Retired DCI Dan Armstrong finds himself in Tuscany at a writers retreat. Days into the course there’s a murder with 11 possible suspects. Dan leaves his pen behind and returns to investigating to solve the crime.

A fantastic start to a new series from T.A.Williams. I loved the slower pace of the story that reflects the area. Amazing descriptions that transport you to Tuscany and lot of twists and turns in the plot. Looking forward to reading more in this series.

Very vivid descriptions give the reader a most welcome sense of being there! Love the characters. Lots of twists and turns will keep the reader on their toes guessing until the end. Definitely want to read more from this author!
I gave it a 4 because it was slow in places. Thanks#netgalkey and #Boldwoodbooks for the eARC in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are mine.

new-series, cozy-mystery, writers, excop, witty, situational-humor, closed-circle-mystery, tuscany, murder, murder-investigation, poison-pen-letters, poisons, rural, law-enforcement, Labrador retriever*****

Dan is newly retired after 30 years in the Murder Squad where his "pals" gave him the gift" of a writers retreat in Tuscany. Needless to say, he was surprised to find that it was about writing erotica. Teeheehee.
That was only the first surprise! The villa and countryside are beautiful, the company nothing short of peculiar, the plot labyrinthine, and the food delizioso. Of course there's a murder and a willing commissario to share the case with him. After all, Dan spoke English like the other guests. Fun, twisty, surprising, and NOT simply another "formula cozy". Loved it and plan to get the rest of the series as they come out!
I requested and received an e-book copy from Boldwood Books courtesy of NetGalley. Thank you!

Enjoyed this book set in Italy. Plenty of suspects and a few red herring clues. I look forward to reading more in the series

This was a bit more of a slow read than most cozy mysteries, but had a great plot.
Loved the setting and the description, very realistic of the area. The characters are great, and well developed. Even a fun and ever present dog! I did enjoy the book overall, just seems drawn out at times.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Fun but slow

Retired DCI Dan Armstrong isn’t a writer but has no choice but to attend the two-week writing workshop in Villa Volpone in Tuscany. He is not happy about it, though the setting gives him hope. Maybe he can decide what to do with his life.
The last thing Dan expected was a murder, that too of Jonah Moore, the famous writer who hosted the workshop. With eleven suspects and buried secrets surrounding him, Dan knows he has to get back on duty, albeit unofficially.
Can Dan and Italian Commissario Virgilio Pisano (who is happy to have some help) solve the crime before there’s another murder?
The story comes in the first-person POV of Dan Armstrong.

What I Like:
The setting becomes a part of the story with ease. The descriptions are detailed but not overly so. The book does justice to the title and shows Tuscany to the readers.
DCI Dan Armstrong is a good man. He is smart, but many mistakes. He grumbles but knows to take things in stride. He shows his soft side and isn’t afraid to be emotional.
Oscar is an adorable black lab. I like that he is a constant part of the book and will be a part of the other books too. You can’t help but love a dog like him.
The mystery is well done, and the subplot progresses along with it. In fact, there are instances when the subplot has more progress than the case, but that’s expected in a cozy mystery series.
There’s loads of food in the book. Though I’m a vegetarian, I enjoyed the scenes with food. And who can resist macaroons, velvety ice creams, tiramisu… yum. ;)
Oh, by the way, the book is squeaky clean (except for the murder, which is not graphic either).

What Didn’t Work for Me:
The pacing is real slow. I understand why it was necessary for the first quarter, but the story refused to pick up the pace even in the latter half. It’s either that or the page count is off by 100. It definitely feels like a 330+ book instead of 260 pages.
The chapters are too long. They were separated based on the days. But with a linear narration, this doesn't really matter. Shorter chapters would have been the same, maybe even easier to read.
There’s quite a bit of repetition that further slowed down my reading. Some of it was necessary, but the rest only weighed down the narration.

