Murder in Pitigliano

Tuscan Mystery #5

by Camilla Trinchieri

Ex-NYPD detective Nico Doyle finds himself unwittingly stepping into the role of a PI to investigate a murder that has torn a young family apart in this rustic mystery set in the beautiful Medieval village of Pitigliano, Italy.

One morning at his favorite café, Nico Doyle notices Cilia, a seven-year-old girl he has never seen before, frolicking with his dog on the floor. He later discovers she has left a note in his collar—Please help my babbo.

With help from the local carabinieri, Nico discovers that Cilia’s father, Saverio, has fled town following an unfortunate incident. His business partner was killed at their electronics store, and Saverio is the hot-headed local carabiniere’s main suspect. Cilia’s mother, Livia, who just moved to Gravigna to get away from Pitigliano’s wagging tongues, asks Nico to find the real killer and hands him a long list of suspects. Against his better judgment, Nico accepts for Cilia’s sake. Since the case is outside of the local carabinieri’s jurisdiction, Nico finds himself on his own as he travels back and forth to Pitigliano. He goes down Livia’s list of suspects one by one in pursuit of the truth, putting his skills as a retired NYPD detective to work. But will Livia and her little girl be happy with what Nico finds?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Italy, Mystery Thriller

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2025

About the author

aka Camilla T Crespi, Trella Crespi.

Camilla Trinchieri was born in Prague to an Italian diplomat father and American mother and came to the United States at age twelve. After graduating from Barnard College, she moved to Italy. She returned to New York City in 1980 and earned an MFA in writing from Columbia University. As Trella Crespi and Camilla Crespi she has published seven mystery novels.

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy reading about small town mysteries and if the setting is in a nice place with good food and beverages what could be better. Murder in Pitigliano by Camilla Trinchieri has all that and more. Once agin we get to follow Nico Doyle ex homicide detective from New York who has moved to Italy. The setting and characters are wonderful and at least I, get a little hungry reading about his adventures in this small community of Gravigna. I can really recommend this one that will be available in stores July 1st. Thanks to Soho Crimes and Edelweiss for letting me read this advance copy.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a successful outing. As others have noted, a slog. Too many characters mean it sprawls in several directions and we spend too much time on repeated commutes to the crime site. Nico and Perillo are absorbed in immature and insecure behavior that is an extreme version of their previous characters. The cooking scenes are feeling formulaic. I recommend a return to Nico and Perillo’s joint investigations, because the charm of the series comes from their friendly competition.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look forward to each book in this series. The storyline was a good one; however, I thought that the author just dragged the interviews of all the people out to the point I was losing interest. Days spent going back and forth to Pitigliano - approximately driving a 6-hour round trip several days in a row. And the interview of one person took in some cases less then 5 minutes. Some interviews could’ve been done on the phone. I guess I was fixated on this. Nico took a case that a 7-year old girl asked him to take. Her father was accused of murdering his business partner. Her father was in hiding and Nico was hired to find the killer - which he eventually did in the last 5 pages of a lengthy book. I felt the author rushed the ending. I would’ve thought that the towns people that were all involved in this investigation with Nico would at least have been able to meet the father of the little girl at the end. I like the characters in the town and hope the next book isn’t so dragged out nor the ending so rushed.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder in Pitigliano is the fifth book in a wonderful mystery series set in Tuscany, Italy. I highly recommend this series! Published by Soho Crime, Murder in Pitigliano came out on July 1 and I was lucky to snag a copy from my library quickly.

Nico Doyle is a former NYPD detective, a widower who moved to his wife’s hometown in Italy after her death. He has become a local, helping in the kitchen at his wife’s family restaurant and helping solve a crime here and there. I’ve fallen in love with all the series regulars; by now it’s like revisiting with old friends. Plus the food descriptions will make you hungry!

[Booknblues · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm afraid that I have made the mistake of reading this series too close together because Murder in Pitigliano, Camila Trinchieri's fifth Nico Doyle book, did not hold quite the charm as the others did.

