Charlotte Adams hasn't heard from her mother in quite a while. No matter where in the World Esme is, she always calls Charlotte for a weekly check in and chat, but no one can seem to find Esme. As Charlotte's concern continues to build, having their house ransacked and set on fire, and an old family friend murdered is enough to send Charlotte and Jack across the pond to look for Esme in Europe. Hoping not to attract the attention of crime family that seems to have been behind all of the terror at home, they try to disguise themselves and find Esme.

With stops in Paris, Lisbon and finally Italy, they seem to be staying just two steps behind Esme and one step in front of their pursuers. As Charlotte and Jack delve deeper into Esme's past, Jack finds out the truth about Charlotte and who she and Esme truly are. Vowing to keep Charlotte safe, Jack ends up getting run off the road by their pursuers and Charlotte takes matters into her own hands and goes off to find her Mother. Will she be too late, will her story end here in Italy along with Esme?

This was the best book in this series so far, and I loved them all! Taking this journey and opening up Charlotte's life story was an exciting move and story. Trekking across Europe made this one even more rewarding after the past few years of not being able to travel. I reveled in the mystery, the travel and the secrets that were revealed. Can't wait for more in this series!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Beyond the Page Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Funny cozy mystery and a lovely addition to the well established series.

Esme is a very successful mystery author. She has a penthouse in New York as well as an apartment in Paris. She also has a daughter, Charlotte. Esme calls Charlotte every Tuesday in order to check in and discuss what is happening in life. Charlotte has become worried because Esme has missed several weeks of calls. No matter how many times she has tried, she is unable to get in touch with her mother.
Charlotte has tried Esme’s agent and her devoted assistant. The agent has no clue and is upset because he is unable to reach Esme. The devoted assistant is absent as well and Charlotte is not reaching her either. Charlotte becomes very worried.
Charlotte is a popular person in her small town in upstate New York. But, people who believe they know her do not really know her early life. She remembers the distant past when she and her mother were escaping from some terrible danger. There were disguises and looking back to see if they were being followed. Since those early days, Esme taught her about having a go kit filled with emergency supplies. The absolute necessities, which can help make a fast escape as well as make one unrecognizable, must be packed and ready for an immediate exit. Charlotte has learned her lessons very well.
Suddenly, Charlotte’s home is destroyed. Then as the police are watching someone tries to burn it down. These are messages that someone is very near and they will not go away.
Charlotte has learned about detection. She begins to put together puzzle pieces and many of those pieces are from many years ago. She and Jack, her boyfriend, begin a journey to find Esme as well as to stay ahead of the people who evidently want them dead.
The people who are after them are true villains. Violence comes easily to them. And evidently they are not averse to using murder to gain attention.
Charlotte and Jack travel to wonderful places and at each stop they learn that Esme has been just a few steps in front of them. Esme has friends everywhere, but it seems the villains are also everywhere.
This is a very fast moving story. Ms Maffini knows her stuff when it comes to keeping a reader’s interest. The dialog is fast, informative as well as funny. The descriptions of places made this reader want to hop a plane and travel through Europe looking at the same beautiful neighborhoods. Also, food plays a big part in this story. So eating my way through Europe also sounds like a nice idea.
Charlotte learns about her past. She also learns that she can take her mother’s lessons and use them quite well.
This is a wonderful mystery. It is part of a series, but I have not read the earlier books and I had no problem following the plot or understanding the characters and relationships. I had not read a Maffini mystery in quite some time…..I’m a fool.
I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.