To summarize, A Murder in Tuscany is a decent start to a new cozy mystery series with a retired DCI and his adopted doggy. It’s a clean read but has a few triggers (mentions).
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

My god! What a fantabulous, engrossing and completely entertaining cozy mystery. Hands down, this book is making it to my list of Best Books of 2022 and new favorite cozy series.

I really loved the storytelling and quirky characters. A dash of humor certainly made the story more enjoyable. Don't get me started on the delicious and mouth-watering food that Dan gets to eat in Tuscany.

The mystery behind the murder was very interesting - Jonah was poisoned as well as stabbed. Did the killer poison and then stab to make sure Jonah was dead? Or, were there two parties involved? We also have a dash of budding romance between Dan and... Dan is not very sure if he wants to date someone as he secretly wishes to get back to his wife, Helen.

The identity of the killer was a shocker. It wasn't till the very end that Dan came face-to-face with the killer - Dan did not expect it. All he wanted to do was just have a chat. He didn't expect them to confess! Then comes another twist.

I absolutely enjoyed reading Murder in Tuscany by T.A. Williams. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with a dash of humor, I recommend you to give this book a try.

T A Williams's MURDER IN TUSCANY is a middle of the road cozy mystery that never rises above 'just ok.' From the very beginning, the story is bogged down in on-the-nose dialogue, unnecessary description, and exposition. Much of the humor seems to depend on poking fun at older women who write sex, coupled with the incongruity of the retired detective's presence at the writing retreat. It just didn't work for me.

I enjoyed this book very much! A cozy set at a writer’s retreat in Tuscany. Interesting characters and relationships. Several red herrings and lots of humor too! I look forward to reading more from this author.

From the opening chapter which is probably one of the funniest things I've read from this author, turning into a cosy mystery that had me completely and utterly gripped - I can safely say that I have thoroughly enjoyed T. A. Williams change of genre.

I loved that this was set on a remote writing retreat in the Tuscan countryside, on a writing course specialising in one rather adult genre - which given Dan wasn't intending to write the genre in question, has a rather eye opening time for all manner of reasons.

Some of the conversations between him and the other participants on the course were so so funny, and incredibly enjoyable.

Then there is the murder, fairly early into the story, and it was good to see Dan trying to help the local police, given he is a retired DCI. I loved seeing his investigative attempts, and literally had no idea just who had offed a rather unlikeable man.

I had a very strong theory the whole time as to the motive, and shockingly it wasn't even one contemplated by anyone in the book, which shows just how little I know about predicting a killer!

I was transported to Tuscany, to this writing retreat, with great descriptions of the area, local food, Italian policing, and the authors trademark back lab has also made the change of genre, and plays a key part to the story too.

I am very excited to learn this if the first book in a series, I literally can't wait to read the next books, I think just like their romance's, the author is onto another winning book here. I can't fault it in the slightest and was addicted!

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I've read a couple of T A Williams romance books and I wasn't entirely sure how his style would transfer to a mystery book. I was delighted to find it suits his writing style much better and he seems more comfortable within this genre as a writer.

In previous books, he has written as a woman. In this, the central character is Dan, a retired Metropolitan detective who finds himself accidentally on an erotic writing course in Tuscany (a leaving present from his ex colleagues) with a range of distinctive characters and a gorgeous black labrador called Oscar. The writing course is meant to be led by a best-selling author who turns out to be lecherous, obnoxious and quite the has-been. The inevitable happens and the mystery unfolds as Dan works with a new friend (an Italian police detective) to investigate the crime.

The book moves along at a decent pace with enough description of Tuscany to allow me to enjoy the scenery and want to sample the food.

I don't want to give away any spoilers so will say that if you enjoy cosy mysteries, this is a great start to a new series and I look forward to the next one.

