Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Book #5 in the Rick Montoya Italian series, Funeral in Mantova, takes place in Mantova, Italy, and opens with a body found floating in the Mincio River below St. George's Castle.
Praise for Rick Montoya Mysteries:
Book #1 Cold Tuscan Stone "Wagner hits all the right notes in this debut. His likable protagonist engages, plus the Italian angle is always appealing. Perfect for readers who enjoy a complex puzzle, a bit of humor, and a fairly gentle procedural. Don't miss this one.'' -Library Journal (Starred Review)
Book #2 Death in the Dolomites "Wagner follows up his excellent Cold Tuscan Stone 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
Book #3 Murder Most Unfortunate In his third outing, Italian American translator Rick Montoya once again finds himself putting his linguistic skills to use in solving a crime...He is an easygoing, empathetic protagonistwith just enough American irreverence to keep his Italian colleagues entertained." -Booklist
Book #4 Return to Umbria "Wagner skillfully inserts nuggets of local culture without slowing down the narrative pace, and perhaps even more importantly, he gets Italy right. He understands the nuances of Italian manners and mentality as well as the glorious national preoccupation with food." -Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
The body rolled off the planks and slipped into the water with barely a splash, quickly embraced by the steady current flowing toward the city of Mantova. It comes to rest against rocks overlooked by the grim ramparts of Castello di San Giorgio as the river Mincio flows on towards the Po and the Adriatic Sea.
Lombardy was once hotly disputed by the cities of Venice and Milan. Today it is famed for its food rather than war. But the murder of the elderly fisherman, for so it proves to be, reveals battles still rage within the region's controlled agribiz, the manufacture of cheese and cured meats by generations of local families, as well as over the best use for a parcel of land owned by the victim, Roberto Rondini, and now passing to his heirs.
Rick Montoya, an American from New Mexico self-employed as a translator in Italy, soon receives a call from the States. The US Embassy in Rome has recommended his services to wealthy Angelo Rondini, cousin to Roberto. Angelo, age seventy-eight and born in nearby Voglia, has been invited to the funeral by Roberto's daughter, Livia Guarino. Out of respect, Angelo has agreed to connect with the Italian family he hasn't seen since he was a very young boy.
Rick hires on as interpreter. And soon receives another assignment - a local cop, Inspector Crespi, linked to Rick's uncle, Commissario Piero Fontana of the Roman Questura, leads the murder investigation and asks Rick to observe and report. Rick agrees, if Angelo accepts his working undercover. And so Rick once again puts his linguistic skills to use for the local law in solving a crime.
Despite the joys and distractions of the city and its watery setting, its glorious art and architecture, and the temptations of the local cuisine and cheese culture, the investigation must probe the life of Roberto and the history of the Rondinis as well as the rivalries of the locals. Yet with all this on display, the story is stolen by two women: Angelo's American executive assistant, and Livia, the Rondini clan's new matriarch.
David Wagner's Rick Montoya Mysteries will appeal to readers of Michael Dibdin, Donna Leon, and Martin Walker.
Synopsis
"This is a book for armchair travelers as much as it is for mystery lovers."--Publishers Weekly
Next in David Wagner's acclaimed Italian mysteries comes A Funeral in Mantova, which finds American translator Rick Montoya going undercover to dive into a local family's dangerous secrets...
Lombardy was once hotly fought over by the cities of Venice and Milan, though today it is famed for its food rather than war. But the murder of an elderly fisherman, Roberto Rondini, reveals the battles that still rage within the region.
Rick Montoya, an American self-employed as a translator in Italy, soon receives a call from the States. The US Embassy in Rome has recommended his services to the Rondini funeral party, some of whose members have been living in the states and need a bit of help with their Italian.
While Rick hires on as interpreter, he soon receives another assignment--a local cop, Inspector Crespi, leads the murder investigation and asks Rick to observe and report. So Rick once again finds himself throwing off the mantle of travel translator to solve yet another murder in Italy. The murder victim owned a parcel of land, and Rick soon learns that the land's use was a violent point of contention to the Rondinis. Is the murderer a part of the funeral party?
Despite the joys and distractions of the city and its watery setting, its glorious art and architecture, and the temptations of the local cuisine, the investigation must probe the life of Roberto and the history of the Rondinis, as well as the rivalries of the locals.
David Wagner's Rick Montoya Mysteries will appeal to readers of Michael Dibdin, Donna Leon, and Martin Walker. And in the newest addition to the series, Rick Montoya becomes entrenched in a conflict with a local family--can a resolution be reached, or will things end in blood?
Other books in the Rick Montoya Italian Mysteries:
Cold Tuscan Stone
Death in the Dolomites
Murder Most Unfortunate
Return to Umbria
A Funeral in Mantova