I would give 3.5 if I could. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Italy, it has made me want to go there so badly. The story kept me wanting to know more and kept me engaged in ages however I found it difficult to get into at the start and even thought of not finishing it. I am glad I stuck through as I got into the story and the character and enjoyed it in the end.

The beginning was a bit slow, but it picked up after a bit of time. I enjoyed how this book was written and it left me on the edge wanting to know what was going happen.

Really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the aspect of this book and how it went through the motions and made the reader feel very sucked into the book and made me feel like there was no other thing

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I unfortunately started with this book which is book three in the series but that made me want to go back and read the others.

I enjoyed this book because of are recent trip to Italy.

It is set in Positano, Italy and Briaa is the owener of a B&B and I loved reading how she solves mysteries with the help of her friends and family.
Thanks to Net Galley I have found a new series.

amateur-sleuth, cultural-differences, cultural-assimilation, Italian-customs, Italy, bed-and-breakfast, pet-dog, widow, small-town, small-business, local-gossip, local-law-enforcement, friends, friendship, situational-humor, verbal-humor, tv-film-industry, tv-personality, murder, investigation, in-laws, Amalfi Coast, contemporary, drink-recipe, poison*****

Some readers not used to seeing a simple variety of appropriate Italian words in print should have no trouble if listening to an audiobook like many of the other popular Italian mystery authors. The publisher's blurb is a good start, but the characters are so much more fun and the plot works well with all those red herrings and sneaky plot twists. Nor does it tell that Bria is battling an attraction to that condescending police chief. Loved this one as much as the first in series!
As Norse American, I laugh my sox off every time Bria says "uffa" as we use "Uff Da"!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you! Date Sep 24, 2024
*Bravo is a Segugio Italiano. A loving, flop eared scent hound probably about 40 lbs.

This book made me really want to vist Positano, great descriptions! Bria is a relatable and lovable character, and the plot is filled with unexpected twists that keep you hooked throughout. The Italian culture sprinkled throughout adds a nice touch, and loved the touch of romance within the story. I think it would be nice read if you love cozy mystery, bonus points if you read it while on holiday

3.5 stars

Young widow Bria is determined to make her b&b in Positano a success and move on with her life. She still mourns her late husband, but she has a young son to raise and a business to run. She gets sucked into murder investigations, and this time out she literally watches the victim die.

The charm in this series is the Italian location, Bria's friends and family, and her emerging independence. There is some stereotypical overemoting and drama, but also some introspection as Bria has to decide if she's ready to entertain the thought of a relationship. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much for this ARC! As a lover of all things Italy, I was so excited to be on another journey with Bria Bartolucci!

As much as I loved the first book, the story line of the sequel for me was more of a hit. I was so intrigued by the stardom of Chef Lugo and his history. I also enjoyed watching Bria grow as a character - a mother, a business owner and a widow. Please write book 3 so we can see some progress with Luca!

A beautiful setting, an interesting and entertaining cast of characters and a mysterious whodunnit makes for the perfect book. Bria is a youthful Nonna Maria and that is the highest praise!

Lots of critique on religion and the use of Italian in this novel - I happened to LOVE it. Bravo!

Positano, Italy and B&B owner Bria solves another mystery with the help of her friends and family. This is a fun series with great characters and I hope that there is a Book 3.

Murder in an Italian Cafe is the second book in a delightful cozy mystery series by Michael Falco. The protagonist, Bria Bartolucci, is a young widow who runs a Bed and Breakfast in Positano, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. She has a precocious eight-year-old son, Marco; a very smart dog, Bravo; and a big, loving but opinionated, typical Italian family. As in the first book, you’ll fall in love with the gorgeous setting and the mouth-watering descriptions of Italian cuisine.

When the story opens, the whole village is excited about the arrival of Chef Lugo, a celebrity TV chef, who has just published a book of his signature recipes. A segment of his cooking show will be filmed at the Café Positano, and Chef Lugo will later do a signing at the local bookstore. A member of the production crew is staying at Bella Bella, Bria’s B&B.

Many of the townspeople turn up at Café Positano to watch the live production. The café owner, Bria’s friend Annamaria, must run a last-minute errand unexpectedly, and the impatient director asks Bria to fill in for her on camera as Chef Lugo’s assistant. But almost as soon as filming begins, Chef Lugo suddenly drops dead. At first, everyone believes it’s from natural causes, but soon it becomes apparent that he was poisoned.

Because of her proximity to the victim when he died, Bria inserts herself into the murder investigation, as she doesn’t want the reputation of her friend’s café tarnished. Luca, the police chief and brother of Bria’s best friend, Rosalie, has learned not to immediately discount Bria’s theories. After all, her sleuthing helped solve the last murder that darkened their peaceful village. Also, the romantic chemistry between Luca and Bria continues to heat up.

Rosalie is less involved in Bria’s sleuthing in this book; perhaps because she has a new love interest. Michele, the nephew of a local mechanic, has caught her eye, but when Bria finds him hiding on the set just after Chef Lugo drops dead, Michele becomes a prime suspect. And as Bria delves into Chef Lugo’s past, she learns that Michele has a connection. This disturbing information shatters some of Rosalie's bravado.

