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Murder in an Italian Village #1
Death in Aramezzo
Small villages keep big secrets.
Chef Stella Buchanan, rising star in the Manhattan restaurant scene, suddenly finds herself blackballed, without a job or any prospects. She retreats to Aramezzo, her family’s ancestral village in Italy. Her plan: sell the abandoned bed-and-breakfast and use the money to start over.
Her mother never had a nice word about the quaint Umbrian town, so Stella is resistant to the warm welcome of the locals: a quippy trash collector, an eccentric bookstore owner, a burly cop with a penchant for historical romances, an antiquarian who spins fantastical yarns, and a former race car enthusiast who now drives a porchetta van.
Plus, to Stella’s chagrin, the property comes with a belligerent cat.
Then her first guest dies under puzzling circumstances, and suddenly, Stella—a stranger in a small town—comes under scrutiny.
She must sniff out new clues and develop a theory of the murder, as she would a recipe in her kitchen. Searching through ancient cobblestone alleys and across vineyards full of tangled vines, can Stella discover the bitter truth before the town's buried secrets claim another victim?
Chef Stella Buchanan, rising star in the Manhattan restaurant scene, suddenly finds herself blackballed, without a job or any prospects. She retreats to Aramezzo, her family’s ancestral village in Italy. Her plan: sell the abandoned bed-and-breakfast and use the money to start over.
Her mother never had a nice word about the quaint Umbrian town, so Stella is resistant to the warm welcome of the locals: a quippy trash collector, an eccentric bookstore owner, a burly cop with a penchant for historical romances, an antiquarian who spins fantastical yarns, and a former race car enthusiast who now drives a porchetta van.
Plus, to Stella’s chagrin, the property comes with a belligerent cat.
Then her first guest dies under puzzling circumstances, and suddenly, Stella—a stranger in a small town—comes under scrutiny.
She must sniff out new clues and develop a theory of the murder, as she would a recipe in her kitchen. Searching through ancient cobblestone alleys and across vineyards full of tangled vines, can Stella discover the bitter truth before the town's buried secrets claim another victim?
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 28, 2022
About the author
Michelle Damiani
20 books39 followersMichelle Damiani is a freelance writer, clinical psychologist, and food lover currently living in Charlottesville, VA. Her heart, however, is in Spello, Italy, where she and her family spent a year growing accustomed to being fish out of water, grappling with the hardships of parenting on foreign soil, and ultimately cleaving into the soul of Italian village life. Before that year abroad, Michelle wrote short fiction--one of her stories was recently awarded first place in the Hook Short Fiction contest, juried by author John Grisham. While in Italy, she used the time that her children were in Italian public schools to write a blog about their experiences. The blog, Il Bel Centro, was awarded the bronze award for best Italian blog by Expatsblog. Once back in Charlottesville, she transformed the blog into a book, Il Bel Centro: a Year in the Beautiful Center, now available in print and e-book. Missing her village, she began writing a 4 part novel series set in italy. Three of the books, "Santa Lucia", "The Silent Madonna", and "The Stillness of Swallows" have been published. In addition, Michelle accumulated the collective wisdom of traveling families into a comprehensive guide called, "The Road Taken: How to Dream, Plan, and Live Your Family Adventure Abroad." When not planning her upcoming trip around the world, you can find her at www.michelledamiani.com.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 10, 2023
Murder, mystery, an Italian village and delightful characters are what makes me love this book. Michelle Damiani’s descriptions of the fictional village of Aramezzo and its villagers makes me want to pack my bags, go there and become friends with them all. I can’t wait for Book 2 in this series.
June 11, 2022
A Culinary Mystery
And not in all the ways you expect. Stella is so humanly imperfect that she charms you at every turn. Her impulsive mind races with possibilities as quickly as her hands whisk a batter into deliciousness that melts the hearts of the villagers and readers alike. Like Michelle Damiani's other books, this is a story whose setting brings Umbria's sun-soaked piazzas to life.
And not in all the ways you expect. Stella is so humanly imperfect that she charms you at every turn. Her impulsive mind races with possibilities as quickly as her hands whisk a batter into deliciousness that melts the hearts of the villagers and readers alike. Like Michelle Damiani's other books, this is a story whose setting brings Umbria's sun-soaked piazzas to life.
