Italian Rules by Tom Benjamin

 Italian Rules by Tom Benjamin

Italian Rules by Tom Benjamin was published on 4th May 2023 by Constable and is the fourth in the Daniel Leicester mysteries. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

When Hollywood comes to Bologna, La Dolce Vita turns sweet murder...

A famous Hollywood director arrives in Bologna to remake a cult film and the city's renown cinema archive decides to mark the occasion with a screening of the original, only to discover it has disappeared.

After English detective Daniel Leicester follows the trail of Love on a Razorblade to an apparent murder-suicide, he begins to suspect there may be more at stake than missing negatives - could the film contain a clue to one of the city's most enduring mysteries?

Together with a star from the forthcoming remake, Daniel moves from the glamour of Venice Lido to the depths of Bologna's secret tunnel system as a sinister network closes in and he learns some people are ready to kill for the ultimate director's cut.

My Review

Though this is the fourth in the English Investigator Daniel Leicester mysteries it is a good stand alone in its own right, especially for those of you , like me, who had not come across Tom Benjamin before. Though I initially found some aspects of the story difficult to follow - possibly because I am not a cinephile - once I had got the characters and some of their relationships sorted out I read the book in a couple of sittings and was enthralled.

For me I loved the settings of Bologna and the Venice lido, especially the underground tunnels and secret passageways , and felt immersed in the Italian cultures of both places with the different elements they brought to the book. The setting of the film industry, both past and present, added a touch of glamour to the story which, for me gives another layer to the story and I loved the fact that Daniel found himself on the red carpet with Anna.

For me this is a breath of fresh air to mystery writing. The storyline is completely different to any I have read before and I , for one, will definitely be going back to read the first three books in the series.

This is a very definite 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 read and one I will put aside to read again.

About the Author

Tom Benjamin grew up in the suburbs of north London and began his working life as a journalist before becoming a spokesman for Scotland Yard.
He later moved into public health, where he developed Britain's first national campaign against alcohol abuse, Know Your Limits, and led drugs awareness programme FRANK.
He now lives in Bologna.

Find Tom on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook at tombenjaminsays