Series: Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries #3 (Standalone)
Publication Date: 07th April 2023
Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery
3.8 Stars
One Liner: Makes me want to go to Italy!
Dan Armstrong is now a private detective with an office in the Florence suburbs. He has cases, too, except that most of them deal with suspicious spouses, annoyed neighbors, etc. However, his friend and Chief of Police Virgilio sends a Hollywood case to Dan.
A film crew with the famous heroine Selena Gardner is filming in Florence, and someone doesn’t like it. The team has been getting threats with messages wrapped around arrows. Dan takes the case and finds that there seems to be a lot of scandals and gossip than danger. But when one of the prominent team members gets killed, Dan realizes he needs to step up the game.
Soon, Dan finds out there’s much he doesn’t know about the case, and this could put him and Oscar, his trusty black lab, in danger. Can Dan solve the case in time?
The story comes in Dan’s first-person POV.
My Thoughts:
This is the third book in the series and works as a standalone. There are necessary references to the past to keep the reader up to date about Dan’s personal life.
The chapters are shorter (thankfully), though the pacing is slow to medium. This is the kind of book you cannot rush through. With such a beautiful setting and enough mentions of food, there’s no point in rushing, either.
The book also gives insights into the lives of celebrities and the complexities involved in making a film. Since we see things from Dan’s perspective, there’s no overload of information.
The mystery takes time to unravel, and we have scenes where Dan and Virgilio discuss the same information multiple times. It can get a bit boring, especially in the middle, but things start to come together rather well.
I like how seemingly unrelated bits tie up to take the story to the conclusion. The pages allocated to ‘other things’ aren’t fillers but have a role in the overall plot. Oh, there’s a short explanation of the various types of law force departments in Italy.
I don’t like the repeated mention of Dizzy’s clumsiness. I get that she is klutzy (some of us are), and it’s okay to use it in a few scenes to advance the plot. However, repeated references make it a little too excessive.
I don’t have to separately mention Oscar, should I? He is a darling, always ready to be cuddled by ladies and fed by anyone. The book would be boring without him.
To summarize, Murder in Florence is a good continuation of the series, with a great setting, yummy food, an adorable doggy, and a few dead bodies. Looking forward to the fourth installment (and I’m so happy for Dan!).
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #MurderinFlorence
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