Jen Collins Moore

I literally suspected EVERYONE!

Murder in Trastevere is the second book in author Jen Collins Moore’s intriguing Roman Holiday Mystery series, but the first to feature ex-pat mover and shaker Faye Masters in the lead role. In this mystery, Faye becomes a murder suspect when a fairly recent addition to her close-knit group of friends dies during a party thrown in her honor in Faye’s apartment.

Faye Masters proves to be a tough character to love initially. She’s opinionated, completely involved in their group’s dynamics, and controlling. A criticism repeated in the story is that she always has to be right. I can relate and can’t really fault her for this! However, she’s in the middle of a painful divorce, and she’s been hiding assets from her husband, of which he is entitled a portion. It’s dishonest, but darn if I don’t feel like she’s been done completely wrong by that man and deserves it. In fact, she was much kinder to him than I would have been. I would have set those boxes and the golf clubs he left behind out in the piazza for him to retrieve himself.

As the story unfolds, Faye relaxes and lets go of some of her attitudes, especially when her crowd of so-called friends goes MIA. I had a lot of empathy for Faye. She’d been the glue for the ex-pat community for over ten years – the hostess with the mostest – and this is how she was treated? She kept wishing for things to get back to normal so she could return with her friends until she finally stopped and re-evaluated those friendships. I look forward to seeing how she will go on in the future with these people. Finally, I think this is the only cozy mystery character I’ve ever encountered who, upon being targeted for murder, realizes someone thinks she’s so awful that she deserves to die.

Integral to the charm of the story is the fabulous Roman setting. Faye’s excursions throughout the city on her scooter were fun and interesting. I enjoyed her goal of viewing all the locally held Caravaggio paintings. With quotations from the artist’s biography heading each chapter, Faye’s impressions, and images courtesy of Wikipedia, I almost felt like I was along for the ride to the churches and museums. The descriptions of meals and pastries were a to-die-for bonus.

The murder mystery was intriguing and much more intricate than I first thought. As things progressed, there were many possible theories of motives and matching suspects. The evidence pointed to everyone, and I eventually suspected EVERYONE at one point or another. The resolution was a good one, and with Faye re-examining her future with new eyes, I look forward to the next adventure for her, Maggie, Burt, and Thomas.

I recommend MURDER IN TRASTEVERE to cozy mystery readers, especially those who read the previous book in the series or enjoy stories set in Rome.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.… (más)

If you follow my book reviews you know I don’t read a lot of murder mysteries; I have found that they tend to interfere with my sleep patterns. I found that I couldn’t resist this one though due to the location and the fact that it’s a “cozy” mystery which means it’s not going to be full of blood and gore. I love Rome and really enjoyed my trip there and reading this book was almost like a trip back to that wonderful city. I probably should have made myself a big bowl of pasta to eat while reading to recreate my vacation.

This is the author’s first book but I strongly suspect it’s not going to be her last as this one was so well written. The mystery itself is well designed and there are little hints dropped but I still didn’t know whodunit at the end. That’s the best kind of mystery novel if you ask me.

Maggie is a delightful character and she is surrounded by a well rounded group of individuals – well, except for the murderer of course – they don’t remain stagnent but change and grow through the course of the novel. I will look forward to any further adventures of Ms. White as I am sure there will be more to come. Perhaps Paris next?… (más)

One of these days, I'm going to travel to Italy, but until that happens, I have to be satisfied with being an armchair traveler. On that score, Murder on the Piazza, the first Maggie White mystery, delivers a feast. The Rome setting is superb, and I really felt as though I got to know the city. I also appreciate art, so being in the midst of a tour that includes sightseeing in art museums and classes on painting was right up my alley. If only my reaction to the characters and the mystery itself had been as positive.

I found the whodunit aspect of the book to be easily solved. I could say why but don't want to run the risk of spoiling the book for anyone who decides to read it. As for the characters, I wish there had been more actual interaction between Maggie and Lord Philip. Being told how nasty he was in brief snippets here and there doesn't pack as much punch as actually "experiencing" it myself. Let me stand in the room with those two and see the man in action. Moreover, I feel that readers' enjoyment of Murder in the Piazza is probably going to hinge on how they react to the main character, Maggie White, and that's where I had a problem.

I found Maggie to be extremely judgemental, and it really put me off. She reminded me of so many executives I've not had the pleasure of dealing with who would swan into my store with their entourages, take a few seconds to glance here and there, and then proceed to rip everything apart. To them, perception is everything even though we all know how deceiving appearances can be. One thing that I found puzzling about Maggie is that she also seemed to judge people's breath. What's up with that? Does having cigarette smoke on your breath mean you're automatically a villain? This woman is so used to being large and in charge that she thinks she knows how to run everything, and the major reason why she becomes the prime suspect in Lord Philip's murder is that she keeps getting in the police detective's face and telling him useful information that usually implicates herself. If she didn't think she knows better than everyone else, she wouldn't be in such a pickle. This is probably supposed to be funny, but my funny bone was unmoved.

Even though Maggie and I would not get along in real life, I am happy to say that Murder in the Piazza is wrapped up in such a way that I'm almost tempted to read the next book in the series. Will I? I haven't quite made up my mind.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)… (más)