Slain Over Spumoni

1920, Italy, romantic, multicultural, multigenerational, murder, murder-investigation, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, small-business, small-town, spa, family-dynamics, family-drama, family-business, poisons, law-enforcement, cultural-exploration, cultural-differences, caricatures, verbal-humor, situational-humor*****

Violetta is working as a masseuse in a local spa after having been a nurse in a military hospital working with WW1 wounded. Her beloved uncle, who owns the finest gelato shop, is found dead on the beach shortly after receiving a massage from her. The local Carabinieri is an interesting person with an ill-tempered bulldog and some other interesting traits. Enter a handsome Italian American (John/Gianni) who is visiting with his injured veteran brother (and uses a lot of American idioms) who wants to help her in any way he can. The romance develops as he helps her to see how she can do her own investigating as they find out that her zio was actually poisoned. A very interesting cast of (real) characters and some yummy foods. I loved it!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from the The Wild Rose Press, Inc. via NetGalley. Thank you!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Venetto, 1920- Violeta discovers the body of her favourite uncle in a sand bed at the spa in which she works. In WWI, she has seen more than her share of pain and death and is devastated. It is at this time of sorrow when she meets John, an Italian American who has come to Italy to take his injured brother home.

Neither is looking for a connection but they fall in love over gelato in her uncle’s place of business. His spumoni gelato is famous. Her other uncle wants the recipe. Would someone kill over ice cream? Or is it a love affair turned sour? Or is it plain and simple deadly avarice? It is up to Violeta and John to help the local police figure out the who and the why.

It is a multi-layered story with lots of family dynamics and cultural changes as John learns more about the country of his mother’s birth and she learns more about America- especially its idioms. It is a quick read that manages to pack a lot of colour into the tale. I found it enchanting. But then, that is Venice.

Four purrs and two paws up.

1920's - Tick
A handsome Italian American - Tick
Murder/Mystery - Tick
Gelato - Tick

This book drew me in from the start and had me reading all day! I loved the setting, the time period, the gelato. And of course there is a murder and Violetta and the handsome John there to help solve the case (and maybe fall in love?!)

A great read with a bit of everything. It kept me interested, was a quick and easy read. It had everything you need to make a good book. A charming story, entertaining and a bit of fun and romance.

Slain Over Spumoni
When Violetta’s Uncle is found dead, the police look at her for his poisoning as it happened while he was using her services at the spa she works at. With the help of an American who is in town to bring his injured brother home after the war, the two of them begin looking for who killed her beloved uncle. The two have their work cut out for them, but what will the find? A murderer? Death? Maybe even love?

This is the first time I have seen this series and read this author’s works, but I greatly enjoyed it. It was a quick and fun read that satisfied this cozy lover! I will visit the earlier books in this series as I wait for more to come.

I really enjoyed this charming novella. It's part romance, part mystery and a lot local color. I loved the setting even though I hate sand so very much! Death by sand bath sounds like a horrible way to die. The description of the town was so vivid and the descriptions of food made me drool, especially gelato. I'm trying to convince my parents to take their next vacation there. (My dad would say an enthusiastic YES!) The mystery kept me guessing even though I thought I knew who did it. I turned out to be wrong! The last twist surprised me. There was information withheld from the reader to keep us on our toes. The romance didn't appeal to me as much. I'm not a fan of love at first sight/instalove stories. I prefer a drawn out slow burn over the course of several books. This could have been the start of a fun series.

Violetta is an appealing heroine. She's intelligent, compassionate and hard working. During the war she worked as a nurse at a veterans' hospital, working with severly wounded men. This experience seems to haunt her and make her sad. It takes awhile before she reveals the whole story and I found it rather silly and a bit of a let down. It shows how deeply Violetta feels things and her sweet, compassionate nature. She's also family oriented. Vi loves her uncle and helps him with his gelateria when she has a chance. She works independenly and lives alone, showing she's a modern 1920s woman, but she spends a lot of time with her family. Vi seems to love gelato and the art of making gelato as much as her uncle. It brings joy to people and I think that makes her happy.

