Samantha and her husband thought his father was treating them to a vacation to visit family friends in a small Italian village over New Years. When they arrive, however, they learn that Samantha’s ability to solve crime has been requested. Twenty-six years ago, a murder occurred in the village, and their hostess’s boyfriend has been serving time for the crime ever sense. While reluctant at first to figure out what happened, Samantha soon becomes intrigued. Can she overcome the language barrier to find the truth?

Since we are out of the country, we don’t see most of the usual gang, but the new characters make up for it. We come to care for them enough to make us care about the outcome of this cold case. There are a couple of small things that could have used a little more explanation, but the main questions are answered satisfactorily. We may be in a foreign country, but we still get Samantha’s usual wit and breezy narration. And her love of snack foods takes an Italian turn, which left me hungry. Fans will enjoy this trip abroad. Pack your bags for another fun mystery.

Samantha and Nick thought their Christmas gift, a dream trip to Italy from Nick's dad, was simply a generous surprise. Little did they know that he had a secret agenda. Enjoying the beauties of Italy quickly turned to trying to unravel a 26-year-old murder.

This story is filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me captivated and constantly surprised at every turn. While piecing together the clues to uncover the real culprit, I also got to experience the charm of Italy, making the journey all the more engaging. (I was also reminded how useful the word "obtuse" can be - read the book, and you'll know what I mean.)

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Samantha goes to Italy to solve an old murder. Not that she knew that was why she was going there. Diane Vallere has an entertaining way of writing. Her little asides add fun to the story. This is a charming series. There are surprises and suspense. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Samantha has grown and changed so much since her first adventure, just based on her wardrobe for her Italian holiday. Timeless and classic. Reading this mystery gave me the vibes of Carnival: everyone masked and impossible to tell who's good, who's bad. Except, of course, Nick and Senior. How lucky Sam is that they're in her life! This mystery has more twists than one of Sam's pretzels!

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

Samantha Kidd is heading to Italy for the new year with her husband and father in law. When Samantha and her husband and father in law arrive she finds out that she was invited to help Isabella and Monica find out what happened to Pascale Isabella’s boyfriend twenty five years pior. Pascale is up for parole and after meeting his father Enzo Samantha takes the case. Samantha convinced Nick to work with Enzo to snoop around. On Nee Years Eve it is revealed that Pascale was denied parole because of a fight at the prison but the next day Pascale was released that a video shows him trying to help the guard who was attacked. There are a lot of twists and turns but I’m glad that Isabella and Pascale have a second chance. I just loved this cozy mystery and will definitely be picking up past and future books by this author.

I enjoyed this novel and look forward to future titles in the series and going back to reading previous releases. Good characterization, plot twists and overall readability.

I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend this as a good read. This isn't the typical murder mystery. Samantha Kidd is asked to figure out who murdered a man 26 years ago.

I was attracted by the cover and the narrative. Then, I was disappointed by the first chapters, but I decided to give it a chance. Actually, I think the story telling gets better. But I find very awkward the babyish mind of the main character, she seems more like a sister than a wife to her husband. She is very girly, insecure about anything. She ruminates, and keep repeating what she knows about shoes making. Is it meant to be a caricature of the young, dashing American lady ? The enigma is strange but uncommon, and the surrounding characters seem interesting, Then it reads like a lot of untold elements are in fact almost boring. I am certain people who have never travelled to Italy or never heard about the complex plots surrounding unethical methods of commerce would enjoy the reading. A book cannot be for every single reader !

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I have to say this book had me hooked from the beginning. I absolutely loved it. So much so I went back and bought the first book in the series.
I can't wait to see where it all started.

If your looking for a good easy read, definitely get this one.

I'm sad to say that this is the first book I've read in the series, and I'm going to do my best to acquire the previous books. What I liked most about the book is that the plot is built around a subject that I haven't come across in any other book I've read before. I love the way the characters come together and are involved in helping each other to solve the mystery. I must say the end was a big surprise; I hadn't once suspected the guilty parties.

This book is one of my favorite in the series. It's off to Italy for Samantha, Nick, and Senior for a stay over New Year's at an old friend of Senior's. The murder Samantha is asked to solve, with help from the rest of the gang, is decades old. She's eager to solve it and help get an innocent man released from prison and give he and his former girlfriend a renewed chance at love. This book is filled with special moments for Samantha and Nick plus they are working together closely to solve this case. I recommend you read this after a trip to the grocery store so you have plenty to eat; the descriptions will make you ravenous!

Samantha and her husband head off to beautiful Italy to vacation with her father in law. Little do they know he's brought them there under false pretences, to help solve a 26 year old murder which which resulted in Pasquale, an innocent man, being jailed. Samantha's host, still in love with the Pasquale all this time, begs her help to find the truth.

While I don't mind a light-hearted, cosy mystery every now and again, especially set in such a beautiful part of the world, this one left me feeling flat and disappointed. The characters all felt a little cliched and Samantha's 'plan' to get to the bottom of such an old case and find the true culprit was naive and not believable. I also felt frustrated as some of the snippets of Italian vocabulary used throughout the book were not grammatically correct. Not good when you know the language. They were distracting to read and should have been picked up as part of the editing of the book. ⭐ ⭐

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Even for a cozy mystery, this book is really slow. Samantha is also not believable as a successful detective given her methods; needing to relive a day that happened 26 years ago in order to figure out if Pasquale is a murderer is absurd enough on its own, but to take a job at his dad's shoe store to get a better idea of Pasquale really pushes the limits of suspension of disbelief. I haven't read other books in this series, nor would I be interested in doing so. The writing itself is totally and stylistically appropriate to the genre, so I would consider other works by this offer.

This is book 16 in a series. It says that on the NetGalley listing now but I swear on all that is holy that it did not when I requested it, or I would not have requested it. Goodreads does not list this as book 16 in a series - it does not list this particular book as being in a series at all. I have not read books 1 through 15. It is really hard to pick up book 16 in a series - even a light fluffy cozy mystery series - and not feel lost because of all the backstory you've missed. That is what happened to me here. There are a number of references in the beginning that are casually dropped in that can only be related to knowledge gained in the previous books, and it left me confused about relationships from the get-go. It was a very easy writing style and I can see where it would be a fun and light series - but I'm going to have to start at book one....

a good cozy mystery that would be a good summer read. A bit too much on fashion but otherwise enjoyed this one and would recommend.

Enjoyable, humorous mystery with a dose of fashion and designer shoes set in Italy. The author writes in a fun, engaging way that draws the reader in. The book kept me guessing!

Murder and a great locale, yes please! Murder Italian Style by Diane Vallere is coming this summer and its a perfect summer read.