20 Books of Summer – Page 54 – What Cathy Read Next…

Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for A Quiet Death in Italy by Tom Benjamin. My thanks to Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the tour and to Constable for my digital review copy. You can read my review below but do also take a look at the posts by my tour buddies, The Magic of Wor(l)ds and Tizi’s Book Review.

About the Book

Bologna: city of secrets, suspicion . . . and murder.

When the body of a radical protestor is found floating in one of Bologna’s underground canals, it seems that most of the city is ready to blame the usual suspects: the police.

But when private investigator Daniel Leicester, son-in-law to a former chief of police, receives a call from the dead man’s lover, he follows a trail that begins in the 1970s and leads all the way to the rotten heart of the present-day political establishment.

Beneath the beauty of the city, Bologna has a dark underside, and English detective Daniel must unravel a web of secrets, deceit and corruption – before he is caught in it himself.

A dark and atmospheric crime thriller set in the beautiful Italian city of Bologna, perfect for fans of Donna Leon, Michael Dibdin and Philip Gwynne Jones.

Format: Paperback (352 pages) Publisher: Constable
Publication date: 21st May 2020 Genre: Crime

Find A Quiet Death in Italy on Goodreads

Purchase links*
Amazon UK | Amazon US | Hive (supporting UK bookshops)
*links provided for convenience not as part of an affiliate programme

My Review

Although a debut novel, A Quiet Death in Italy has the feel of a book part way through a series. I mean that in a good way as its location – the Italian city of Bologna – and its main characters seem so very well realised. In particular, the author has given private detective, Daniel Leicester, a back story that makes him both a sympathetic character and leaves open plenty of possibilities for future story lines. There’s a great cast of secondary characters as well – Rose, Jacopo, Alba and Dolores. Not forgetting Daniel’s boss and father-in-law, the formidable Comandante for whom the phrase “We are family” is more than mere words, it’s a credo to live – and act – by.

But perhaps the key character is Bologna itself; a city in which ancient and modern exist cheek by jowl. So fashionable bars and restaurants are housed in former Renaissance palaces with trompe l’oeil ceilings and behind the high walls of family homes are hidden gardens and courtyards.

The satisfyingly intricate plot skilfully encompasses both past and present Italian political history involving a complex web of relationships, recrimination and revenge, and encompassing all levels of society. There are exciting action scenes and dramatic moments that make the most of city locations. And there is delicious sounding food – tortellini in brodo, tagliatelle al ragu, zuppe inglese to name but a few. (The book has a useful glossary in which, among other things, you can learn about ‘the Italian Banksy’ and the dish you should never ask for in a restaurant in Bologna.)

I really enjoyed A Quiet Death in Italy. An assured debut, it promises to be the start of a terrific new crime series. It won’t do the tourist industry of Bologna any harm either. My review copy came with a bonus – an excerpt from the next book in the series, The Hunting Season. I, for one, shall be eagerly awaiting its publication in November.

In three words: Suspenseful, assured, atmospheric

Try something similar: A Season for the Dead (Nic Costa #1) by David Hewson

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About the Author

Tom Benjamin started off as a reporter before moving to the press office at Scotland Yard and running drugs awareness campaign FRANK. He moved to Bologna where his work as doorman at a homeless canteen inspired him to create English detective Daniel Leicester in a series that serves up equal helpings of the local cuisine and ubiquitous graffiti; the city’s splendour, decay, and danger.

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Lockdown and social distancing measures due to the coronavirus continue to be gradually eased here in the UK. The 15th June saw the reopening of “non-essential” shops, which includes bookshops, although it’s a case of look, don’t touch…unless you’re going to buy. And bars, restaurants and, most importantly, hairdressers are due to re-open on 4th July. I managed to get myself an appointment in three weeks time which is sooner than I’d expected.

I finished eleven books in June, including some I awarded five stars. Here are my five favourite. The link from the title will take you to my full review.

Patrol by Fred Majdalany is another in the Imperial War Museum’s Wartime Classics series. Based on the author’s own experiences in North Africa during World War 2, the book describes in realistic and totally immersive detail the events of one particular reconnaissance night patrol.

Staying with the wartime theme but this time focussing mainly on post-WW2 Berlin is Then We Take Berlin by John Lawton, the first in a series featuring Joe Holderness, known as Wilderness to his lady friends. The book combines espionage, black market racketeering, a dash of romance and an iconic visit to West Berlin. Great fun and I have the next two books in the series, The Unfortunate Englishman and Hammer To Fall in my TBR pile.

In The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn, set in WW2 Norwich and contemporary Newfoundland, all roads lead to the quaintly named Tippy’s Tickle on Newfoundland’s rugged coastline. It’s a multi-layered story about family secrets, missed opportunities, second chances and the clash between old and new. I loved the Newfoundland setting.

Benjamin Myers won the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in 2018 with his novel, The Gallows Pole. His latest book, The Offing, is quite different but I thought it was just as good. Although it was on the longlist for this year’s Walter Scott Prize, surprisingly it didn’t make the shortlist. Set in Robin Hood’s Bay in Yorkshire just after the Second World War, the book tells the story of the unlikely friendship between sixteen year old Robert and Dulcie, an elderly woman living alone in a cottage. I thought it was terrific.

My final choice is The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey which won this year’s Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. Set in Cape Cod during one summer in 1950, it’s a compelling and insightful fictionalized account of the turbulent marriage of artist Edward Hopper and his wife, Josephine.

What were your favourite books you read in June? Have you read any of my picks?

You can find details of all the books I’ve read so far in 2020 here with links to my reviews. If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.