Murder on the Vine

Written by Camilla Trinchieri

Narrated by Danny Deferrari

On a late October Sunday morning in Gravigna, Tuscany, Maresciallo Perillo is having breakfast with former NYPD homicide detective Nico Doyle when he is called back to the station in Greve. Hotel Bella Vista’s young manager, Laura
Benati, is worried. Her eighty-year-old bartender, Cesare Costanzi, has been missing for three days.

The next morning, Jimmy, co-owner of Gravigna’s local café, runs out of gas on his way back from Florence. When Nico meets him to help, Nico’s dog, OneWag, reacts to the smell coming from Jimmy’s trunk. Inside Nico finds a body wrapped in plastic: Cesare Costanzi, stabbed several times in the chest.

It is unclear why anyone would want Cesare dead, but that doesn’t stop the Gravigna grapevine from spreading rumors at lightning speed. With numerous suspects on his list, Perillo has no other choice but to turn to Nico once again for help with the investigation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705074930

Reviews for Murder on the Vine

[eyes92c · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Murder in Tuscany!A story of murder interspersed with meals that sound so scrumptious that I was salivating. Really, every second page deals with a different food, or type of meal. What joy! Nico Doyle an ex NYP detective, Salvatore Perillo the local head of the Carabinieri and Daniel Donato, Salvatore’s assistant, are once again caught up in murder. Laura Benati, the manager of Hotel Bella Vista has reported that her bartender Cesare Rinaldo as missing. It seems there’s plenty of people with a reason to want to dispose of Cesare. Are their historical reasons for Cesare missing, economic?Nico is at a crisis point in his personal life. He’s attracted to local artist Nelli Corsi but where does that leave his feelings for hips dead wife Rita. He wants something more in his relationship with Nelli but he’s still grieving the loss of Rita. Conflicted!Underneath flows the stories of the characters personal lives and their hopes, dreams and fears. I love that this series has such a communal feel. Old timers giving their opinions on everything, as do his wife’s relations, in fact everyone in the town. Nico’s dog One Wag is front and center, adding a touch of the quixotic.Another satisfying Italian mystery set in Gravigna, a small town in the Chianti hills of Tuscany.A Soho Press ARC via NetGalley. Many thanks to the author and publisher.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

cultural-exploration, dog, expats, family, family-business, family-drama, family-dynamics, friendship, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, muted-humor, procedural, read, relationship-issues, relationships, relatives, restaurant, secrets, small-business, small-town, Tuscany, LGBT*****Widowed ex-NYPD homicide detective (Nico) moves to Tuscany where he has good memories and his wife's family (and they need his help in the restaurant). Remember the adage about taking the man out of the job? He got to be friends with the local Carabinieri (Perillo and Daniele) last year over a murder and has made many other friends as well including a woman artist and a dog, OneWag.I think that this can stand alone because the author references the past very well. I was surprised, however, that the cast of characters (pun intended) came at the end. There is quite a bit of personal stuff going on with the continuing characters as well as the new ones, and the integrated work by Carabinieri and retired NYPD is outstanding (especially with all the roadblocks erected by suspects).Expect plot twists, beautiful countryside, believable engaging characters, red herrings, and mouthwatering menus. EXCELLENT read! Proof that books in series get better as they go along.I requested and received a free e-book copy from Soho Press/Soho Crime via NetGalley. Thank you!