Can the truth be discovered?

Synopsis

A tragic accident?

When Italy’s greatest opera singer, Rodolfo Argento, is killed in a terrible car accident, the police initially rule his death a tragic accident or suicide. But his elderly mother, Violetta, believes this to be poppycock! Her son was a brilliant driver and had too much to live for. She suspects foul play and turns to Private Investigator, Dan Armstrong to discover the truth.

A cheating spouse?

So Dan and Oscar travel to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, to find out what really happened. There Dan discovers Rodolfo’s private life could have come straight out of a Shakespeare play. Although now happily married, Rodolfo was a man with a reputation to rival Casanova, his past strewn with heartbroken women. Could his death have been a star-crossed lover determined to get revenge?

A family feud?

Or does the truth lie much closer to home? With his large inheritance still to be settled, the motive for Rodolfo’s murder could simply be greed. As Dan searches for suspects while staying at the Argento Opera Academy (where people randomly launch into operatic arias.) life for Dan is complicated by the fact that Oscar has a habit of joining in with the singing…

Can Dan solve the case before he and his tone-deaf dog get thrown out?

My review

Dan Amstrong is a bit surprised when after living for a while now in Tuscany to finally meet his actual neighbour. To say that the elder Violetta Argento is excentric is an understatement. However, now she seeks out Dan’s help. Because even if her son’s death was ruled as an accident or even a suicide, Violetta doesn’t believe it. And she wants Dan (and Oscar) to discover the truth about Rodolfo’s death. This new investigation brings Dan, Oscar and Anna to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet. Slowly Dan learns Rodolfo’s real character and life, one that could fit easily in all the opera plays Rodolfo was famous for singing in, or Shakespeare’s plays. Because even if Rodolfo was happily married, his life before marriage for sure was one that could fill many gossip pages. Can Dan figure out what truly happened to Rodolfo? Or was is just like the police said, just an accident or an act of suicide?

Of course reading a book from this talented author, sweeps me back to Italy, the country of my roots and places I have visited before and have fallen in love with. And this time, we are in lovely Verona!

And I have to admit, just like Dan I was more intrigued by the city’s actual, real story during my visit than the hype set around Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. While visiting cities, I believe that the actual history of a place prevails over the fiction. So in that aspect, I was happy that the author shared my same vision, and didn’t ‘waste time’ over Romeo and Juliet yet took us once again to a marvellous (re)discovery of a wonderful place.

But enough about Verona itself, let’s talk about the story 😊.

With each story in this cozy series, we see how more settled Dan and Oscar are in their new Italian life. So I was a bit surprised that Dan never heard or had never seen Violetta Argento before. With a larger than life attitude, I would expect that Dan would at least have heard her name before, or at least know about her son, being a famous opera singer.

I could understand Violetta’s desire to find out the truth, I can only try to imagine how it feels to lose a child, no matter if he/she is still young or already an adult. And if the police is perhaps too quickly to exclude foul play in Rodolfo’s passing, why wouldn’t Violetta want to hire Dan to figure out what really happened?

However, to say that Violetta is excentric, would be an understatement. And the relationship she had with Rodolfo was an ‘interesting’ one… There are possessive parents, and then there is Violetta. I don’t think that I would be able to live with such a character, so I was a bit shocked to see how Rodolfo just let his mother dictate his life. And the more I got to know Violetta, the more I didn’t like her, to be honest. She has one vision, her vision. And if you don’t agree with her, or contradict her, you’re out. Or if you take away her son from her, by falling in love with him and marry him, you’re the main suspect, even without any kind of proof…

Now, it’s easy to put all the blame on Violetta, and even suspect her for a moment (because, yes that is also something I did). But it’s not that Rodolfo’s life was so unspoken about. He had a certain reputation, thus making the list of possible culprits (if there was an actual crime) even longer.

Like I am used to with this series, there are several possibilities and reasons for the not yet confirmed crime. Fingers can be easily pointed in so many different ways, that each time Dan and Oscar found a lead, I believed we had it. But of course I should have known that all would only be revealed in the end…

And like I am used to with this author, this was a cozy mystery, pulling me in all different directions, but also with a lovely lightness in it. Not only was it sweet to see how Dan’s relationship with Anna is still going strong, but for me, the lightness of this book came absolutely from Oscar’s side! Seeing how he falls in love with Elektra, seeing his tail wagging like crazy whenever she is around. Dogs do fall in love too! 😊

T.A. Williams once again took us on a wonderful investigation journey. His on point descriptive ways made me feel like I was walking alongside Dan in Verona, seeing the places easily. Even the music in a way found a touching place in this book.

I absolutely enjoyed reading this great next chapter in a wonderful series. Although I am getting a bit concerned about the number of murders taking place as if T.A. Williams continues with this series, I believe there will be no one left in Tuscany. 😊 But on the other hand, more Dan and Oscar, is that really such a bad thing? 😉