Cold Tuscan Stone (Rick Montoya Italian Mystery) - Softcover

Wagner, David

3.67

1,326 ratings by Goodreads

9781464201912: Cold Tuscan Stone (Rick Montoya Italian Mystery)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1464201919 ISBN 13: 9781464201912

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2013

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Praise for Cold Tuscan Stone... "Should appeal to fans of Jonathan Gash's Lovejoy novels and Iain Pears' Italy-set art-theft series starring Jonathan Argyll and Flavio di-Stefano." -Booklist Rick Montoya has moved from New Mexico to Rome, to work as a translator. He's still settling in when a school friend, now senior in the Italian Art Squad, recruits him for an under-cover role as a buyer for a Santa Fe gallery. They hope to flush out priceless burial urn traffickers. But before sunset on Rick's first day in Volterra, a gallery employee dies in a brutal fall from a high cliff. Now the local Com-missario suspects him in the dead man's murder. Then Rick's girlfriend Erica arrives from Rome and renews a friendship with an alluring, maybe dangerous, acquaintance. Is Rick now the target of both cops and criminals? David P. Wagner is a retired Foreign Service Officer who spent nine years in Milan and Rome during his career. He lives in New Mexico with his wife. www.davidpwagnerauthor.com

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Review:

"David P. Wagner gives us a compelling new character in a setting so romantic and redolent of history it pulls us in immediately and holds us until the surprising ending.... This is a wonderful start to a series, which should have immediate legs, and surely will thrill everyone who has lived in Italy, been to Italy, or would like to visit. As a boy I lived in both Firenze and Napoli, and reading Wagner takes me back deeply and instantly." - Joseph Heywood, author of The Woods Cop Mysteries, The Snowfly and The Berkut

"If you are interested in Italian art and artifacts, Italian history and culture, Italian food and wine, or even just good storytelling, then Cold Tuscan Stone will be right up your cobblestone alleyway. Set in the ancient Tuscan town of Volterra, David P. Wagner's atmospheric debut novel delivers all of the above and more... Simply put, this exciting, intriguing, well-written mystery extends an offer no reader should refuse. Capiche?" - Amanda Matetsky, author of The Paige Turner Mysteries

"Wagner hits all the right notes in this debut. His likable protagonist engages, plus the Italian angle is always appealing. 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 Review

"The intriguing art milieu, mouthwatering cuisine, and the team of the ironic Conti and the bemused but agile Montoya are bound to attract fans." - Publishers Weekly

About the Author:

David Wagner, a retired Foreign Service Officer, spent nine years in Milan and Rome during his career, and now writes tourist materials about Italy. He earned his BA in English from Michigan State University, served in the Peace Corps in Chile, and taught high school English before entering the diplomatic service. He lives in New Mexico with his wife and their four cats.

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