Review of Murder at the Piazza by Jen Collins Moore

From the publisher of Murder in the Piazza

Maggie White, a downsized American executive stuck in Rome on her husband’s expat assignment, is finding the dolce vita isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. She’s taken a job offering painting instruction to well-heeled travelers and her boss—a rather unpleasant English lord—has turned up dead in his penthouse. Maggie’s left with a palazzo full of suspicious guests, a valuable painting her boss might have stolen, and a policeman who’s decided she’s the prime suspect. Now Maggie must keep the tour up and running while she tracks the killer and works to clear her name.

My review

The beginning pages of the book caught my attention right away. I loved the idea of someone fantasizing about killing their boss, then being forced to solve the murder. After all, who hasn’t harbored ill thoughts about a coworker? There was only one problem with that scenario, the reason Maggie’s own actions made her a suspect.

The story itself would have benefited if the author had exercised some restraint with Maggie’s character. Instead, the frequent use of flashbacks and critical thoughts slowed the pace. Dialing back these thoughts would have made Maggie less judgmental of herself and others, and moved the story faster.

There were several twists in the story. The one I enjoyed most centered on Maggie’s husband, not the murder. It came two-thirds of the way into the story, and it was both well-timed and well-delivered. I also thoroughly enjoyed the use of the travel brochure snippets at the beginning of each chapter. These snippets set up the scene in a clever way.

With good dialogue and excellent descriptions of Italian art, architecture, and food, Murder in the Piazza is a virtual trip to Rome. For those who like to travel virtually and want a sprinkling of murder, this could be a winner.

FTC Full Disclosure: The publisher provided a review copy of this book.

Learn more about Jen Collins Moore at www.jennifercollinsmoore.com.