THE ROAD TO MURDER by Camilla Trinchieri is a diverting mystery tale set in Italy. The picturesque countryside and villas, always delicious Italian cuisine, and village life are key elements of this tale. I would suggest, however, that readers look first to others in this Tuscany Mystery series since this is the fourth entry and it assumes some previous knowledge of relationships between characters and contains multiple references to past events. I tend to really enjoy cozy mysteries, but this preview was so difficult to follow – jumping between scenes with no page breaks, for example – that I barely skimmed the second half.

What a fun read in the cozy mystery genre. Enjoyable characters, great plot, again my favorite lots of possible suspects and familiar characters that round out the story. The last mystery I read included recipes which I thought was distracting and superfluous but the incorporation here made me crave Italian food.

Retired NY homicide detective Nico Doyle is living la bella vita in Tuscany, as he mourns the loss of his wife and becomes part of the community in the Italian village where her family lives. Trinchieri crafts a serious mystery in a delightful setting, with food, wine, and friendships as the backdrop to an investigation in which Nico is brought in as a translator when an English woman is a potential suspect. There are tensions between Nico and his friend, Perillo of the local carabinieri, as they have different takes on the suspect's guilt or innocence. This fourth entry into the series leaves me eager for another virtual trip to Gravigna to visit with a wonderful cast of characters.

3.5 stars

Retired NY homicide detective Nico Doyle has moved after his wife's death to the Italian village where her family lives. He has built a good life there, working part-time as a chef in the family restaurant, making friends, adopting a dog. He helps out the local police with English translation and homicide, and is in a relationship with a local artist.

Nico is a good man and the ensemble cast is well-drawn. Salvatore Perillo, the local maresciallo appreciates both Nico's friendship and his crime-solving experience. There is a younger policeman, the restaurant staff, a few locals, and Nico's lady friend Nelli to round out the characters.

Nico gets called to the scene of a murder -- a local woman with old local history and roots has been found strangled. Her house guest, an English visitor, speaks only English. The murder victim's grown family are unspeakably awful - hateful, greedy and haughty. But it appears the dead woman herself was no prize. And some very expensive jewelry has disappeared. Was robbery the motive? What about the new will the woman had just signed? There are plenty of suspects and several motives for Nico and Perillo to try and untangle.

Meanwhile, the daily life of these characters goes on. A bit of romantic anxiety, a friend's health scare, the growing relationship between Nico and Nelli all are part of the mix. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Road to Murder is the 4th novel in the Tuscan Murder series. This Camilla Trinchieri novel is the first novel of this series that I have read. In spite of being part of a series, The Road to Murder works quite well as a stand-lone murder mystery. I had no problem following along and getting to know all of the characters. This novel is a police procedural, with multiple narrators, all of whom are connected in some way to the Carabinieri, whose job it is to solve murders. The characters are nicely described, as are the locations and the food, which sounds quite lovely. There are enough suspects to create the needed mystery.

Trinchieri's novel requires critical thinking, which is exactly what I most enjoy reading. I want to use critical thinking skills when I read, which for me is just as important as the ability to escape into a novel. The Road to Murder was an enjoyable read. Anytime a reader can escape into Italy with descriptions of great food and wine, the novel is worth reading. Thank you to the author, Soho Press, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC to read and review. The comments in this review are my honest assessment of this novel. I wish I had discovered the first 3 books in this series long ago. I need to go back and read them.

Nico, former New York City Detective is awakened early morning by Gravigna carabinieri Perillo. A local woman has been murdered, and her American guest can't speak Italian, so Perillo needs Nico's help. Nico had moved to Gravigna, his deceased wife's former home to bury his wife there and stay. He works with his wife's family at a restaurant, and occasionally helps out the local carabinieri. He also now has a relation with Nelli and other friends in the town. Perillo soon believes the American woman, Miss Baron, is guilty of killing her hostess Nora, a wealtlhy widow with two grown daughters.

This becomes a very complicated case. Nora's jewelry has been stolen, and her two daughters appear anxious to inherit Nora's money. The older daughter's husband is definitely anxious for the inheritance, and the younger daughter has just gotten engaged and wanted her mother's engagement ring. The case is very complicated, and Nico likes Miss Baron, even though she looks guilty.

There is an exciting end! I thank Netgalley and Soho press for the DRC.

A good police procedural with even more enjoyable characters. While Nico may be the focus, I was much more interested in the growing relationship between the young policeman Daniele and Stella. Series fans will not be disappointed. I do hope we get to visit Gravigna and Tuscany again soon.

This is the fourth installment of Trinchieri’s Tuscan series featuring Nico Doyle. Doyle, an Italian American is a retired NYC homicide detective who moves to his wife’s small town in Tuscany following her death. He becomes part of the community and uses his cooking skills working in a restaurant owned by his wife’s family. He also volunteers on investigations with the local Carabinieri. In this volume the murder of an unpopular wealthy woman involves an intriguing group of suspects including an elegant English woman. The story has clever twists, the personal relationships are well defined and the food descriptions are lovely without overwhelming the story.

Another good addition to this series by Trinchieri - fun to read about the food and the personalities and village life.