Can it be that Dan Armstrong and his faithful labrador sidekick Oscar have never been to Rome? Well, that soon gets rectified, when he’s called by a TV personality to investigate the death of her uncle – who died in circumstances she believes to be suspicious.
I really enjoy this series, seeing various places in Italy through the eyes of Dan, who is often visiting these places for the first time, so we get to feel the wonder and the excitement, and even in this 15th mystery, it’s still a wonderfully immersive experience.
Dan and Oscar find themselves staying at a rather formidable castle, with talk of ghostly hauntings, and family members at each other’s throats. A second death shortly after his arrival seems to back up his clients assertion that her uncle was murdered, and Dan and Oscar are put to the test to root out the killer.
I love the way these novels are written – in a chatty, almost conversational style, as if you’re sat having a coffee with Dan and he’s telling you the story. It’s engaging reading, and although I’ve never been to Italy, I always feel like I’ve had a (slightly stressful) holiday by the end of the novel. Bring on book 16!
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