Murder in Chianti

This is my mystery book group's pick for the April 2021 meeting and it was a great read. Written by Camilla Trinchieri, who has published eight previous mysteries under the pen name Camilla Crespi. Trinchieri is Italian, although she came to the U.S. in 1980 and earned an MFA from Columbia University.  The publisher's summary is as follows: "Set in the heart of Tuscan wine country, Camilla Trinchieri's new mystery introduces Nico Doyle, a former NYPD homicide detective who's just looking for space to grieve when he finds himself pulled into a local muder investigation. Mourning the loss of his wife, Rita, former NYPD homicide detective Nico Doyle moves to her hometown of Gravigna in the wine-soaked region of Chianti. Half-Italian and half-Irish, Nico finds himself able to get by in the region with the help of Rita's relatives, but he still feels alone and out of place. He isn't sure if it's peace he's seeking, but it isn't what he finds. Early one morning, he hears a gunshot near his cabin and walks out to discover a dead body in the woods, flashily dressed in gold tennis shoes. A small white dog at the scene won't leave Nico alone, so he lies to the police and claims to be its owner. Salvatore Perillo, the local maresciallo, enlists Nico's help with the murder case. It turns out more than one person in this idyllic corner of Italy knew the victim, and with a very small pool of suspects, including his own in-laws, Nico must dig up Gravigna's every last painful secret to get to the truth."

Publishers Weekly says, "Enticing descriptions of food and wines, an introspective protagonist with an unusual background, and an intricate plot that weaves its way amid past peccadillos combine to make this a winner." Kirkus praises it as "An engaging procedural that introduces a delightful cast readers will want to spend more time with." I did indeed like Nico and would happily read her next book, The Bitter Taste of Murder, when it comes out later this year.