WOW! Thank you Netgalley. What a wonderful novel. Set in the less touristy parts of Tuscany, the author's love of the area shines through. It is told from the point of view of a retired policeman who is uncertain what his future holds. Possibly on the verge of divorce with his working life over, he is nervous about the writing course that his ex-colleagues have bought him. However, when the host of the venue is found murdered Dan finds himself assisting the Italian policeman by translating for the English guests but as time goes on he becomes more and more involved.. Apart from the delightful descriptions of the Tuscan countryside., there are so many detailed descriptions of the food eaten that I finished the book drooling! I hope this author will continue with this series. I can't wait to read further stories of Dan's "retirement!

DCI Armstrong has retired and for a retirement gift, his colleagues have brought him a two week writing course high in the hills of Tuscany. His fellow course members are a varied lot including a brother and sister who seem far too close in the wrong sort of way and some elderly ladies who write very erotic fiction. It doesn’t take long for the murder to occur and Armstrong becomes involved in the investigation.
I really liked the character of Dan Armstrong and feel that this will be an interesting series. His fellow characters were interesting with very varied backgrounds meaning that any of them could have been the murderer. However, the stand-out character for me was Tuscany itself; the descriptions of the towns and villages as well as the meals eaten were a great addition to an intriguing mystery.
I’ve never read any of this author’s previous novels but I will certainly look out for the next one in this series.
Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DCI Dan Armstrong has finally retired so he’s off to a writing retreat hoping to use the time to discover his next act. Shortly after the course begins, the instructor is murdered with one of his awards. With eleven others at the retreat, Dan is pulled out of retirement to help the local detective figure out who had it in for Jonah and why. Dan may need need to write a few new chapters of his own to figure out who dunit before the time at Villa Volpone comes to an end.

A great start in a new mystery series set in Tuscany! It’s smart, it’s well written and full of red herrings. It also seems that Dan has found his second act, even if it’s not in an official capacity. I guess you can take the detective out of the field, but you can’t take the field out of the detective. This series has great promise!

Do policemen ever really retire?

This is book one of a brand-new cozy mystery series set in Tuscany. I remember reading one of this author’s romcoms years ago and thinking that it was a little too crass for my liking. I’m glad to have given his writing another try as I rather enjoyed the locked room mystery and intrigue of this one.

Former DCI Dan Armstrong’s life is full of surprises. It seems that his colleagues gifted him this creative writing course as a retirement gift and didn’t read the fine print! Then as he settles into the course at the luxurious and remote retreat, Villa Volpane, the crime writer and host, Jonah Moore, is murdered. Before he knows it, Armstrong’s out of retirement and pairing up with the Italian Commissario Virgilio Pisano to uncover who amongst them is the murderer. Williams explores how nothing is as it seems and that everyone at the retreat has secrets to hide.

Having lived in Italy brings authenticity to his setting and having written many books brings a tautness to his plot. I know that a Williams’ book will always push the boundaries, but thankfully I was fully engaged, focused on the intrigue, misled by the red herrings and thoroughly entertained. I’m already looking forward to book 2!

I was gifted this advance copy by Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Mystery and intrigue, red herrings make solving this one difficult. There are too many suspects. Friends and family…divorce and breakups…starting over…learning how to write a book. Some of the scenes gave too many details. The intrigue keeps the reader turning the pages…enjoy

An Absolute Joy…!
The author veers from his traditional romcoms and romance set in blissful locations to bring the reader a thoroughly entertaining and engaging cosy mystery set in an equally blissful and delicious location - Tuscany - and what an absolute joy it is. Villa Volpane, set high in the Tuscan mountains, is home to author Jonah Moore and the creative writing course that the former DCI Dan Armstrong has been signed up to. Whilst the course content comes as somewhat of a shock to the former detective he vows to give it his all. He’s in for a further surprise when murder most foul comes knocking but just how many would be murderers are lurking amongst the many suspects at the blissful villa? As Dan pairs up with the enigmatic Commissario Virgilio Pisano the investigation begins. With a wonderful sense of place, a cast of well crafted and credible characters - not least the delightful Oscar- and an intriguing mystery at heart this is a fabulous start to a new series and the next is already greatly anticipated.