Synopses & Reviews
Rick Montoya takes a break from his translation business in Rome to join his college buddy Flavio in the Italian Alps. Heavy snow has brought enthusiastic skiers to the picturesque ski town of Campiglio, where the food tastes even better after a day on the slopes. But Rick's holiday is interrupted when a body is found in the deep snow under a ski lift. With a push from his uncle, an Italian policeman in Rome, Rick is drawn into the investigation. The victim is an American banker, but the suspects are all Italian. Well, all except the dead man's beautiful sister, now the sole heir to the family fortune.
As Rick and an eccentric local policeman poke around Campiglio, small town politics and personal rivalries quickly widen the list of suspects. Theres the bombastic mayor and his ex-wife, a cut-throat real estate investor, the victims lanky landlord, a hotel owner, and even the gray-haired lady who runs the best bakery in the valley. But whoever is behind the murder, they dont seem pleased with Ricks involvement in the investigation, if two suspicious brushes with danger are any indication.
Ricks vacation is proving to be more demanding than his normal work routine in Rome. Between the investigation and fending off the lovely heiress, he hardly finds any time to ski with Flavio. But the murderer must be found, or Rick himself could become another victim.
Review
Wagner follows up his excellent Cold Tuscan Stone (2013) with another mystery featuring Rick Montoya, an American translator who lives and works in Italy. On a skiing vacation in the Italian Alps, Rick is invited to assist an Italian cop who's investigating the disappearance of an American banker. Rick is supposed to be an interpreter between the cop and his English-speaking interviewees, but when the case turns complicated (this small ski-resort town has more than its fair share of dark secrets), Rick joins in the sleuthing. Like Cold Tuscan Stone, the novel is light on its feet, with a protagonist who will strike readers as a good guy to hang around with. Booklist
Synopsis
Rick Montoya is looking forward to a break from his translation business in Rome--a week of skiing in the Italian Alps with old college buddy Flavio. But Rick's success helping the Italian police with a murder in Tuscany sends the Campiglio cops his way. An American banker working in Milano is missing. The man's sister, an attractive and spoiled divorcée, has no idea where he could be, nor do the locals who saw him on his way to the slopes. With the discovery of a body, Rick and Inspector Albani widen their list of suspects. Picturesque resort Campiglio harbors old rivalries, citizens on the make, and a cut-throat political campaign. Why would these local issues, any of them, connect to the missing banker? The investigation doesn't keep Rick and Flavio from enjoying perfect ski conditions in the Dolomites and glorious after-ski wines and bowls of fresh pasta. As for women--Rick has to wonder if the banker's sister is just hitting him up for information. The action heats up, testing laid-back Rick whose uncle, a Roman cop, keeps urging him to make the police his career. As in Cold Tuscan Stone, Death in the Dolomites immerses us in the sights, smells and tastes of Italy, this time in a picture-perfect Alpine town with a surprising negative side.
About the Author
David P. Wagner is the author of Cold Tuscan Stone, the first Rick Montoya Italian Mystery. While serving in the diplomatic service he spent nine years in Italy where he learned to love things Italian, many of which appear in his writing. He and his wife live in New Mexico.