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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The cast of characters and their back stories was fascinating, seeing them develop and change like the seasons in the book had me questioning who they really were. Well written with deep, interesting characters and a complex plot and parties: and the parties thrown by the Manettis are so weird! Without giving away too much of the plot – a plot I thought was cleverly managed and one that kept me reading avidly – I think it’s worth noting that the novel’s title isn’t the most enlightening. I was immediately drawn into the atmospheric description of the castle, with its crumbling stone dragons, left devastated after occupation by German soldiers. Rhys creates a vivid set of characters in and around this castle with some pretty loathsome characters, some pretty gruesome expat behaviour and a decidedly off kilter existence that overshadows everything that happens in this Tuscan idyll.

She decides, against the wishes of her son James, to take up the post of caring for a man in Florence who has suffered a cerebral haemorrhage. She has been on her own for a year although the reader gets glimpses that perhaps she was not always happy in her marriage and sad and grieving though she may be you sense there is a small element of freedom surrounding her. I am not usually a reader of historical fiction, but every now and again, a location, a description, a setting or a historical event takes my fancy. A huge thank you Random Things Tours, Penguin Random House and Penguin UK Books for my proof copy and place on the Book Tour.

It is also easy to see where the story was headed, although the writing makes one rethink the certainties.

So when the position of companion to an invalid English gentleman living in a castle in Tuscany is advertised, she jumps at the chance of adventure. Whilst life at the castle at first seems quite glamorous and tranquil, with the characters enjoying la dolce vita after the War, Rachel Rhys soon starts to slowly drop in points of darkness that build up so there is an undercurrent of suspense and suspicion; no one is really who they seem, like an old painting as the varnish erodes the truth is revealed. So much so that you begin to question Constance’s reliability as a narrator when she cannot seem to remember whether she has been following instructions as they were given or not. I knew that Rhys was excellent at writing complex and interesting characters plus simmering tension, but ‘Murder under the Tuscan Sun’ proved to be even more nuanced, compelling and moving than I’d hoped. Connie starts to feels as if the walls are closing in on her and that she is not the right person for the job.Meeting her charge, William is another surprise, for although he has had a cerebral haemorrhage which has affected both his speech and his movement, North is rather younger than she had anticipated. Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is a marvelous mystery with a touch of malevolence and totally magnificent. 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. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I will definitely be looking out the authors other books as the writing in this one was superb. The friendship of his charming niece Evelyn is unreliable, and Evelyn’s handsome husband Roberto is an unsettling influence.