Murder in Tuscany by T.A. Williams - Book Review

Murder in Tuscany by T.A. Williams

Series: An Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mystery #1 

Publication Date: 18th Oct 2022

Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery

3.7 Stars 

One Liner: Fun but slow 

*****

Retired DCI Dan Armstrong isn’t a writer but has no choice but to attend the two-week writing workshop in Villa Volpone in Tuscany. He is not happy about it, though the setting gives him hope. Maybe he can decide what to do with his life. 

The last thing Dan expected was a murder, that too of Jonah Moore, the famous writer who hosted the workshop. With eleven suspects and buried secrets surrounding him, Dan knows he has to get back on duty, albeit unofficially. 

Can Dan and Italian Commissario Virgilio Pisano (who is happy to have some help) solve the crime before there’s another murder? 

The story comes in the first-person POV of Dan Armstrong. 

What I Like: 

• The setting becomes a part of the story with ease. The descriptions are detailed but not overly so. The book does justice to the title and shows Tuscany to the readers. 
  
  
• DCI Dan Armstrong is a good man. He is smart, but many mistakes. He grumbles but knows to take things in stride. He shows his soft side and isn’t afraid to be emotional. 
  
  
• Oscar is an adorable black lab. I like that he is a constant part of the book and will be a part of the other books too. You can’t help but love a dog like him. 
  
  
• The mystery is well done, and the subplot progresses along with it. In fact, there are instances when the subplot has more progress than the case, but that’s expected in a cozy mystery series. 
  
  
• There’s loads of food in the book. Though I’m a vegetarian, I enjoyed the scenes with food. And who can resist macaroons, velvety ice creams, tiramisu… yum. ;) 
  
  
• Oh, by the way, the book is squeaky clean (except for the murder, which is not graphic either). 

What Didn’t Work for Me: 

• The pacing is real slow. I understand why it was necessary for the first quarter, but the story refused to pick up the pace even in the latter half. It’s either that or the page count is off by 100. It definitely feels like a 330+ book instead of 260 pages. 
  
  
• The chapters are too long. They were separated based on the days. But with a linear narration, this doesn't really matter. Shorter chapters would have been the same, maybe even easier to read.   
  
  
• There’s quite a bit of repetition that further slowed down my reading. Some of it was necessary, but the rest only weighed down the narration. 

To summarize, A Murder in Tuscany is a decent start to a new cozy mystery with a retired DCI and his adopted doggy. It’s a clean read but has a few triggers (mentions). 

Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #AMurderinTuscany