Murder In An Italian Village Audiobook by Michael Falco, Nichol Zanzarella (Narrator)

Bria Bartolucci is a guest in Positano. Not a tourist but not a resident either. She was moved there by her husband, Carlo, who has since passed away. But she is staying strong for her eight-year-old son, Marco, and his dog, Bravo. She is going to open her B&B, Bella Bella. 

One day she comes home to Bravo barking at one of her guest doors. Inside, a man in a suit who appears to be sleeping. But, this is a mystery, so, of course, he is not. The rest of the book has her running around in one of my least favorite tropes, person with no experience trying to solve a mystery for "reasons" and ACTIVELY interfering in the investigation. And that's when Luca, the cop on the case is Bria's best friend's brother and almost like a brother to Bria herself. To be fair, his partner, Nunzi (sp?), isn't a big Bria fan. Bria is also upset that her handyman, Giovanni, who has a shady past, seems to be a prime suspect. But he's always been so good to her...

I'm not sure if it's a cultural thing but this is the first time in a LONG time that I went and checked the gender of the author because Bria seems like an idealized version of A Woman rather than an actual human being. That along with her meddling, made this book a slog for me.

Two and a half stars

Bria Bartolucci Mystery #1

This book came out September 26, 2023

Followed by Murder in an Italian Cafe

Borrowed as an audiobook from Hoopla

Opinions are my own