To Die in Tuscany

January 11, 2021
Wagner’s enjoyable seventh Rick Montoya mystery (after 2019’s Roman Count Down) takes Rick, an American translator who lives in Rome, and his friend Betta Innocenti, an art fraud investigator with the Ministry of Culture, to Sansepolcro, where Betta is representing the ministry at a ceremony celebrating the donation by Spanish businessman Manuel Somonte of a sketch by Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca to the city museum. Shortly after Rick and Betta meet the museum’s director, they learn that Somonte’s body has been found in a botanical garden in Urbino, and the drawing has disappeared. The head of the Urbino police, an old acquaintance of Rick’s, asks him to interpret for the victim’s Spanish-speaking widow, and Rick heads for Urbino. Meanwhile, Betta sets out to locate the lost drawing. Never mind the detective work. The book’s main appeal lies in the lovingly and meticulously described meals over which the pair meet to discuss the many colorful suspects and motives and share fascinating details of Renaissance art history and pearls of gastronomic wisdom. This entry is an armchair traveler’s delight.

February 1, 2021
A search for a murderer unites the hill towns of Tuscany. The trans-Tuscan investigation is kicked off when Spanish textile magnate Manuel Somonte is found dead in the Orto Botanico in Urbino, right next to the Spanish Dagger plant he'd donated to the garden. Somonte had come to Tuscany to present a Piero della Francesca drawing he'd bought from art dealer Ettore Bruzzone to the Museo Civico in nearby Sansepolcro. The drawing had been discovered by Signora Spadini, an elderly widow, in Monterchi. Somonte's choice of the Museo Civico was a bitter disappointment to Annibale Vitellozzi, director of Urbino's Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, who'd wanted it for his own museum. But the rivalry among the three towns is a bonus for translator Rick Montoya and his girlfriend, Betta Innocenti, an expert in art theft. The son of a New Mexican dad and an Italian mom, Rick is sent to facilitate communication between the Somontes and the local carabinieris. The Italian police, who honor Betta's academic achievements, are thrilled to have Dottoressa Innocenti's help. Rick and Betta get to sample the culinary delights of all three locales while browsing the charming Tuscan countryside. They also get to peruse the holdings of both museums as well as the renowned private collection of Cosimo Morelli, who lost the drawing in a bidding war with Somonte. And Inspector Alfredo DiMaio gets some welcome help in cracking his case. It's a win-win for all involved, including the reader.

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April 15, 2021
Betta Innocenti from Italy's Office of Cultural Property is tasked with finding a drawing by Piero della Francesca that went missing after the murder of Manuel Somonte, who was found dead in the Urbino botanical garden. Somonte was planning to donate the work to the museum in Sansepolcro. With her interpreter and boyfriend Rick Montoya, the series lead, and Inspector Alfredo DiMaio of the local police, Betta works to determine the motive for Somonte's murder. Was he killed for the valuable drawing, or was there a more personal reason? Suspects include museum directors, an art dealer, a rival collector, and members of Somonte's family, along with his personal assistant. Vivid, often lyrical descriptions of Italian towns with their architecture, food, and wine bring the setting to life. Art history and the portrayal and meaning of individual works of art are seamlessly incorporated into this seventh Rick Montoya story by a retired foreign-service officer who served in Italy. Recommend this one to fans of Iain Pears' Flavia di Stefano series, featuring the work of the Rome police's art-theft squad.

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