Roberto Rondini dies in Mantova, his heir and daughter, Livia, invites his faraway Italian-American cousin Angelo Rondini to come to his funeral. Rondini ends up accepting the invite and goes to Italy, the country where he was born but does not remember.
Rick Montoya is an American with Italian roots who works as a translator for written work but also as an interpreter to Americans and soon receives a call from the wealthy Mr Angelo Rondini's office, hiring him, for his stay in Italy. Rick's job is to allow Mr Rondini to communicate with his relatives with ease since he does not speak any Italian and they do not speak much, or even any, English.
In the midst of all of this, the mystery of Roberto Rondini's death ends up worrying and bothering both Angelo and Rick, who start trying to find out more about it. While helping the local Questura, they start unveiling the Rondini family past, which was not always great. The more they learn about the circumstances of Angelo's death the more they are convinced that is was, indeed, a murder.
A mystery book is not something that I am used to reading. Agatha Christie and Dan Brown are about half of the experience I have with crime novels and, because of that, this was a nice change of pace.
This book accomplished one of the things that I believe are one of the most important in this genre: it was not predictable. I did not see the end coming, which is always nice. I hate when I solve a mystery novel too fast and this one allowed me to delve into the unknown for almost its entirety.
The characters were believable enough, even though I believe that there were a lot of Italian clichés in action through the book which were unnecessary. I liked Rick's character but there was something lacking, I blame that on the fact that I read this book as a standalone, even though there are five books in this series before this one. (I informed myself first, it is ok to read it as a standalone novel.)
Besides some lacks here and there, this is an interesting book and I am open to reading more of the kind in a near future. If you like crime novels, food and Italy I believe you will enjoy this book.

The setting of this book takes place in Italy, which is on my bucket list to visit. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though this installment is the fifth in the series. Apparently, you can read as a stand a lone since I have not read any other books by this author. However, I plan on adding this series to my TBR pile. I love a good mystery, and this book had all of the components to keep my engaged and not want to do anything but devour until the end! Definitely a must read!

5 stars
Rick Montoya is an interpreter working and living in Rome. He is called on to accompany a wealthy American whose cousin, a cheese maker in Mantova, to the funeral. Originally the death was assumed to be natural, occurring while the older cousin was fishing at his favorite spot early one morning. The Inspector in Mantova is considering it as a potential murder and asks Rick to keep his ears open while he accompanies the Americans to visit the relatives.
Lovely setting, great description of the Italian surroundings and dining throughout the book. The characters are unique and the story has plenty of twists that keep it fast paced. Really enjoyed!
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

How have I managed to miss this wonderful series? This is the fifth book and the first I have read. So nice to know that I have the previous four to enjoy. The Italian setting, the awesome descriptions of food and the culture are the drivers of this story, the mystery is excellent but, oh, how I now want to take a trip to Lombardy and Mantova.
Rick Montoya is an American living in Rome and working as an interpreter. When Roberto Rondini, a local cheese maker, is found dead, it is ruled an accident. One of his American cousins decides to attend the funeral and meet his Italian relatives. He hires Rick to act as his interpreter and that would seem to be all there is to the story. Until murder is considered and Rick is asked by Insp. Crispi to keep his eyes and ears open to find any evidence of the crime and inform him. It turns out that Roberto wasn't beloved by all.
I liked the mystery but, most of all, I loved the setting, much as I love Venice when I read books by Donna Leon. David Wagner loves Italy in the same way.

Being Italian I really appreciated the realism of the description without any over-romanticism and idealism.
This is a very good mystery, with a good dose of realism, interesting characters and a good setting.
I appreciated the plot that kept me guessing till the end and the descriptions. It is really entertaining.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to Poisoned Press and Netgalley

Pretty darn good mystery in a terrific Italian setting. Who would expect that translator Rick Adler would find himself investigating the death of Roberto, a fisherman in Lombardy? Readers of this series would but it was new to me and gosh, I did enjoy it. The basic premise- a murder, an argument over land, and a family disagreement- are not unique but the characters are. Rick takes on the effort at the behest of Inspector Crespi. Remember that Italian law enforcement works differently than it is does in the US. Roberto's daughter Livia is fascinating. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is hard to characterize as it's not a cozy or procedural but it's got a winning amateur in Rick and a well written plot.

An enjoyable read with a good storyline. Definitely recommended.

I would like to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review. In his latest Rick Montoya mystery David Wagner takes the r Adler to Mantova (Mantua) to experience the food, wine and art of Italy. After the death of Roberto Rondini, a respected cheese-maker and avid fisherman, Rick is hired by Angelo Rondini, Roberto’s cousin, to act as his interpreter. Angelo is a successful American businessman who returned to Italy for the funeral and to explore the area’s art as well as his family history.

At the funeral Rick is approached by Inspector Crespi, who finds the death suspicious. As Angelo’s interpreter, Rick is in a position to observe the family and report anything that would confirm Crispi’s suspicions. While the Rondini name is respected by the cheese industry, it is not without controversy. A property owned by the Rondini is being considered for development. Protested by an environmental group as well as another farmer who would like to add it to grazing land, it provides a number of suspects for Rick to consider. The decision is now left to Roberto’s daughter Livia, who is now in charge of the business.

Wagner provides two very strong female characters. Not only does Livia emerge as someone capable of taking over the family business, but there is also Lexi, Angelo’s assistant. Keeping Angelo informed of business developments and assisting Rick with his investigation, she is intelligent and focused.

There are some truly unexpected twists in this story. If you enjoy Martin Walker’s novels set in France, then Wagner’s book will give you a wonderful taste of Italy along with a good mystery.