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An Italian Village Mystery book cover 1
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An Italian Village Mystery
Series · 8 books · 2019-2024

Books in series

And Then There Were Bones book cover
#0.5

And Then There Were Bones

2019

A Murder Weekend in a Calabrian Island? Sounds like fun... or maybe not? When feisty travel writer, Giò Brando, receives an invitation to join her long-time friend on an island in Calabria for a Murder Mystery weekend, she is excited by the prospect. To run away from the grey London weather for a while. Enjoy the Murder weekend with some celebrity guests sounds too good to be true. In fact, some of the guests are just as temperamental as you would expect from celebs. But when one mysteriously disappears, and strange things befall… Gosh, what’s happening? Is a madman trying to repeat the Ten Little Indians Saga or there’s a method to this madness? As the storm ravages the island, cutting it off from the mainland, Giò has very little time to find out what is going on and save herself as well as the surviving guests from certain death. A Cozy Mystery along the lines of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. This book is the prequel to the series “An Italian Village Mystery” and it’s exclusive to the subscribers to the Maratea Murder Club Newsletter.
Murder on the Road book cover
#1

Murder on the Road

2019

Can murder be the cure for a broken heart? Returning to her quaint hometown in Italy following the collapse of her engagement, feisty travel writer Giò Brando just wants some peace and quiet. Instead, she finds herself a suspect in a brutal murder. Anxious to clear her name, Giò embarks on her own investigation, eavesdropping on the gossip in her sister’s perfumery and the cafés of Maratea as she pieces together the evidence. But something about the case isn’t adding up. Or is Giò allowing her attraction to a fellow suspect to distract her? Wanting to distance herself from danger, Giò keeps her feelings in check. But when new evidence turns the whole case on its head, danger is exactly what is waiting for her. ◆◆◆ Murder on the Road is the first book in the compelling and heartwarming An Italian Village Cosy Mystery series. If you want a taste of Mediterranean village life, take a bite of this tasty treat, now! ◆◆◆ \*Beware - this book is written in British English with a smattering of Italian here and there. —- This fun lighthearted cosy mystery can be read as a standalone or you can enjoy the whole series in order: • Book 0.5 (prequel) - And Then There Were Bones • Book 1 - Murder on the Road • Book 2 - A Fair Time for Death • Book 3 - A Mystery Before Christmas • Book 3.5 - When the Clock Chimes Two (A short story) • Book 4 - Peril at the Pellicano Hotel
A Fair Time For Death book cover
#2

A Fair Time For Death

2019

The annual Chestnut Fair brings visitors from far and wide to the sleepy village of Trecchina. This year, one will be coming to die. The moment Vanda Riccardi makes the grisly discovery in the forest, a blow to the head knocks her cold. By the time rescuers find her, the corpse is gone. Did she really see it? The carabinieri are sceptical, but her friend Giò Brando – travel writer and reluctant amateur sleuth – is determined to believe her. As Giò and Vanda delve deep into the past to unravel the mystery – a past that someone won’t hesitate to commit murder to keep hidden – in the perfumery run by Giò’s sister, Agnese, three very different customers are destined to choose the same scent – one with a disturbing backstory. Will the perfume reveal its secrets in time to prevent Vanda and Giò from becoming the killer’s next victims? Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey, M C Beaton, and lovers of Italy, will delight in this cosy mystery set against the dramatic backdrop of the Mediterranean coast. Dare you drop in to Agnese’s shop to find out what the perfumes say about you? — A Fair Time For Death is the second book in the compelling and heartwarming An Italian Village Mystery series set in Maratea a quaint sea town in the south. Beware – the book is written in British English with a smattering of Italian here and there.
A Mystery Before Christmas book cover
#3

A Mystery Before Christmas

2019

A haunting Christmas song from a faraway land. A child with striking green eyes. A man with no past. When elderly widow Mrs De Blasi catches sight of eight-year-old Betta Giordano, all she can see is the face of her son, Marco. But how can this be? Marco died tragically young, many years before Betta was born. Travel writer Giò Brando can’t help but be intrigued by the string of coincidences connecting Betta to the De Blasi family. Why does the child bear such a strong resemblance to a long-dead man? How does she know an ancient tune from the remotest parts of Britain? And why does the carillon that Mrs De Blasi gifts to Betta play that very same tune? Embracing her natural sleuthing skills, Giò faces a desperate race against both time and the worsening weather. Will she be able to ensure it’s a happy Christmas for everyone in Maratea? Fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and M C Beaton will love this heart-warming festive story, the third in the An Italian Village Mystery series. Delve into the pages of A Mystery Before Christmas and breathe in the delicious scents and flavours of a Mediterranean December.
When the Clock Chimes Two book cover
#3.5

When the Clock Chimes Two

A Short Story

2021

Zoe Zerbino, sobbing, downtrodden and taken for granted, discovers the power of a perfume to change her life for the better. That is, until she finds herself accused of murder. Filled with newfound confidence, Zoe is enjoying the respect she is receiving all of a sudden from the inhabitants of the beautiful coastal village of Maratea in southern Italy. But just how far will her determination to take control of her life go? When she is discovered standing over the dead body of her bullying boss, the murder weapon in her hand, it looks as though it has gone way too far. When the local carabinieri regard the case as solved, travel writer and part-time sleuth Giò Brando investigates further, disturbed by her sister Agnese’s distress at having sold Zoe the scent that apparently transformed her into a killer. But it appears all the other suspects have watertight alibis for the time of the killing. With her shrewd granny’s words “A wolf is always a wolf, a lamb is always a lamb” echoing in her mind, Giò is sure that Zoe remains the gentlest of lambs. And then a chance remark in Leo’s Bar leads her to the truth – a truly heartless plan was put into action as Maratea’s clock struck two. ◆◆◆ Cosy mystery fans, synchronise your watches and grab yourself a cappuccino. It’s time to help Giò investigate murder most horrid and make sure everyone gets what they deserve ◆◆◆ —- "When the Clock Chimes Two" is a short story in the heart warming and compelling "An Italian Village Mystery" series. Beloved by fans of Rhys Bowen, Agatha Christie, MC Beaton. Each book can be read as a standalone or enjoyed in sequence. Book 0 (prequel) - And Then There Were Bones Book 1 - Murder on The Road Book 2 - A Fair Time for Death Book 3 - A Mystery Before Christmas Book 4 - Peril at the Pellicano Hotel
Peril at the Pellicano Hotel book cover
#4

