When even breaks aren’t murder-free anymore…

Synopsis

A holiday island…

When private investigator, Dan Armstrong, and his girlfriend, Anna, are invited to the gorgeous island of Elba for a much-needed break, he jumps at the chance. The thought of sun-drenched shores makes Dan promise Anna he won’t “play detective” for a whole week…

A luxury hotel…

Their luxurious hotel, with its wonderful food and picturesque seaside views, seems the perfect escape, especially with Dan’s best friend Virgilio and his wife joining them. But the calm shatters with a sinister encounter and a sudden, suspicious death..

A decades old case…

Virgilio’s past connection to the victim casts a long shadow, pulling Dan into a decades-old case. But beneath Elba’s beauty lie secrets and resentments – the victim was universally hated – but was his death the result of foul play or just a tragic accident?

With his faithful canine companion, Oscar, Dan must unravel the island’s mysteries, a task that soon takes a decidedly personal and unsettling turn.

My review

Private investigator Dan Armstrong, his partner Anna and their loyal furry companion Oscar are invited by their best friends to enjoy a break together on the island of Elba. All happy to spend some time together and to relax, there is just one golden rule: whatever happens, there will be no investigations. So even when there is a suspicious murder, Dan is trying to keep his word and stay out of it. That is until it becomes clear that the victim and Virgilio are connected, and Virgilio becomes suddenly a person of interest, especially as there are images of him together with the victim at the crime scene. Of course Dan believes in his friend’s innocence, and even Anna agrees that all the possible must be done to clear Virgilio’s name. Even if the victim himself wasn’t a beloved character, Dan is doing everything he can to find the real culprit, together with Oscar. But the more Dan investigates, the more secrets are being revealed, and more personal the matter becomes!

Another adventure in a great series, do you really need me to tell you how excited I was when i started? Of course not!  But excited I was! 😊

And for once, I was in a place I haven’t visited myself (yet), so I was exploring the island of Elba together with Dan & Co. Just like Dan, all I know about the island, is that bit about Napoleon, and that’s it. But with this book, with the exception of the murder streak that keeps on going for Dan and Oscar, it absolutely has my curiosity now!

Now, the author would totally shock me if Dan would have a complete relaxed break, without a mystery to be solved. 😊 So while I wanted Dan, Oscar and Anna have a relaxing time, I also wanted and knew that Dan and Oscar would be quickly back to their investigating business.

There are characters that make you feel a bit sad with their passing, but I cannot say that in this case that is applicable. Yes, I believe in giving second chances, and if someone has paid his dues, he deserves to live his life in peace. But it is clear that the victim is still not a loved character, and there are obvious signs that this leopard didn’t change its spots…

And in this murder case, what angered me the most, was how suddenly all suspects fall into the person that would be the last man able to do such a terrible thing. Because yes, fingers are pointed towards Virgilio… And even if he is connected with the victim, and him being in the forces isn’t a free pass (as we know that not everyone in the forces are genuine and following the rules), Virgilio is for sure, for even more than 100% one of the good guys.

If Dan wouldn’t be helping out, or if Anna would ‘forbid’ Dan to do his investigation, I would have been truly disappointed in them. But of course Dan helps out, and of course Anna is okay with it. Because not only they are best friends with Virgilio, but also because they are those kind of people, ready to help their friends in time of need, ready to prove their innocence, even if there may be indications of their guilt.

Obviously during Dan’s investigations, I put on my own investigation cap. And I must admit, the more secrets Dan unveiled, the more confused I started to get. And just when I thought I got it all figured out, something new happens, throwing all my solutions in the bin. 

Things also take a complete different turn when it starts to get even more personal, as Dan suddenly sees one of his worst fears becoming reality. In a strange way, his reaction and his thoughts made me like Dan even more, it made him feel even more real and human.

Obviously wherever Dan goes, Oscar goes too. And that dog… are we sure he is ‘just’ a dog and not a superdog? Because everything that Oscar does, that is just amazing! I want Oscar all for myself! 🙂 

T. A. Williams took us once again on a cozy mystery, where things got a little bit more personal for our investigation team. But also once again, we got to know this team, and their friends a little bit better, once again they felt even more real than the previous books.  And all this in a new setting (for me), with once again details for the Italian way of life and even love.