Charmer's Death

Temptation in Florence #2

by Beate Boeker

What do you do when your best customer seduces your beautiful cousin? You try to save the situation, but it becomes a little harder than planned when he's found strangled with a pair of brand new pantyhose that come straight from your own store Temptation - the most luxurious lingerie store in Florence, Italy.

Next, a disturbing diary crops up that lists the former lovers of the dead man, creating chaos in more than one home. Carlina has her hands full with managing her store at its peak season, preparing the Christmas fair, and dodging her mother, who has discovered fortune telling as the next big thing. Her feelings for the attractive Inspector Garini don't help at all as she desperately tries to find the murderer before it's too late.

Charmer's Death is the second mystery in the series Temptation in Florence.
You can read more!
Delayed Death - Temptation in Florence #1
Banker's Death - Temptation in Florence #3

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Italy

Unknown Binding

First published February 2, 2013

About the author

I love books with touches of humor and mischief. It doesn't matter if they're romances or mysteries or biographies - as long as they make me chuckle, count me in.

Here's my official author bio:

Beate Boeker is a USA Today bestselling author with a passion for books that brim over with mischief & humor.

Several of her novels were shortlisted for the Golden Quill Contest, the National Readers' Choice Award, the 'Best Indie Books' contest, and the RONE Award.

By day, Beate is a marketing consultant with a degree in International Business Administration. Widely traveled, she speaks German, English, French, and Italian and lives in the North of Germany together with her husband and daughter.

While 'Boeker' means 'books' in a German dialect, her first name Beate can be translated as ‘Happy’ . . . and with a name that reads ‘Happy Books’, what else can she do but write novels with happy endings?

Contact Beate:
Website
http://www.happybooks.de

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beate-...

Twitter
@BeateBoeker

Reviews

[Carolien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carlina finds herself entangled in another murder that includes her best customer cast as the murder victim and two of her cousins as suspects. Another well-written mystery set in Florence during Christmas time with a wide array of suspects to confuse matters. I am thoroughly enjoying this series.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 ster?

Ik zal dit jaar vast intelligentere boeken lezen, maar dit is er niet een van. Erg herhaaldelijk genoemd dat ze toch echt een sterke en onafhankelijke vrouw is (!!!) en al vrij snel had ik al zo’n vermoeden wie de moordenaar was.

Maar wel gewoon vermakelijk weer en zelfs een paar keer moeten lachen (uien snijden)

[D.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charmer’s Death, Temptation in Florence by Beate Boeker

The minute I stepped inside Caroline’s lingerie store “Temptation,” I was gifted with a fresh setting, a solid story structure, and a smooth mixture of fun, Florence, and retail.

Added to the cleanly presented plot are multi-faceted characters possessing full lives, and completely addictive. Stefano Garini, the officer we all wish would place us in handcuffs, adds a fresh angle to the sleuth/cop pairing with complex moments in the relationship sprinkled with just the right amount of romance.

With the murder so directly related to the protagonist, it was clear why Carlina was involved in discovering the murderer. Even though Stefano ended up solving the case instead of Carlina, she was placed in a tense and life threatening situation which highlighted her audaciousness and smarts. I can’t get enough of Carlina and her fabulous family – you’ll love them, too!

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carlina betreibt ein gut florierendes Dessou Geschäft in Florenz. Seit mehreren Jahren kommt ein wohlhabender Amerikaner in die Stadt. Trevor Accanto ist um diese Jahreszeit ihr bester Kunde. Er kauft teure Unterwäsche und mehr für seine Liebschaften. Jedes Jahr zu Weihnachten sucht er sich für sein Abenteuer eine andere Frau aus. Dieses Mal ausgerechnet AnnaLisa, eine rothaarige Schönheit, sehr jung und Carlinas Cousine. Die ist alles andere als erfreut über diese Verbindung und möchte das Trevor das abbricht. Darauf willigt er nicht ein. Kurz darauf findet man ihn in der Basilika tot auf. Erdrosselt mit einem Nylonstrumpf aus Carlinas Laden.

Viel Arbeit für den ermittelnden Kommissar Garini, der sich auch privat um Carlinas Zuneigung bemüht. Die wiederum hat auch Gefühle für den “Commissario”. Carlina und ihre Familie geraten in Verdacht. Das macht die Sache kompliziert.

Die Geschichte hat mir gut gefallen. Carlina fand ich sehr sympathisch auch ihre Mutter Fabbiola. Im Klappentext wird die Cousine zwar Annalena genannt, aber im Buch AnnaLisa. Am Anfang hatte ich schon gedacht, dass der Pfarrer vielleicht der Täter ist. Das gab ich schnell auf, als Carlina selbst in Gefahr geriet. Bis zum Schluss hatte ich die Person die Trevor Satan nannte und ermordete nicht wirklich auf dem Zettel. Die Autorin hat die Spannung bis kurz vor dem Ende hoch gehalten. Ihr Schreibstil ist flüssig und bei mir kam keine Langeweile auf. Es war mein erstes Buch von ihr und ich hatte unterhaltsame Lesestunden.

Die Covergestaltung mit der Vespa passt ausgezeichnet zur Geschichte. Die farbliche Gestaltung gefällt mir gut.

Ich bedanke mich bei “ VORABLESEN “ für das Buch bei der Verlosung.

