The Road to Murder

Every flight headed to Italy should have on board a few dozen copies of Trinchieri’s mysteries—they are the perfect warm up to an Italian vacation, full of wry humor, eccentric characters, a gentle murder or two, plenty of excellent wine, and best of all a whole lot of Tuscan cooking. Ex-NYPD detective Nico Doyle moved to the small town of Gravigna after the death of his wife, a native, and he’s been embraced by the residents, even helping out in the kitchen of his in-laws’ ristorante (and getting great reviews). But he can’t leave his law enforcement years completely behind him, and he’s regularly summoned by Perillo, one of the local carabinieri, to help out on a case. Here, in the fourth installment, the murder victim is an older woman—owner of the handsome Villa Salviati—whose murder produces a bevy of possible suspects, including lovers, friends, and a couple of mean-spirited daughters. Will Nico and Perillo ever be able to return Gravigna back to more tranquil days? A delight from start to finish.