Return to Umbria: A Rick Montoya Italian Mystery

The beautiful Umbrian towns of Orvieto and Todi provide the setting for Wagner’s well-written fourth mystery featuring translator Rick Montoya (after 2015’s Murder Most Unfortunate). Rick, an Italian-American based in Rome, and his lover, detective Betta Innocenti, are visiting the area with a mission: to persuade Rick’s 21-year-old cousin, Fabrizio, to return to his family home in Perugia and break off his relationship with an Orvieto matron. On the way up to Orvieto, Rick exchanges a few words with three American women. When one of them ends up dead, Rick is drawn into the police investigation as an interpreter. The motive for the victim’s death seems to be linked to her experiences in Orvieto as an art student many years before. Wagner skillfully inserts nuggets of local culture without slowing down the narrative pace, and perhaps even more importantly, he gets Italy right. He understands the nuances of Italian manners and mentality as well as the glorious national preoccupation with food. (Nov.)