TO DIE IN TUSCANY

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.