High in the hills above Florence was the beautiful old Villa Paradiso—rambling, large, of rough stone smothered in vines—home of Barbara Loomis’s late great-aunt, the Contessa Mercedes d’Albiensi. Her imagination stirred by an unexpected bequest, Barbara feels compelled to visit the villa, and there she is warmly greeted by Mrs. Wadley, her great-aunt’s companion, by the handsome Gianni Monteverdi and his small niece Eleanora, by the Principe and Principessa Monteverdi …
But did they really want her there?
Death haunted the villa. First a dog dies, wantonly poisoned. Then Barbara becomes terribly ill. Is it possible that her great-aunt’s death was not an accident? And could it be that someone is trying to murder her, too?
I made it to page 65 before I began skipping around. The book stinks. I had a feeling I would not like it.
I like my books set in America, Canada, and England. I prefer English only, as I don't like trying to figure out what is being said or having one character translate in English what they already said in a different language. There was too much of that here, and the story didn't capture me.