Murder in the Tuscan Hills - Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries #10

 

 

 

Murder in the Tuscan Hills is the tenth (!!!) Armstrong and Oscar cozy destination mystery by T.A. Williams. Released 2nd Feb 2025 by Boldwood books, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU. 

This is a beautifully descriptive and well written destination mystery set in Tuscany. Expat former policeman Dan Armstrong and his trusty canine sidekick Oscar are back on the case; a hit & run death outside a local winery seems to be a coverup for sinister goings on. It's an ensemble cast and Dan's friend/colleague Virgilio makes an appearance. The series has developed so well and seamlessly, that each new book feels like a visit with friends.

The plotting is solid and the dialogue and characterizations are well controlled and believable. The mystery, denouement, and resolution are self contained in this volume, so it works well enough as a standalone, but the writing and mystery are so well planned and executed, that it would make an excellent weekend binge or buddy read. The author is exceptionally good at weaving (seemingly) extraneous information into the text. There's a lot of humor as well.

It's not derivative at all, but it reminded me in a lot of good ways of Leon's exceptional Brunetti books as well as Walker's lovely Bruno, chief of police books. Fans of those authors will find a lot to enjoy here.

Four and a half stars. Highly recommended. All of the books are exceptionally well written and fun. The author seems to be on a twice a year output schedule at the moment without sacrificing quality or length. He's managed 10 books, going from strength to strength, and without getting formulaic or boring. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.