[Strickleserl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dieser kurzweilige Weihnachtskrimi beginnt mit Carlina, die in ihrem Florenzer Lingeriegeschäft Temptation einen vertrauten Kunden trifft. Seit Jahren beschenkt dieser reiche Amerikaner seine jeweilige Freundin mit großzügigen Gaben aus Carlinas Geschäft. Er hat jedes Jahr eine andere Urlaubsbekanntschaft. Nicht alle Frauen sind nehmen es hin, dass sie nur für eine bestimmte Dauer seine Freundin sein werden. Ist das der Grund warum er kurz darauf ermordet aufgefunden wird?

Carlina ist nicht nur durch ihr Geschäft in diesem Fall verwickelt. Ob der sympathische Kommissar, für den sie mehr als freundschaftliche Gefühle empfindet, ihr glaubt? Gemeinsam mit ihm begibt sie sich auf das gefährliche Abenteuer den Täter oder die Täterin aufzuspüren.

„Amore Mortale“ ist ein unterhaltsames und spannendes Buch. Carlinas schrullige Familie sorgt dafür auch für eine wohltuende Prise Humor. Die Spannung bleibt bis zum Schluss, und wie bei jedem guten Krimi ist des Rätsels Lösung ganz anders als erwartet.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series. Enough romance but not too much to overshadow the mystery.

[Italo Italophiles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cozy mystery series with light, clean romance is a fun break from daily life. The readers can pretend they are in Florence, Italy, among eccentric characters, many of whom are related to the charming protagonist, and observing a budding romance between two people who are perfect for each other.

Charmer's Death is the second book in the Temptation in Florence Series. The author brings us up to speed on what we should know, without giving too much away, but I would suggest you read the books in order. The first book in the series, Delayed Death, (reviewed on this site) is offered at a special price, so you can try it to see if you like it, before spending money on the rest of the books.

While Carlina's budding romance with Stefano, a homicide detective, is a major interest in the story, it is really Carlina's little shop that is her true love. This is Carlina describing the appeal of Temptation, her tiny lingerie shop that has a prime location in the historic center of Florence.

The author has a lovely way of showing the attraction between the protagonist, Carlina, and Stefano, without resorting to the pornography of so many books today. This is a clean romance, with a fun mystery, set in a beautiful city. The book has had a recent edit, so the text is very clean. The writing is engaging and it keeps the story moving along at a quick pace.

Carlina is a fun character, and her lingerie shop, Temptation, feels so real, I think I will look for it the next time I'm in Florence! Her eccentric family provide light humor for us, and for Stefano, but they also bring worries for the homicide detective. Members of the vast Mantoni clan repeatedly turn up linked to dead bodies!

Charmer's Death is a light, happy read, that takes one out of daily life for a while, and transports one to Florence, Italy, where you have a fly-on-the-wall view of Carlina and Stefano's rocky road to romance.

Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...

[Candace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charmer’s Death picks up a few months after Delayed Death. I liked this aspect for sure because I tend to always think in my head how unrealistic it is that one person runs into so many murders in such a short period of time. I can’t say it’s ever become a negative, but it does run through my head. Having some time pass helps with that. One thing that did pick up where it left off was the romance. Or maybe I should say potential romance, because it really hadn’t had a chance to go anywhere. Because of busy schedules and things that came up they hadn’t been able to see each other much. I liked this because I didn’t want to miss anything!

Carlina is a character I really like. She runs her own business and she does it well. We don’t get much of the boring stuff of running a business but in this book we did see it more as it was the setting for some of the scenes with some action involved. I really liked this because for some reason I’m really drawn to her store. I also like how she always thinks the best of people. She doesn’t get all suspicious of every person and always gives them the benefit of the doubt, always feeling those she knows well certainly couldn’t be responsible for a murder.

The mystery in this book is layered. I loved that aspect! I love that you uncover one thing after another before you ever discover who the true murderer is. So of course I was just sure of several people being the murderer and I was wrong every time! When it was finally revealed I NEVER would have guessed! It was a total shock to me.

I love the setting of Florence Italy, of course. And I also loved all the secondary characters. Carlina’s large and quirky family is always entertaining. I don’t always like them, but they sure are fun to read about!

I can’t wait to read the next book, Banker’s Death.

You can find this review, and others like it, on my blog at http://www.candacesbookblog.com

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, the 2nd book in the Temptation in Florence series, is a quirky & fun mystery that finds the protagonist of the stories, Carlina, embroiled in another murder mystery too close to her home & family. The investigation threatens not only her family but also her tenuous relationship with Inspector Garini who is called in to investigate. I love the family dynamics in this book & the quirky characters. The romantic tension between Carlina & Inspector Garini is an added bonus to this entertaining read.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun mystery! Step into Temptation, a Florence lingerie store owned by Carlina Ashley and you'll want to remain forever--even if her clientele has a body count. This tale of a womanizer who meets his untimely demise at the ends of a pair of unique stockings hits all the right spots. There are plenty of suspects, a plucky heroine, a fabulous hero, and a setting to die for. Wonderful! Come for the mystery, stay for the fun.

[Christopher Everest · Rating 3 out of 5]

cosy romance.... last book read (Literary Fiction) ....needed to read a book about a dysfunctional Italian family.

[Sarah A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun and exciting book in this mystery series set in Florence. Wonderfully humorous writing, story twists galore and some lovely characters.
Thank you Ms B!