Murder at the Leaning Tower by T.A. Williams - Book Review

Series: Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries #6

Publication Date: 06th Feb 2024

Genre: Cozy Mystery, Italy 

4 Stars 

One Liner: Entertaining as always 

Dan Armstrong is asked to provide security for a private villa on the outskirts of Pisa. Villa Gregory is beautiful and large. Still, Dan thinks it should be easy enough to handle the situation. What could go wrong when the ultra-rich meet? 

Everything. 

His girlfriend’s daughter works for one of the guests and isn’t too keen about Dan. Moreover, one of the guests is murdered. With pressure mounting, Dan (and Oscar) need to solve the case and try to prevent more murders while staying alive. 

The story comes in Dan’s first-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

This is one of my comfort-read cozy mystery series. This time, Dan and Oscar go to a villa on the outskirts of Pisa. While the tower makes an appearance only once, the setting is beautiful enough to make me happy. 

Despite being the sixth book in the series, it works as a standalone. There is a necessary backstory without too much info dump. The connections between characters are mentioned in a couple of lines without distracting the reader from the plot. 

Ocsar is his best again. This cute black Lab dons many hats. He has to impress people, explore the surroundings, comfort people when they feel sad, and save lives if necessary. He manages it all and more while doing more than full justice to his love for food. 

The mystery is compact. While I could guess the killer, it was fun to know how the reveal would happen. There are enough clues and a couple of red herrings, along with a list of suspects, to keep guessing. 

The pacing is better, too! This one is slightly faster than the previous books. I won’t call it fast, but it is steady and not slow. 

Virginia, Anna’s daughter, is an interesting character. I hope we get to meet her occasionally in the coming books. I missed Trisha in this one. 

Naturally, we are introduced to new police characters in this one. The one in charge of the case is a specimen, but the other is smart, sweet, and efficient. Of course, justice is served, so all ends well! 

To summarize, Murder at the Leaning Tower is entertaining. It ensures the series continues its momentum. Enjoy the setting, food, and the mystery! 

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

#NetGalley #MurderAtTheLeaningTower