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Murder Under the Tuscan Sun: A gripping classic suspense novel in the tradition of Agatha Christie set in a remote Tuscan castle

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Against her son’s wishes, widow Constance Bowen travels to Tuscany to take a job as companion to an ill English gentleman in the Castello di Roccia Nera just outside Florence. William was making good progress after his illness but then mysteriously begins to worsen and Constance appears to be responsible for this. Evelyn and Roberto seem welcoming but are completely wrapped up in each other leaving Evelyn’s daughter Nora to occupy herself for most of the time. The tantalising descriptions of the Tuscan landscapes were impressive and made me very jealous of Connie.

As Connie settles into her new routine, the setting of the castle and the surrounding countryside come alive. In 1927 people were probably not indulged with what we would now regard as a mid-life crisis, this being a time of knuckle down and get on with it. To her surprise and her son’s dismay she is offered the job, but the household she joins is not happy.Historical fiction is something I’ve only fairly recently started enjoying and this was a good one as I found myself drawn into the plot chapter by chapter. Set in a remote castle in the lovely Tuscan hills at the time Mussolini was introducing Fascism and was starting to get a hold on Italy's disgruntled workers, this cosy mystery gives both a little escapism to the warm Mediterranean climate, so different from the cold English weather and claustrophobic house that Constance has left behind, and an insight into a diverse range of characters that Rachel has created. I also enjoyed the fact that the main character was an older woman who was not obviously attractive. As soon as I started reading I was completely lost in the story, lives of the characters and of course the beautiful Tuscan landscape that I love so much. This particular story did not draw me in, and I was not as invested in the overall outcome as I had hoped to be towards the end.

A huge thank you Random Things Tours, Penguin Random House and Penguin UK Books for my proof copy and place on the Book Tour. I raced through it in a couple of days and recommend it to lovers of atmospheric historical mysteries with beautiful settings. Then there is the castle itself, set in a beautiful landscape, but interestlingly seems more gothic, with it’s turrets and gargoyles than the usual Renaissance architecture, which suits the plot line with it’s darker undercurrent. But William is not recovering as expected, Evelyn is acting strangely and Connie is accused of stealing and is becoming confused.She keeps having a see-saw of highs and lows with regard to how she feels about everything around her. Women and girls accused of witchcraft were murdered at a nearby beauty spot, so when she hears unearthly music in the dead of night she fears supernatural influences. He views her with disdain and I suppose this was because he was suffering but felt he didn’t need someone to look after him rather that he craved the independence that he once had. The reader can take a more objective view of events and perhaps guess some of it, but probably not the full, glorious plot behind it all.

A woman with nursing experience during the war, and with suffragette sympathies, Constance’s marriage was not a loving one and the loss of her daughter, leaving her with only her son James, now in his early 20’s, has left her looking for something to do with her life. When Constance meets her charge William is surprised to see his nearer to her age and less ill than she thought he would be.Well written with deep, interesting characters and a complex plot and parties: and the parties thrown by the Manettis are so weird! Gradually Connie becomes accustomed to their ways, while the warm sunshine and the lush landscape of Tuscany revive her spirit and reawaken her latent sexuality.

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