Italian mystery!

Best Served Cold (Rick Montoya Italian Mystery #8) by David P. Wagner     

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this Italian mystery. Rick Montoya is an American living in Rome as a translator and does work from time to time for the police. We first see him in Palermo doing hush hush translations for a mafia witness’ statement.

It turns out Rick is actually the nephew of the Commissario of Rome, Piero Fontana. Rick’s girlfriend, Betta Innocenti is with the art fraud squad. She’s currently in Pisa looking into the theft of a painting from a church.

Rick, having finished his assignment in Palermo drives to Assisi help out an old US college friend whose leading a religious tour around Assisi. The guide has disappeared and friend Zeke needs a translator. Actually the guide’s found just as Rick gets to Assisi. The bad news is that he’s dead. As part of the police enquiry the group will have to be questioned. Rick’s uncle organizes with the local police for Rick to translate when the police question the various tour members. It turns out they’re quite a disparate and oftentimes unexpected mix.

I love that we switch between the case Rick is following and that of his girlfriend Bette. And then there’s the mafia concern.

Intriguing story that plays out well, with delicious meal descriptions thrown in to tempt the pallet. 

I loved the last section of the book. The Food and Wine discussion, where author Wagner treats us to further information about the various meals of the regions. Great inclusion! 

The Novel brought back so many memories for me of that part of the world, in particular Assisi and Umbria more generally.

Great read, excellent mystery that kept me guessing, and those fabulous foods and wines—Heavenly!

A Poisoned Pen Press ARC via NetGalley.                                              

Many thanks to the author and publisher.