Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Cold Tuscan Stone by David P. Wagner

Cold Tuscan Stone by David P. Wagner is the first of a series of what is now eight books. Originally published in 2013, Poisoned Pen Press re-issued it in 2021. Rick Montoya, son of an American Foreign Service father and a Roman mother, is comfortable in either of his parents’ worlds. He decides to move to Rome from his home in New Mexico and take up translating and interpreting to capitalize on his bilingual ability. He is settled in there when an old school friend, now an official in the Italian Ministry of Culture, suggests meeting. Rick quickly learns that more than a reunion is on his friend’s agenda. Since Rick is known as an American, he is well placed to make inquiries about sources of high-end Etruscan replica statuary and stoneware, ostensibly on behalf of a friend in New Mexico who runs an upscale gift shop. What he is really supposed to be seeking is information about the stolen burial artifacts that have entered the market around Tuscany.

He's given the names of three firms who have come to the attention of the authorities, and he seeks them out to drop hints about his willingness to purchase illegal artifacts. One of the employees dies from a fall soon after meeting with Rick, which brings Rick under suspicion by the local police, complicating Rick’s research and making a lot of people interested in Rick’s activities.

The resolution to the mystery is unexpectedly complicated, while the information about the food, architecture, and landscape of Tuscany and the illicit trade in valuable artifacts is seamlessly woven into a smoothly told introduction to an original amateur sleuth.

All eight of the books in the series are highly rated on Amazon by reviewers, which speaks volumes for their quality. Starred review from Library Journal.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Poisoned Pen Press (January 26, 2021)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Paperback: ‎288 pages

·         ISBN-10[KT1] : ‎1464214646

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-1464214646

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: ] https://amzn.to/3YqEFV0

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.