by Camilla Trinchieri
This story is set in Tuscany. The main character is a former New York Police Officer. He and his Italian wife spent a lot of time in Italy and after he is dismissed from the force because he destroyed evidence in a case he and his wife return to Italy. His wife dies of cancer. The man is now renting a house and trying to figure out what to do with his life. He helps out for free in a local cafe.
One day as he is having breakfast he hears a gunshot. Shortly after when he goes for a walk in a nearby forest he finds a dead man whose face has been shot off. The man is wearing an expensive watch and gold running shoes, the shoes make the man think the victim must be American.
He contacts the local police who have limited experience with murder cases. When the local police officer finds out the man is an ex-cop with homicide experience he seeks his help with the case.
The book then follows the police work as they find out the man was actually an Italian who is now living in California. As they try to figure out why he had an expensive bracelet in his pocket with a charm with a specific date on it, they interview various local people.
There are lots of quirky characters in the book, including one man who constantly spouts Dante or his version of Dante. The main character wants to help but he finds his affection for some of his friends, who might be potential suspects, clouding his judgement. There are rumours about the victim having raped a woman and possibly fathered a local child,
Eventually we find out that the victim's estranged sister hired a local young man to kill her brother so she could get some inheritance from him.
The book was an okay story with lots of local colour.
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