Title: A Quiet Death in Italy
Author: Tom Benjamin
Published on: 7 November 2019
Genre: Mystery and Thrillers
The body of a radical protestor is found floating in the underground canal of Bologna. Daniel Leicester, a private investigator and the son-in-law of the former Chief of Police is hired by the dead man’s lover. The investigation takes Daniel on the dead man’s past actions dating back to the 1970s.
What a wonderful mystery debut by Tom Benjamin. Dirty politics, corrupt government officials and a murder mystery that takes you to the gullies and alleys of Bologna.
The story is a little slow but do not let it stop you from reading this book. Daniel is a widower – lost his wife three years ago to a freak bike accident. His teenage daughter Rose seems to have gotten over her mother’s death but Daniel is still coming to terms with losing his beloved wife. Daniel lives in a palatial house with his father-in-law, daughter, Alba and Jacopo. Together, they run the Faidate private investigations. This familial angle is what makes the story even more interesting. We see each member fighting their own battle and as the story ends, each one of them makes peace with a trouble from their past.
The mystery behind the murder surely takes the readers on a ride. The dead man’s lover is none other than Mayor Finzi’s wife. She initially suspects her husband of killing her lover in a fit of rage and jealousy. As the story proceeds, we see there’s more than just the revenge angle to the murder.
Dolores is another character I liked in this story. Daniel seems to be drawn to her (purely platonic) – she can be considered as Daniel’s sidekick. Rose is another character I really liked. The 13 year old is smart, caring and loving daughter. The father-daughter bond grows stronger as the story ends – an incident brings the duo closer.
The writing is good and so is the storytelling. Well-portrayed characters and a murder mystery that keeps one guessing make A Quiet Death in Italy an engrossing murder mystery. No story is complete without the mention of the delicious Italian dishes and A Quiet Death in Italy is no different. Off I go to make some ragu … 🙂
Many thanks to the lovely Rachel from Rachel’s random Resources for the blog tour invite.
The Book Decoder 
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