Stevie‘s review of A Fatal Encounter in Tuscany (Miss Ashford Investigates, Book 3) by Vivian Conroy
Historical Cozy Mystery published by One More Chapter 13 Apr 23
It seems that Atalanta Ashford is another of those protagonists who can’t go anywhere without someone finding a dead body immediately after her arrival. Even popping out for afternoon tea close to home leads to her being asked to solve smaller mysteries. So it’s a mixed blessing when her racing driver friend Raoul Lemont conspires with her faithful butler (inherited along with her newfound fortune from her long-lost grandfather) to take her on holiday to Tuscany. The pair board the Orient Express together and are soon accosted by an Italian heiress cum adventuress, who is returning home for her estranged father’s 60th birthday party. Raoul is aware of Catharina Lanetti and her wealthy, dysfunctional family and tries to warn Atalanta off Catharina’s invitation for them to join her at the party. Atalanta is intrigued, however, and so Raoul reluctantly agrees to accompany her to the Lanetti palazzo and vineyards.
Over dinner on the Orient Express, Catharina fills them in on her family history, which does little to assuage Raoul’s concerns. These are then exacerbated by a set-to between Catharina and her half-brother, who also happens to be on the train. Nonetheless, our protagonists collect another of Raoul’s cars in Milan and head to the palazzo. They receive a relatively warm welcome but are taken aback by Catharina’s unconventional birthday gift for her father, with connections to the infamous Medici family. More scandals unfold as the evening progresses, and then Catharina’s father is found dead in circumstances that seem to implicate Catharina as his killer.
The investigation is immediately seized by the local retired police chief, raising Atalanta’s suspicions, especially when Catharina is arrested with little in the way of evidence beyond the circumstantial. Atalanta and Raoul decide to conduct their own investigation to try to exonerate Catharina and discover that every family member and most of the other guests had a motive for killing their host. They also learn several guests are not who they claim to be, although the one supposed imposter may, in fact, be telling the truth about his identity. The reading of their host’s will makes matters no clearer, and Atalanta gets only a little inspiration from her grandfather’s letters, but eventually the pair are able to solve the crime, along with another that occurred many years earlier.
I enjoyed this adventure and managed to figure out one part of the linked whodunits, if not all of them. I also liked following Atalanta’s methods for working out what happened in each mystery. I could maybe have done with a little more delving into the letters from Atalanta’s grandfather and some more development of the relationship between Atalanta and Raoul, but hopefully both of these will be satisfied in the next book.
Grade: B
Summary:
When novice detective Atalanta Ashford is whisked away to Italy by her friend, race car driver Raoul Lemont, she anticipates a happy holiday under the Tuscan sun. But a chance meeting on the Orient Express with Italian heiress Catharina Lanetti leads to a party invitation…and front row seats for a mysterious murder!
With their new friend under suspicion Atalanta and Raoul set to work trying to discover who really murdered Catharina’s father. But with more than half a dozen suspects – all with compelling motive – Atalanta may just be facing her toughest case yet!
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