Peril at the Pellicano Hotel

2020

A group of wordsmiths, a remote hotel. Outside, the winds howl and the seas rage. But the real danger lurks within. When travel author and part-time sleuth, Giò Brando, joins a writers’ retreat in Maratea, her quaint sea town, the last thing her companions are expecting is for the spiteful author who ruined their previous meeting to turn up uninvited. And the last thing Giò is expecting is to find that same woman lying dead on the restaurant floor the following morning. At first, it seems the author’s death was the result of a tragic accident, but Giò suspects there’s more to it than meets the eye. What happened to the manuscript the victim had been working on? What was the mysterious business deal she was in Maratea to close? With her fellow writers all having reason to lie to the carabinieri, Giò desperately sifts their stories for clues. But could the key actually lie in a tragic tale from long ago? Peril at the Pellicano Hotel is the fourth book in the An Italian Village Mystery series. Fans of cosy mysteries everywhere are invited to help Giò solve her latest delightfully dramatic case, unfolding against the stunning backdrop of the southern Italian coastline. That is, if you dare.
The Haunted Watchtower book cover
#5

The Haunted Watchtower

2021

The doors are locked, the windows shuttered, but still he comes. Dare you set foot in the haunted watch tower? When Countess Eugenia moves into a restored watch tower above Maratea, a delightful coastal town in southern Italy, not everyone welcomes her. Before she and her niece have even spent a night in their new home, they are warned that the malicious ghost of a 500-year-old pirate haunts the ancient building, claiming it as his own. And that very night, he begins a campaign of fear against the two women. Meanwhile, Maratea is celebrating its beloved St Biagio. However, this year, the festivities are marred by the news of plans to place monstrous wind turbines high on the mountains surrounding the town. In the heated debates that follow, the tragic suicide of a town hall employee and the death of a heritage expert on the treacherous local roads go almost unnoticed. Only local carabiniere Brigadiere Paolo Rossi wonders whether the deaths and the ghost may be connected. Deciding first to get to the bottom of the mysterious hauntings, he joins forces with travel writer and amateur sleuth Giò Brando to spend a night in the watch tower. But when Paolo disappears in the dead of night, Giò is left all alone. Or is she? \*Beware - this book is written in British English with a smattering of Italian here and there.
Murder's Silent Take book cover
#6

Murder's Silent Take

2024

I may climb perhaps to no great heights, but I will climb alone…’The tranquil town of Maratea, perched on a stunning stretch of Italian coastline, is abuzz with excitement. A promising young film director has selected it as the backdrop for a new rendition of Cyrano de Bergerac set during World War Two. However, the lines between fiction and reality soon blur, and hate, love, independence, and freedom make their presence felt both on and off the stage. When the lead actress plummets from the cliffs into the unforgiving sea, the tragedy takes second place to the age-old rule of the theatre the show must go on. While the film crew battles against time and personal conflicts, Giò Brando, travel writer and new member of the local movie committee, finds her life paralleling Cyrano’s. Carabiniere and long-time friend, Paolo, appears to have more than a professional interest in Adelaide, the promising understudy who eagerly steps into the role of Roxanne, and Giò is forced to confront a truth that has gone unacknowledged until he means more to her than she had ever imagined. But is she right to fear that his romantic interest has clouded his judgement, putting him and the entire film crew in peril? As the production meets with one disaster after another, the actors and crew become increasingly edgy and isolated, not knowing whom they can trust or where they can turn. And with Paolo so deeply involved in this toxic culture, it’s down to Giò alone to flex her sleuthing muscles and untangle the web of lies before more than just the production becomes forfeit… \—\\\Cosy fans, we’re going to the movies in this, the sixth book of the Italian Village Mysteries series. But sometimes, the truth is stranger than fiction. \\\—This fun lighthearted cosy mystery can be read as a standalone or you can enjoy the whole series in • 0 (prequel) - And Then There Were Bones • 1 - Murder on the Road • 2 - A Fair Time for Death • 3 - A Mystery Before Christmas • 3.5 - When the Clock Chimes Two (A short story) • 4 - Peril at the Pellicano Hotel • 5 - The Haunted Watch Tower • 6 - Murder's Silent Take

Author

Adriana Licio
Adriana Licio
Author · 17 books

Adriana lives somewhere stuck on the Apennine mountains in southern Italy not far from Maratea, the Mediterranean setting for her cozy series "An Italian Village Mystery". Get a taste of Adriana's world reading "And Then There Were Bones" the prequel to her series, exclusive to subscribers on her mailing list - https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub She loves loads of things: traveling, reading, walking, savouring good food, exploring small villages, and home swapping. She runs her family perfumery shop, and between a dark patchouli and a musky rose, she reads and writes cozy mysteries. She resisted writing as long as she could; fearing it might open doors to her already galloping imagination. But one day she found an alluring blank page and the words flowed in that weird English she'd learned in Glasgow... Adriana finds peace for her restless, enthusiastic soul when she walks in nature, with her adventurous dog Frodo and her hubby Giovanni.

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