Even the mountains cannot be a safe haven against murder…

Synopsis

BRAND NEW instalment in the page-turning Armstrong & Oscar cozy mystery series, this time in the snowy Italian Alps.

A festive gathering…

Private investigator Dan Armstrong, accompanied by his wife and his canine sidekick, Oscar, are spending the days before Christmas in a luxurious Alpine chalet tucked away in a hidden valley. It should be the perfect escape, except the owner is in fear for his life.

A house full of secrets…

Amid perfect winter wonderland scenery, the more Dan discovers about his host and the other guests, he realises that all is not as it seems. What should be a happy family party is riddled with rancour, mistrust and hatred.

A killer in the snow?

Then the snow falls – fast and heavy – and within moments, someone is dead. Accident, suicide, or murder? As the snow closes in, Dan has to work out if he’s looking for a killer, or whether he and Oscar are barking up the wrong tree.

My review

After a phone call from his friend Selena, private investigator Dan, his loyal furry buddy Oscar and Dan’s wife Anna deicide to accept her offer to spend a few days before Christmas in a luxurious Alpine chalet. Not just for a relaxing holiday, but also because the owner of the chalet, and a wealthy man, is fearing for his life. As the chalet is very secluded, it would appear that it is just a case of paranoia. But the more Dan gets to know the family and the other present guests, the more Dan understands that the Viviani family isn’t a happy family at all. And when after nature turning the place into a real winter wonderland scenery, someone actually dies, questions arises. Was it an accident? Suicide? Or was is actually what was feared the most, murder? So even with Christmas looming around the corner, Dan and Oscar must work out what truly happened and if there is a murderer amongst them…

Ooh what a delight, a new Dan and Oscar story! And even if it summer when I read and reviewed it, IT SET AROUND CHRISTMAS!!! YEEEEEEY! 😊

Now, I am not the kind of person that enjoys the wintery mountains, or enjoys skiing. But I can for sure appreciate the scenery, the snow. But from the inside of a warm place 😊. But anyone else who loves it, I am happy for you!

I was though curious to see how Oscar would react in a scenery that he isn’t accustomed to. I could already imagine him, before I started in the book, the fun he would have playing around in the snow. And I was double so happy reading that he has a furry yet also gigantic friend in this book!

And I was differently curious reading what this story would be about. Because it starts differently, as there has no murder taken place yet, and the possible victim is yet very much alive yet also very much paranoid.

On the other hand, I was happy to see how Dan and Anna are together in this adventure, together with Oscar. While it may seem that Anna is just a bystander, she for sure will show us that she is more perceptive than others and that she is a real asset in this cozy mystery!

What I learned to appreciate from Dan, is that no matter what his personal feelings are concerning people, he doesn’t allow those feelings to cloud his judgement. No matter what happens, Dan always tries to discover the actual truth, and also just doesn’t believe the words of gossip.

The Viviani family, and their guests, for sure are something… special, different, something else? There are people that I truly liked from the start, people that I slowly learned to like, and people, like unfortunately the paterfamilias Bartolomeo, who just gave me the ick.

It is clear that Bartolomeo in a very paranoid person, and that his fear may be a bit exaggerated. But if I would be so scared, I don’t think that I would hire Dan, as he is ‘just’ a private investigator and not a bodyguard or something like that.

At first I was feeling sad and sorry for Bartolomeo, as he has to live in fear like this. But I have to admit, the more I got to know him, and like I said earlier, the more I got the ick from him. His behaviour in the past and the present is just despicable… just wrong on so many levels…

So without giving anything away, do you really have no clue about who the victim is? 😊

With the character that Bartolomeo was, and his despicable behaviour, there are so many options of possible culprits. Every person Dan interviews has a possible motive, only making the list longer.

So together with Dan and Oscar, and the invaluable input of Anna, I was trying to discover the truth, trying to find not only the real murderer but also find out why.

As a loyal reader of this series, I absolutely enjoyed reading this cozy mystery, where yes another murder has taken place. But there is as we all well known the perfect match between man and canine and the loyalty between Dan and Oscar just keeps me in awe.

Oscar makes me believe that in a previous life he was a human detectives, and his skills have been passed on his furry current body!

With several books in this series, you would think that things would get somehow repetitive. However, T A Williams shows us that each murder is different, has a different motive and a different setting. And despite the gruesome event of a person dying, there is always a lightness in the book, showing the meaning of a real cozy mystery, that it may be dark, but there is always also light in.

And no, I am still NOT biased as the setting is as usual in Italy, even if it’s in the colder Alps this time! 😊