By Rachel Rhys (the pseudonym of psychological thriller writer Tammy Cohen) https://tammycohen.co.uk @MsTamarCohen
Published by Penguin https://www.penguin.co.uk/ @PenguinUKBooks
352 pages 9781529176575
Publication date 30 March 2023
I was sent a pdf review copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and Publisher.
The cover
An attractive cover that captures the isolated castle in the verdant Tuscan countryside.
From the blurb
An isolated castle, a deadly crime. Is this real or a nightmare?
High up in the Tuscan hills in a remote castle, secrets are simmering among its glamorous English residents:
The ailing gentleman art-dealer
His dazzling niece
Her handsome Fascist husband
Their neglected young daughter
The housekeeper who knows everything
and Connie, the English widow working for them.
There is a terrible wailing inside the walls and sinister noises at night.
Is Connie losing her grip on reality? Or does someone in the castle want her gone?
My thoughts
This novel would be an ideal summer read, not one for the beach or around the pool, but rather one to be read in the shade in a lush garden or park with a long cool drink. Its an immersive book, one that is low on action and incident but draws the reader in with intrigue and its setting. It’s a slow read, in a way mimicking the lifestyle of the Tuscan hills where life is unhurried and travels at its natural pace, where time is taken to observe and experience what is happening around you. The prose artfully brings a near tangibleness to the descriptions making them even more convincing. What makes this truly remarkable is that the novel was written during the Covid lockdown but not actually in Tuscany.
The storyline is split, starting with an introduction set in spring 1946, where we are introduced to a castle broken by war and then a continuation in the epilogue. The heart of the novel though is set in the spring and summer of 1927, with Europe still reeling from a war that ended only nine years ago, a Britain that had just the previous year had a general strike and an Italy dividend between those with communist sympathies and a rising Black shirts fascist movement. A world where change is all around which proves central to the plot.
The principal character is Constance Bowen and the story is told from her perspective. In 1927 people were probably not indulged with what we would now regard as a mid-life crisis, this being a time of knuckle down and get on with it. Constance is troubled though and feeling unsettled. Now a widow, her daughter succumbed to tuberculosis and her son increasingly distant she is feeling suffocated in her house in Pinner. She wants new experiences while she still has the time. 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. 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. Ignoring the protestations of her son James she accepts the job and sets out on an adventure.
The first weeks are promising as Constance settles in, is accepted as being valuable to the family by Evelyn (William’s niece) and husband Roberto, and William’s condition starts to improve. However, this idyllic start doesn’t last long though. After a party William starts to deteriorate rapidly, it transpires Roberto is a senior Black shirt and Evelyn increasingly treats daughter Nora with distain. Constance is troubled by night-time disturbances, woken by strange noises she cannot trace, a violin playing and a child crying. This is the start of a downward spiral where Constance begins to doubt her sanity and Evelyn puts her under increasing pressure.
The central portion of the novel builds up the suspense as Constance is wracked with self-doubt but this is interleaved with rich descriptions of life in the Tuscan countryside, together with the opulent and slightly decadent parties of the rich. Elements of the supernatural add to the psychological pressure and in the background, there is a legend of gothic horror which could come straight from straight from Edgar Allan Poe. All the while there is a sense that something is not quite right, that there’s something more happening in the background, not quite tangible but real enough. The unwind to the reveal is rapid and you may get a step or two ahead but there are still surprises in store. Ultimately though, this remains very much an historical drama rather than a true thriller.
Naturally in what is a quite emotional book the themes are strong and clear. Much deals with the need for acceptance, for the individual to embrace who they are but also for their loved ones to accept this. Not to seek or rely on the approval of others but to find you own way on your terms, as beautifully displayed by the emotionally neglected ‘ugly duckling’ daughter Nora. Most of all to live in the moment and generate memories to hold in your heart as well as the mind.
Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is an intense historical mystery, rich in imagery and description. A novel to take your time over.
Murder Under The Tuscan Sun can be purchased direct from the publisher here
The author
Rachel Rhys is the pseudonym of psychological thriller writer Tammy Cohen. Her debut, Dangerous Crossing, was a bestselling Richard and Judy Book Club pick and was followed by A Fatal Inheritance and Island of Secrets. Rachel’s latest novel, Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is once again superb historical suspense crime, this time with an irresistible Italian 1920s setting. She lives in North London, with her three (allegedly) grown up children and her neurotic rescue dog. Visit http://www.tammycohen.co.uk to find out more about her work, including her latest pyschological suspense title The Wedding Party. You can also find her on facebook or twitter as @MsTamarCohen or on Instagram as @tammycohenwriter.
Don’t forget to check out the other reviews on this Blog Tour:
Peter turns the page 