumor that Mantelli’s having an affair with Aldo’s wife, Cinzia? When Mantelli’s car goes off a cliff in a suspicious accident, Aldo immediately becomes the prime suspect in what’s ruled a murder. Nico goes back to his detective roots to exonerate his friend. Trinchieri portrays Nico’s recovery from grief with care; his wife, Rita, is recalled frequently as Nico and OneWag, the dog he adopted during his first Italian case, burrow more deeply into the relaxed life of the village. Nico’s greatest challenge becomes distinguishing between truth and gossip, of which there is no shortage. A second death, at first ruled a suicide, leads the experienced Nico to the killer.

Death toll aside, readers will want to stay in Trinchieri’s charming village as long as possible.