I found myself just a bit annoyed by some of Trinchieri's habits in writing. I really do not need to know everything, every character is wearing all the time. It makes me stop and think, "Do these even look good?" Sometimes my conclusion is no.

In this one Nico goes off on his own to solve a murder in Pitigliano, so I missed his camaraderie with his police buddies.

I did however enjoy finding out about the ancient Tuscan town of Pitigliano and Trinchieri's continued description of Tuscan food. She kindly left a recipe at the end for Penne Alla Nico. She also included a list of characters, which is always helpful in a book.

Please enjoy this book, just wait enough time between the books in the series that it doesn't get tiresome. I will be forced to wait now because this is the last published and I dearly hope there are more to come.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really a 3 1/2 for me. I read all the other books and I was just disappointed this just dragged on. It’s turning more into a soap opera than a mystery. The mystery wasn’t very interesting and that has not been true in the past, Nico spent most of his time driving back-and-forth to the place his clients used to live. And lot of dinners and he has problems with his girlfriend, the police chief of his town is hardly in it so I wasn’t very happy. ☹️

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again, a silly plot but I enjoy the Italian setting and the food descriptions.

[Jandblock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe not as good as some of the others but still a fun read and an interesting crime to be solved.

[Homerun2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This series features a former NY homicide detective, Nico, who has moved to a small town in Italy to be near his late wife's family. He has carved out a life here, helping out at the restaurant owned by her relatives. He has made friendships with the local police and businesspeople, and even has a love interest, artist Nelli.

Nico and his dog Rocco (and personally I think there's a bit too much about Rocco) get a message from a young girl who has recently moved to town with her mother. Her father is on the lam after becoming a suspect in his business partner's murder and she asks for help in clearing him and solving the murder so he can come home.

The strengths of this series are the Italian setting and the lovely food and meal preparation descriptions. Nico's journey to make friends, not easy for a former cop in a new and unfamiliar setting, and his basic humanity make him an appealing character.

I have enjoyed the series and the mystery in this one was well done. I found there were a few too many characters for my taste and it was all a bit confusing. And Nico's occasional cluelessness when dealing with his independent and strong girlfriend were occasionally annoying. He came across as needy.

But all in all a pleasant read with a great setting and some characters you can root for. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[barryid · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you read in Kindle, you do not get page numbers, you get percentage of the book. At the 58% mark, Nico says, "It gets boring after a while." Yes it does and it got boring for me well before the 58% mark. I don't know what you do when you are bored, I look for nitpicks. Like Nico's past. Tied up in Boston, made detective through the finagling of his father and uncle (unmentioned here) but, instead, he is a New York veteran detective? Complete with a NY Giant t-shirt and a Yankee sweatshirt? No real Boston Irishman is going to wear a Yankee sweatshirt, Not ever. Too many inconsequential characters -- Gustavo and his bench mates, the new chef at the hotel, Laura herself, even poor Dante-quoting Gogol. Several absent characters who might have joined and then been inconsequential like the acting prosecutor/judge. Too much slogging from character to character without any consequence. An unbalance between food and mystery. A surfeit of food, an absence of mystery development. Usually, in a series, you cannot wait for the next one. I can wait quite a while for the next one.

[Willa Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Camilla Trinchieri’s excellent fifth Tuscan mystery, Murder in Pitigliano, Nico Doyle, the NYP detective who has retired to Gravigna Italy after the death of his wife, Rita, is surreptitiously given a note by an eight-year-old Cilia, whom he has never seen before. She asks him to help her father.
Nico, who has worked with the local carabinieri and Maresciallo Perillo, on other cases, is driven to help Cilia, feeling that a child who needs help should get it. Only this time, Nico is out of the jurisdiction of his local officers because a murder, as he finds out, happened in Pitigliano, about two hours from Gravigna. Cilia’s father, Saverio Bianconi, has gone into hiding because he is assumed to be guilty of the murder of his partner and friend from boyhood, Giancarlo Lenzi. Doyle unearths the truth of what happened as he talks to and interrogates friends, former friends and lovers and neighbors of the victim and the alleged murderer.
As in the other Tuscan mysteries, the landscape is as much a character as the people. Trinchieri has an amazing sense of place and her characters are for the most part endearing and quirky, a supportive family of sorts to Nico Doyle who is ready to move past grieving for his wife and ready for a commitment to Nellie, his painter girlfriend.
After reading Murder in Pitigliano, I was ready to travel to Tuscany, explore the town of Pitigliano, known as little Jerusalem, relish the atmosphere and indulge my appetites for the most delicious food and wine that were so beautifully described. Trinchieri is an inventive mystery writer and a perfect ambassador for Italy.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nico Doyle is a retired NYC detective living in Italy. He is involved in the murder investigation of the father of a 7 year old girl. The investigation points to many people as too many people were not fans of the deceased.