June 9, 2022
Italy, food, wine, mystery, great characters - all of my favourite things. Death in Aramezzo takes a strugglingItalian American chef, puts her back in her mother’s village in Italy, immerses her in small village life, and gets her tangled into a murder mystery. Thoroughly enjoyable.
I received an arc copy of the book in return for an honest review.
I received an arc copy of the book in return for an honest review.
March 11, 2023
Good job, Michelle!
I would read almost anything that takes place in Italy,but this is not a left handed compliment. What I enjoy about Ms Damiani's stories are the characters and the many missteps and misunderstandings they concoct. Yet somehow most of them redeem themselves: someone stands out as stronger, cleverer, more caring. And another shows the true colors of the dark side to become the villain.
I think I suspected the "unsuspecting" villain in this installment pretty early on, but to Damiani's credit she wove the mystery with very subtle hints and pretty decent detractors to throw us off. Add to the plot and the people, the town becomes another character. Hill towns have a personality born of their original foundation, their particular architecture (no they aren't all the same), and a kind of communal personality. There is ancestral history good and not so good, as well as generational back stories. All these elements draw you in to invest us in the actions of those characters.
I was just a bit frustrated at our protagonist, even inasmuch as I understood her impatient, jump to conclusions, very forward personality. It's a pet peeve of my own with regard to things Italian that people don't take the time to pick up on or to learn certain Italian everyday customs and assume our own. And yet why wouldnt we? Here i believe Ms Damiani is trying to help us out so we learn something! The one thing missing for me is the protagonist, Stella's, full backstory - actually her mother's. What happened to turn her so vehemently away from Aramezzo? I hope to learn more in book 2!
I have read the full Santa Lucia series and Il Bel Centro along with this first Murder in an Italian Village episode. These are warm, inviting stories. Even the murder mystery doesn't provoke angst like more violent suspense stories do as much as it provides a good puzzle to solve. So armchair yourself to Umbria and start your journey.
I would read almost anything that takes place in Italy,but this is not a left handed compliment. What I enjoy about Ms Damiani's stories are the characters and the many missteps and misunderstandings they concoct. Yet somehow most of them redeem themselves: someone stands out as stronger, cleverer, more caring. And another shows the true colors of the dark side to become the villain.
I think I suspected the "unsuspecting" villain in this installment pretty early on, but to Damiani's credit she wove the mystery with very subtle hints and pretty decent detractors to throw us off. Add to the plot and the people, the town becomes another character. Hill towns have a personality born of their original foundation, their particular architecture (no they aren't all the same), and a kind of communal personality. There is ancestral history good and not so good, as well as generational back stories. All these elements draw you in to invest us in the actions of those characters.
I was just a bit frustrated at our protagonist, even inasmuch as I understood her impatient, jump to conclusions, very forward personality. It's a pet peeve of my own with regard to things Italian that people don't take the time to pick up on or to learn certain Italian everyday customs and assume our own. And yet why wouldnt we? Here i believe Ms Damiani is trying to help us out so we learn something! The one thing missing for me is the protagonist, Stella's, full backstory - actually her mother's. What happened to turn her so vehemently away from Aramezzo? I hope to learn more in book 2!
I have read the full Santa Lucia series and Il Bel Centro along with this first Murder in an Italian Village episode. These are warm, inviting stories. Even the murder mystery doesn't provoke angst like more violent suspense stories do as much as it provides a good puzzle to solve. So armchair yourself to Umbria and start your journey.
November 28, 2022
I enjoyed the Santa Lucia series by this author so much I decided to read another of her books. What a disappointment! If I had read this book first I would never have read the Santa Lucia series as this book was truly awful and amazed this was by the same person. The whole story is ridiculous and the main character unbelievably stupid and annoying. The writing is just silly and I nearly stopped reading several times as I found the book so irritatingly stupid. I have now taken this author off my list of favorite writers - such a disappointment.
February 20, 2023
So much fun going back to Aramezzo and checking in with all the funny, quirky and mysterious people who live in the village. You can read it as a stand alone but I love the progression of relationships and finding out people's secrets. A good storyline with a twist I didn't see coming. Very enjoyable read, look forward to more!