As in the last book, suspects abound. There is tension among the production crew, and Chef Lugo was about to make an announcement that his director, Massimo, would not have liked. A mysterious woman turns up as a local tour guide, and she may be romantically linked with the deceased. And everyone seems to have a secret.

Just when the police think they have the case wrapped up, Bria puts together clues leading to new evidence that takes the investigation in another direction. Although I suspected the killer early on, I had no idea what the motive could be. The author did a good job constructing a clever mystery.

This was a very fun read!

I enjoyed the first with Bria, the second is not as enjoyable as the first. This is due to the overuse of religious content and references in this entry.

Authors need to be very careful about including religious details in their books. It’s one thing to mention some part of Faith one setting up a factor in a story or to have the setting in a church for example. But this entry just felt the religious references were way overdone and like it was from decades ago. Because while religion is still important in Italy, today it is not overdone like it is in this book. I’m hoping the author takes us into account with her next entry.

Having read the previous Bria Bartolucci mystery, I was pleased to see that there is a sequel! I love the setting and the characters of Murder in an Italian Cafe, a charming cozy mystery with a highly entertaining cast. Looking forward to a third in the series! Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read the eARC.

Michael Falco does a great job of immersing you in the world of Positano and the beauty that is the Amalfi Coast. In Murder in an Italian Cafe, we're back with Bria, who's investigating the death of a celebrity chef who died while filming a cooking show in Positano.

While I enjoyed the first book in this series, the sequel was not my favorite. I found this book to be very religion based and some of the dialogue between a 33 year old woman in 2024 seemed incredibly dated. Additionally, the Italian phrases that were heavily sprinkled in, seemed unnecessary. Especially when, in the next line, he would translate the phrase. It seemed a bit redundant and took my out of the scene. Lastly, I found myself more interested in the secondary characters in this book than the main characters. I would love to learn more about Sister B, Enrico and Annamarie. Overall, this is a fun cozy mystery that takes you to the gorgeous Amalfi Coast, but it wasn't my favorite of Falco's.

Thank you to Michael Falco, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this ARC.

I was pleasantly surprised by this cosy murder mystery. Apparently, it's part of a series but obviously it can also be read as a stand-alone. There was no over-explanation of things that happened in the first book, just enough to understand in general what happened in the previous book, who Bria is and what she's doing in Positano.

The characters were well-developed and I connected to them. The overall story is very well-written, too, which made me think of the book multiple times a day when I wasn't reading it.
There were many plottwists in the story that I did not see coming. Often, murder mysteries - to me - are pretty predictable. This one was not. I look forward to reading more of Falco, maybe even the first book in this series.

The story takes place in a part of Italy I was actually not familiar with. After reading it, I feel like I know the place well. I looked up pictures online of Positano only after finishing the book and the images matched with the descriptions of the village that I had in my mind! Another point for Falco.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! I loved it.

The start of the book was a bit slower than I like a murder book to be... but the way it was written was definitely intriguing. The writing keeps the reader (it definitely did it for me) captivated. I liked how low-anxiety inducing the book was in the most parts.

The plot was clear and had a few twists in the right places - especially the last twist, amazing.

I did at the beginning struggle with the Italian language being intertwined in the dialogue - as a non-Italian speaker/reader it was a bit confusing at time and I felt like I was missing out on certain humour or details (I didn't want to run to Goggle translate all the time). But equally, it did let the reader have a sense of belonging to the plot and the scene that the characters were found at.

The description of scenes and certain localisations was sometimes on the more longer side but that didn't necessarily prevent me from enjoying the book.

I liked the small aspect of romance in the plot and the mention of religion - I think the latter was something that is not often seen in book (specially in the crime genre) and so it was refreshing to read something closer to reality. 'Close to reality'... I think that is something that can be assigned to this book that makes it more unique from the other crime books I have read recently. Although it is fiction (obviously the plot has a lot of coincidences to it) the characters seem very real and very 'cultural' to what they were described as. That is something that made the book very lovable.

All in all, five stars for a cosy and investing murder mystery.

An up-and-coming chef is murdered just after he publishes a cookbook and is about to begin a book tour and cooking show. Bria, along with the police chief Luca, Luca's sister and Bria's best friend Rosalie, and other recurring characters try to solve the mystery, which appears to have its roots in old family secrets and tragedy.

I like Bria's character - her energy, her devotion to her son and her family, her nosiness. The plot is complex with lots of characters and relationships and motives to keep straight, but the author brings the threads together at the very end. The middle of the book dragged for me a bit, as it felt like the story of the chef's family was rehashed multiple times without advancing. The town of Positano is its own character with descriptions of the daily life of its residents mixed in with the tourist factor. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC.

This was a great second book in this cozy mystery series. I love the characters, and the setting is amazing. This was a great mystery , lots of interesting suspects and secrets. I did enjoy the first book more, but recommend both. I am looking forward to the next book already.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Such a good book! Gave me thriller energy and also had some loop wholes. Leaving you wanting to read more type of book. Definitely suggest it.

I thought this book was an excellent follow-up to the first in the series. The mystery kept me engaged and I adored the setting. I will definitely recommend this book/the series in general to any cozy mystery fans. I especially loved it because I have been thinking about going to Italy in the net year! I would definitely add Bria's Bed and Breakfast as a place to stay. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this book!