Murder Under the Tuscan Sun: A gripping classic suspense novel in the tradition of Agatha Christie set in a remote Tuscan castle

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uk to find out more about her work, including her latest pyschological suspense title The Wedding Party. Connie lives in Pinner with her adult son , James; grieving the loss of her daughter and recently widowed, she decides to apply for a job in Tuscany caring for invalid, William, who has suffered a cerebral haemorrhage. It had been written by a friend of my mum’s and recounted a voyage she’d taken in 1938 on an ocean liner travelling from London to Sydney, courtesy of the government’s reduced passage scheme aimed at encouraging young working class women to go into service in Australia. The friendship of his charming niece Evelyn is unreliable, and Evelyn’s handsome husband Roberto is an unsettling influence. Although the broad outline of the plot was in evidence fairly early on the story had nuances that kept me engrossed throughout as the story came to a shocking climax.

That’s the view of the selfish, air-head Evelyn, who sees women’s only worth being decorative, forgetting that it takes more than that to be a good ‘companion’ to an intelligent man like William North. Recently widowed Constance Bowen takes the plunge to escape her drab lifestyle in London by taking the job as the carer/companion to William North who has suffered a brain haemorrhage. While the world seems content to pass her by, Constance hasn’t given up yet, and when the chance of an adventure comes her way, she grabs it.

I loved the landscape of Tuscany that Rachel Rhys describes as Connie settles into her new life in William North’s home, and Rachel Rhys captures the grandeur of the time as well. There are beautiful descriptions of the Tuscan countryside and we become involved with the plight of Constance trapped amongst these self-obsessed, privileged and thoughtless people. Recently widowed Constance Bowen is looking for a change and applies for a job as a companion to a stroke victim, William North, in his castle in Tuscany. This particular story did not draw me in, and I was not as invested in the overall outcome as I had hoped to be towards the end. Whilst dealing with his daily needs, his correspondence and reading to him might not seem too appealing, he does live in a castle in Tuscany, which should enrich her time there.

Evelyn is mercurial; at one moment all smiles and happiness, lavishing affection on Constance and at another, questioning everything Constance does. It made me both desperate to get my feet back on Florentine soil and astounded that Rhys wrote this book at home in lockdown rather than sitting in an Italian piazza! As the dynamic of the group shifts over the months of William's illness, Connie is forced to confront the fact that things in the castle aren't as they seem - and in fact are more immediately dangerous than the gathering political storm cloud. Those who have read the book will understand when I say that I also loved Alina’s story, the glamorous parties and the fabulous ending of the novel.The setting was stunning and gave me wanderlust for the beautiful city of Florence, the heat and the architecture. Chapter 1 takes the reader to March 1927 in Pinner, England, where widowed Connie has suffered years of loss and grief. It's a beguiling mix of so many fabulous ingredients - not least the fascinating historical moment, sumptuous travel writing, a strong female lead, buckets of tension and trickery, plus a hint of the supernatural. Opportunity arises when she sees a job posting for a companion to Mr William North, a celebrated art expert and dealer, who has suffered a brain haemorrhage and whose recovery is expected to be slow. It was written with care and attention by a servant girl who travelled from England to Australia on a cruise liner in the late 1930s.

Not as complex as some as I did guess who were the culprits in the end but nonetheless a great read and I am grateful to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read an advance review copy. However her Italian adventure, at first so full of promise, soon leads to danger and she has to use all her inner resources to survive intact. When she arrives, she meets not only William but his niece Evelyn, her fascist husband Roberto and Evelyn’s somewhat neglected daughter Nora. Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is a compelling tale of classic crime with an escapist setting, a 1920s background, and vivid characters trapped in a murder mystery. So beautifully described that you can feel the Tuscan heat on your shoulders and imagine yourself in the castle in which the action takes place.Rather than travelling inwards to mine the darkness of their own psyches, her protagonists set out across the world on jet planes and ocean liners and the famous Train Bleu with its starched white tablecloths and wood panelled couchettes. His niece is flighty and only interested in her fascist husband, neglecting her daughter along the way. The background of Mussolini’s Italy is fascinating and very evocative whilst the Summer sun of Tuscany is both beautiful and oppressive. The number of times she has similar interactions with the people around her, and then she goes and forgets/forgives them, only for them to repeat their behaviour got a little repetitive after a time. We then jump back in time to 1927, and meet Constance, a widow disappointed by her life and grieving the loss of her daughter.

I also loved the relationship between her and her son James as they began to understand each other and regain their closeness. Delighted if you have guessed correctly as to what is going on but equally satisfied when the wool has been pulled over your eyes. Carrying with her a double grief – for her husband, dead a year, and daughter Millie, five years earlier – Constance is wracked with nerves and doubt.I could really sense Nora’s growing attachment to Connie, and I was glad that Connie was there to look out for Nora, whose character really shines in this book.