Stevie‘s review of Last Seen in Santorini (Miss Ashford Investigates, Book 2) by Vivian Conroy
Historical Cozy Mystery published by One More Chapter 06 Jan 23
I have a definite thing for cozy mysteries set between the two World Wars, especially those with plucky female protagonists like Daisy Dalrymple and Kate Shackleton (I need to review both their series at some point) – so much so that I was keen to read this book and meet a new lady detective, even after I realised it was the second in a series. Miss Atalanta Ashford is independently wealthy, albeit newly so, and along with a fortune, estate and staff, she has inherited the role of private investigator to the upper echelons of society in a number of European counties. Holidaying in Venice following her first (successful) case, Atalanta encounters a mysterious stranger, who engages Atalanta’s services to investigate the death of a young local woman on Santorini.
Posing as the young woman’s replacement as companion to an elderly Venetian, Atalanta travels to Santorini, closely followed by a friend from her previous investigation, the playboy and racing driver Raoul Lemont. Raoul is suspicious of Atalanta’s new client, but also has connections to the family Atalanta is to investigate in connection with the possible murder. So she accepts his help, even as she ignores his warnings. Arriving on Santorini, Atalanta discovers a troubled family beset by tempestuous relationships. Any one of them could be the guilty party, assuming the death was not the accident others have assumed, and there are other suspects amongst the local and not-so-local people working in and around the family’s Venetian burg.
Atalanta is soon deeply immersed in the family’s secrets and quickly realises both she and others are in danger from the killer, should they get too close to the truth. Fortunately, she has Raoul for backup, as well as a selection of words of wisdom from her grandfather in the form of sealed letters written before his death (I thought this was a quirky and engaging touch that will hopefully continue throughout the other books). Atalanta herself is brave and resourceful, of course, and plays a major role in the final showdown between the killer and those believed to have slighted said killer. I like the various twists and turns the story took, as well as the descriptions of the various locations in which the action took place. I’ve visited Santorini way back in my schooldays, but knew nothing about its Venetian connections and influences, possibly because much of the architecture from that period was destroyed in an earthquake not long after the time when our story is set.
Atalanta is a fabulous protagonist, and I was very taken by Raoul, as well as by the brief glimpses we see of Renard, her grandfather’s butler, who now acts as a kind of Alfred to Atalanta’s Bruce Wayne. This was not a perfect book, but I definitely want to read the one that came before it, as well as those that are yet to be released.
Grade: B
Summary:
Miss Atalanta Ashford is sightseeing near Venice when a mysterious veiled lady approaches her with the urgent request to look into her daughter’s mysterious death on the idyllic Greek island of Santorini. Whilst working as a companion for the eminent Bucardi family, the unfortunate girl took a plunge from the dramatic cliffs during a walk alone. But is all as it seems?
Sailing to Santorini and going undercover as the new companion, Miss Ashford soon discovers that her client hasn’t told her the full truth. Someone is watching her. Now she must unravel the mystery and prevent the breathtaking azure sea views from becoming the last she too will ever see…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