John/Gianni Baxter is a hopeless romantic. He offers help to Violetta before he even knows her. He overheard her problem and wants to help. He's the type who would slay dragons for the woman he loves. His friendship with Violetta grows over gelato and coffee but it happens too quickly for my personal taste.Gianni is very sweet, he appreciates his Italian heritage but isn't as family oriented as Violetta. He stepped up to run the family business when he had to but it isn't his passion or dream. He's willing to go find his brother and bring his brother home but his heart is in Italy. I appreciate a man who can appreciate good food but not expect a woman to cook it but I just don't absolutely love John. He moves too quickly for me. It would have maybe been better if he turned out to be the villain!

Comissario Grasso is your typical cozy mystery detective. He's fat, a bit lazy and a lot arrogant. He's tough but he does truly want to solve the crime and not just pin it on someone. The clues do point to Violetta but what motive does she have? His dog Paco is a too well-trained police dog and not charming or cute.

Zio Fabri was a good man. He loved making gelato and bringing smiles to people's faces. He wasn't without his faults though and was also engaged in a feud with his brother over his famous secret spumoni recipe. Uncle Tomasso, Zio Fabri's brother, was jealous of his brother's success. He wanted his brother to share his good fortune as Uncle Tommaso is also a gelato seller. Uncle Tommaso doesn't have a store though, just a cart, and therefore, hasn't been as successful. Could jealously over the wealth and secret recipe be enough for murder? Uncle Tommaso has a 19-year-old son, Duccio, aka Dodo. Dodo is a good name for this kid. He's not too bright and often teases Vi in stupid, juvenile ways. His mother spoils him and his father allows Dodo to work for the family but wants Dodo to work hard and work his way up. Could Dodo have something to do with Zio Fabri's death? I don't think he's the murderer because he's not clever enough. Aunt Concetta is a typical Italian woman of her generation. She's overly emotional, warm, smothering and caring. I wonder, though, how far she would go to protect her son? Would she kill her brother-in-law if he were about to go to the polizia with information about Dodo doing something wrong?

Ricardo and Pietro, Zio Fabri's assistants, are hard workers but they like to gossip. They know more than Violetta's parents and maybe even Vi herself. Could one of them have murdered their boss? There could be motive there. Late in the story it is revealed there may be another suspect who wanted Zio Fabri dead. Who is she and what would her motive be? Revenge?

Francesca Lenarduzzi,, Violetta's boss at the spa, seems sympathetic but not particularly warm-hearted. Vi says they have a good working relationship but nothing more. That's all they need. They don't have to be besties. Francesca is older and she seems cold and selfish. She throws Vi under the bus to save herself with no actual proof of wrongdoing. She was once in a relationship with Comissario Grasso but no more. He is still interested in her. She seems tough and smart so I think he appreciates that.

Vi's parents are different than her uncle and aunt. Her father is easy going and her mother is progressive and modern. They're sad about Zio Fabri but they don't really know what's going on so they're not too emotional. No one makes drama about missing messages and missed connections which is refreshing.

I really enjoyed this story and would read more about these characters or even their descendants as long as the story is set in Grado and features the family's famous gelato!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from The Wild Rose Press, Inc and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Definitely a must read if you like lighter mystery and thrillers.

A charming novella! The descriptions are excellent and make the story come to life! Violetta's uncle is found dead while at the spa she works for. Good mystery with excellent characters! Thanks #netgalley and #TheWildRosePressInc for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

A great cozy-style mystery set in an Italian resort town. Former nurse Violetta runs a gelateria with her uncle, who dies suddenly. With the help of her new friend Gianni, she is trying to find the murderer. It seems almost everyone is a suspect! There’s family rivalry over the famous spumoni recipe, romantic liaisons and the lingering echoes of the trauma of WW1. Recommended.