"Like Cold Tuscan Stone, the novel is light on its feet, with a protagonist who will strike readers as a good guy to hang around with."— BooklistPerfect for readers of Donna Leon and Martin Walker, this thrilling addition to David Wagner's Italian mysteries immerses us in the sights, smells and tastes of Italy, this time in a picture-perfect Alpine town with a surprising dark sideRick Montoya is looking forward to a break ...

"Wagner skillfully inserts nuggets of local culture without slowing down the narrative pace, and perhaps even more importantly, he gets Italy right. He understands the nuances of Italian manners and mentality as well as the glorious national preoccupation with food."— Publishers WeeklyThe most famous cathedral façade in Italy is found in Umbria—a structure of gothic spires, arches, statues, and mosaics. But as translator Rick Montoya discovers, thi...

Rick Montoya, an American translator travelling through Italy, tries to spend his days reveling in art but soon finds himself wrapped up in a scandalWrapping up an interpreter job in Bassano del Grappa at a conference on artist Jacopo da Bassano, Rick Montoya looks forward to exploring the town. And it would be fun to look into the history of two long-missing paintings by the master, a topic that caused the only dust-up among the normally staid group of internation...

A prequel to the beloved Rick Montoya Italian mystery series, Roman Count Down brings the streets of Rome to life as translator Rick Montoya comes to grips with life as a resident of The Eternal City and investigates a brutal murder in an Italian adventure unlike any otherRick Montoya, eager to experience more of his Italian mother's culture, heads to Rome to start his own translation business. He's armed with curiosity and an appetite for local food and w...

"Perfect for readers who enjoy a complex puzzle, a bit of humor, and a fairly gentle procedural. Don't miss this one." — Library Journal, starred reviewRick Montoya has moved from New Mexico to Rome, embracing the life of a translator. He's settling in to la dolce vita when a school friend who is now senior in the Italian Art Squad recruits Rick for an unofficial undercover role. Armed with a list of galleries, suspects, and an expense account, Rick arrive...

"This is a book for armchair travelers as much as it is for mystery lovers."— Publishers WeeklyNext in David Wagner's acclaimed Italian mysteries comes A Funeral in Mantova, which finds American translator Rick Montoya going undercover to dive into a local family's dangerous secrets…Lombardy was once hotly fought over by the cities of Venice and Milan, though today it is famed for its food rather than war. But the murder o...

"An armchair travelers delight"— Publishers WeeklyOne dead art collector and a gallery of suspects. This romantic weekend just turned deadly…Translator Rick Montoya is looking forward to a quiet weekend away with his girlfriend, Betta, an art fraud investigator for the Italian Culture Ministry. Their destination: the beautiful village of Urbino, home to Renaissance masters Rafael and the lesser-known Piero della Francesca. While Be...

Revenge is a dish best served coldWhen an old college friend leading a religious tour in Assisi asks interpreter Rick Montoya to fill in for their guide who's gone missing, Rick is happy to oblige. He's looking forward to seeing his old friend, and the food and wine of Umbria sound like the perfect reward for a tense translation job he's just completed for the police in Palermo involving witness testimony against the mafia.But when the shady tour guide is f...

Rick Montoya, eager to experience more of his Italian mother's culture, heads to Rome to start his own translation business. He's armed with curiosity and an appetite for local food and wine.Rick's maternal uncle is a Roman cop with one eye to his nephew's welfare and another to how Rick might be useful, perhaps widen his career choices. So Commissario Piero Fontana pulls Rick into an investigation: the murder of Count Umberto Zimbardi.The wealthy count enjoyed indulging a ...

"An armchair travelers delight" —Publishers WeeklyOne dead art collector and a gallery of suspects. This romantic weekend just turned deadly . . .Translator Rick Montoya is looking forward to a quiet weekend away with his girlfriend, Betta, an art fraud investigator for the Italian Culture Ministry. Their destination: the beautiful village of Urbino, home to Renaissance masters Rafael and the lesser-known Piero della Francesca. Whi...

Revenge is a dish best served coldWhen an old college friend leading a religious tour in Assisi asks interpreter Rick Montoya to fill in for their guide who's gone missing, Rick is happy to oblige. He's looking forward to seeing his old friend, and the food and wine of Umbria sound like the perfect reward for a tense translation job he's just completed for the police in Palermo involving witness testimony against the mafia.But when the shady tour guide is f...

Orvieto―its very name brings to mind priceless art, colorful ceramics, and straw-colored wine. And the most famous cathedral façade in Italy, a structure of gothic spires, arches, statues, and mosaics. But as Rick Montoya discovers, this jewel of Umbria can have an ugly side as well.When Rick Montoya moved to his mother’s Italy from his father’s Santa Fe, New Mexico, to work as a freelance translator using his dual heritage, he didn’t expect to be helping the Italian police. His ma...