To Die in Tuscany by David P. Wagner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

To Die in Tuscany follows Rick Montoya on his next "investigation". I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Each of the Rick Montoya Italian Mysteries is set in a different town or city in Italy. This mystery is set in two small towns in the Marche region around Urbino with a particular focus on their art museums, gardens, local politics, and art dealers. If you have a love of Italy, art, and museums then To Die in Tuscany will be a welcome respite from being unable to travel to Italy for the last year or so. One of my favorite things about this series is they do well with depicting Italy, the food, culture, and the people. It is obvious that David P. Wagner has not only experience with so many areas of Italy but also he is well versed in Italian. For those of us studying Italian not just for the language but also to learn the culture of the Italians, this series is wonderful. Obviously, it is a small replacement for not getting my Italian adventure that was previously scheduled one week after the travel ban started, but, I truly look forward to the books in this series.

One of the things that is a bit different about this installment is how the investigation proceeds. Betta who was missed in the previous book is always an interesting character. But, To Die in Tuscany is very much in Betta's world of art theft. This book has a great array of characters who all did a great job of being plausible suspects so the reader spends a great time changing their mind about who committed both crimes that are at issue in this book. We learn about artists and masterpieces we may have not have been introduced to or have heard of because they are not always front-and-center when we visit the museums and galleries across the world. But, Italy is an amazing place of art and I like to refer to it as an open-air museum and art gallery because you turn a corner and see carvings and sculptures in the oddest places. Years ago, I had a theory that Italy discovers so much of its art buried in odd places that they may not have room to display it all so you see it in alcoves and breezeways and many other unexpected places. Some of it obviously pretty ancient. The Rick Montoya Italian Mysteries never disappoints and always has an interesting mystery. The point-of-view changed a bit this time for the mystery but, the travel through Urbino and other towns in this region made a great addition to the Rick Montoya Italian Mysteries. I cannot wait to see which region we visit next with Rick.