October 27, 2023
I loved this book. Michelle has a nice way of bringing characters to life. The way she builds the story around a village in Italy, I can totally picture it having been there so many times. I can't wait to read book 2
June 7, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one.
July 19, 2022
This was a fun, easy read that made me feel like I was in a hill town in Italy. The mystery was satisfying and the rest of the story was just a nice, easy vacation-style read.
May 16, 2023
This was such a good book. It was a very cozy mystery with incredible descriptions of Aramezzo, the people and the food. I loved it and can't wait for the next one.
November 12, 2024
I am going to bake bye
March 27, 2026
very enjoyable mystery for food and Italy lovers
Looking forward to reading the next one! This was a vacation and a mystery rolled into one…or layered into a lasagna!
Looking forward to reading the next one! This was a vacation and a mystery rolled into one…or layered into a lasagna!
May 30, 2022
🍷🍝🍠Great Italian village atmosphere🌄
A small community, friendly but fading, and an American who arrives to renovate her inherited guesthouse. Friendly villagers but weird undercurrents. It all added up to a good foundation for a cozy murder mystery Italian style.
It took some time to settle in to this murder mystery set in a small hill village in Umbria. There are a good number of characters to keep straight when the lead character arrives in town but after the first 20 percent of the story, and the murder had taken place, I was familiar with the personalities and fully into the story. The setting, food and lifestyle set me dreaming of a sojourn in rural Italy!
A few red herrings helped keep the suspense going until the climax.
I enjoyed it and, if this is the beginning of a new series with this Umbria setting, I will be looking to stay with the series.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
A small community, friendly but fading, and an American who arrives to renovate her inherited guesthouse. Friendly villagers but weird undercurrents. It all added up to a good foundation for a cozy murder mystery Italian style.
It took some time to settle in to this murder mystery set in a small hill village in Umbria. There are a good number of characters to keep straight when the lead character arrives in town but after the first 20 percent of the story, and the murder had taken place, I was familiar with the personalities and fully into the story. The setting, food and lifestyle set me dreaming of a sojourn in rural Italy!
A few red herrings helped keep the suspense going until the climax.
I enjoyed it and, if this is the beginning of a new series with this Umbria setting, I will be looking to stay with the series.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.
May 30, 2022
Death in Aramezzo is a great read. Stella is an intriguing, complex sleuth, and I loved reading about all the different villagers.
The setup is almost cinematic: Stella’s fall from grace in Manhattan and her last chance in Aramezzo to save her career. She doesn’t want to fall in love with the town she has to call home, but it’s delightful to see the journey she takes as Aramezzo chips away at her rough edges. The murder mystery is solid, and the steps Stella takes to solve the crime often had me at the edge of my seat.
I read (and loved) Damiani’s Santa Lucia series, and I felt right at home in this neighboring Umbrian town. I also love mystery, and this ticked all the boxes for a good cozy: great food, mysterious shadowy figures, and a feline companion who I hope we’ll see more of as the series continues. I can hardly wait for the next adventure with Stella in Aramezzo!
The setup is almost cinematic: Stella’s fall from grace in Manhattan and her last chance in Aramezzo to save her career. She doesn’t want to fall in love with the town she has to call home, but it’s delightful to see the journey she takes as Aramezzo chips away at her rough edges. The murder mystery is solid, and the steps Stella takes to solve the crime often had me at the edge of my seat.
I read (and loved) Damiani’s Santa Lucia series, and I felt right at home in this neighboring Umbrian town. I also love mystery, and this ticked all the boxes for a good cozy: great food, mysterious shadowy figures, and a feline companion who I hope we’ll see more of as the series continues. I can hardly wait for the next adventure with Stella in Aramezzo!
May 31, 2022
Michelle never disappoints! As an avid reader of all of her books, I was delighted to become an “advance reader” of Death in Aramezzo and read the first in her series of Umbrian mysteries. Quickly the reader becomes enmeshed with the characters in this small village, their comings and goings and the mystery that unfolds. The vivid descriptions of the surrounding countryside, the tempting foods and the quirky cat all help to paint the picture of this wonderful locale. Other than actually being in Italy, this story is the next best thing, and I look forward to the upcoming books in the series. Brava, Michelle!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews