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Book Review: “Murder Most Unfortunate” by David P. Wagner

David P. Wagner in his new book, “Murder Most Unfortunate” Book Three in the A Rick Montoya Italian Mystery series published by Poisoned Pen Press gives us another adventure with Rick Montoya.

From the back cover:   Winding up an interpreter job in Bassano del Grappa at a conference on artist Jacopo da Bassano, a famous native son, Rick Montoya looks forward to exploring the town. And it would be fun to look into the history of two long-missing paintings by the master, a topic that caused the only dust-up among the normally staid group of international scholars attending the seminar.

Bassano has much to offer to Rick the tourist, starting with its famous covered bridge, an ancient castle, and several picturesque walled towns within striking distance. He also plans to savor a local cuisine that combines the best of Venice with dishes from the Po Valley and the surrounding mountains.

These plans come to a sudden halt when one of the seminar’s professors turns up dead. Rick is once again drawn into a murder investigation, this time with a pair of local cops who personify the best and the worst of the Italian police force.

At the same time he’s willingly pulled into a relationship with Betta Innocenti, the daughter of a local gallery owner, who is equally intrigued by the lost paintings. They quickly realize that the very people who might know the story are also the main suspects in the murder―and that someone not above resorting to violence is watching their every move.

If it were not for Mr. Wagner I would know from nothing about Northern Italy’s Bassano del Grappa on the Brenta River, in the Veneto region. I do not know about these small villages and I am very grateful to Mr. Wagner to showcase them and to highlight their famous native sons. That is the beauty of this book not only are we out to solve a murder, which I am pretty sure you won’t be able to do, but we are on a tourist holiday in this stunningly beautiful town. It just so happens that a seminar professor is murdered and Rick Montoya happens to be in town though that does not make the murderer very happy. Danger, mayhem, thrills and murder all figure into this highly complicated plot. There are fascinating characters that seem very real and a killer that seems impossible to discover.  “Murder Most Unfortunate” is loaded with twists and turns and red herrings that will leave you guessing all the while you are flipping pages to find out what happens next. Mr. Wagner has provided us with a fairly exciting book.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Poisoned Pen Press.   I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

#murdermostunfortunate #DavidPWagner #RickMontoyaItalianMystery

Book Review: “The Mariachi Murder” by Marie Romero Cash

Marie Romero Cash in her new book, “The Mariachi Murder” Book Four in the Jemimah Hodge Mystery series published by Camel Press gives us another mystery with Jemimah Hodge.

From the back cover:   A popular mariachi singer is found shot and buried south of Santa Fe near Cerrillos, putting him in the jurisdiction of Detective Rick Romero and Forensic Psychologist Jemimah Hodge. Eduardo Sanchez had a massive ego that could well have gotten him killed, considering his penchant for reckless womanizing. However, as the weeks pass, the trail grows cold, increasing the pressure on law enforcement. Was the mariachi killed by a spurned girlfriend or an angry husband? Why was he traveling back and forth between Santa Fe and Mexico?

Although Rick and Jemimah have been dating for two years, they have yet to commit. So when Rick’s beautiful ex-wife breezes into town and makes a play for him, she stirs up trouble all around. Meanwhile Jemimah receives her own unwelcome visitor: a friend of her FLDS family who’s tracked her down and wants to dredge up the past. To add to the drama, Detective Romero’s wayward ex-con brother Carlos lands in deep trouble when he hooks up with a woman hiding her checkered past.

When the clues come together, they intersect in volatile ways no one could have foreseen.

When we were traveling across America to our new home one of the States that we had to travel through was New Mexico and one of the cities that we visited was Santa Fe. Naturally you cannot separate the mariachi music from the land so therefore you cannot separate the music from the mariachi musician. Ms. Cash has given us a police procedural, murder mystery as the music stayed just the musician was killed then buried. The Mariachi Murder offers readers the pleasures we have come to expect from her Jemimah Hodge series: a vivid physical and cultural landscape populated with true-to-life characters in a fast-paced story. To solve this murder Jemimah and Rick need all their abilities to sort through the Hispanic, Anglo, and Pueblo eccentricities of New Mexico. “The Mariachi Murder” is loaded with twists and turns and red herrings that will leave you guessing all the while you are flipping pages to find out what happens next.  I think this is Ms. Cash’s best mystery! And I am already looking forward until the next book in this series comes out.

If you would like to listen to interviews with other authors and professionals please go to www.kingdomhighlights.org where they are available On Demand.

To listen to 24 hours non-stop, commercial free Christian music please visit our internet radio station www.kingdomairwaves.org

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Camel Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

#TheMariachiMurder #MarieRomeroCash #JemimahHodgeMystery