The mystery is filled with laughs, and food--many theories were discussed over food.
Italian expressions were sprinkled throughout the novel. In the ebook , I had to wait to the end to confirm what I read. Local cuisine too was sprinkled throughout with only one recipe listed at the end. (Disappointing)

The imagery of the Tuscan town was vibrant as well as the clothing of many of the characters.
All in all a good read. (4.0)

[Teresa Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the series. But I was disappointed in this installment. While a good read, it didn’t have the staying power of the others. The basis of this book series is in the relationships that Nico establishes within Italy and those were on the back burner this time. There were also too many characters to keep track of. I’m glad there was a listing in the front of the book, but it was very confusing as you were reading. My hope is in the next installment those local relationships well once again take center stage.

[Julie Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a sweepstakes. I read an advance uncopyedited edition.

A very well written story of an American retired detective asked to solve a murder in an ancient town in Tuscany. Having visited the area in the past, the description of the ancient city on a hill brought back fond memories of the countryside. The storyline was interesting, and the people were well described. The mystery of the killer was well hidden through the story telling and made it hard to put the book down.

[Tom Denker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Picked up because I'm a fan of the narrator. He did write well, but this isn't the book for me. I know I missed major plot points by getting distracted while listening, and I had no real desire to go back and relisten.

If you like mysteries that are heavy on the detective's personal life, attention to detail on what people are wearing, and (very good!) descriptions of cooking and food this is likely to be one you like. It was not the book for me.

[Bill Bushman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the longest of the Nico Doyle mysteries, and the pace is similar to previous books. The setting, characters, and plot are very diverse and interesting. The food recipes are detailed enough, one could see trying them. Pitigliano seems like a very worthwhile spot to visit, as well. All in all, a good read, albeit a tad longer than necessary.

[BeParticular · Rating 4 out of 5]

These novels are good escapism reading. The settings are gorgeous. The characters grow on you over time. And the mystery of who the murderer is always keeps me guessing right up to the reveal. Plus the lavish descriptions of food makes me want to focus my meals on using quality fresh ingredients cooked simply.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved wags the dog in the book and the italian words throughout a mystery murder book which kept me reading loved the characters involved loved the cover and the italian village names
thanks net gallery need to read more books from camilla

[Juliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Tuscany - the people, the food, the area, the wine - so to live vicariously through this book is a 2 star starter for any of the books for me. I enjoyed this story, the information on the Jews of a small town in Italy was a hidden gem in this tale, and overall it was a good read.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A 4 star just because I love all the characters in the series, and I like to follow their lives. However, even though it was a good mystery, it seemed to drag on and on with all Nico's trips to Pitigliano. There needs to be less traveling and more action in Gravigna.

[Mary Warnement · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nico is back and working outside his established network. Trinchieri's series maintains its charm, sense of place, and characters I want to spend time with.

Someday perhaps I'll see Gravigna and Pitigliano.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

For several books now I’ve been letting myself hope that Trinchieri would end the ridiculous farce that is the Nico-Nelli relationship, and spare us from Nico’s incessant whining about such, but that dream seems misguided. As such, I must bid this series addio.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the others in this series. Too many characters, too much time spent driving, too much descriptions of clothes people are wearing and not enough comeraderie with Nico and Perillo.
Also had a different reader so listening wasn't as good as the other books.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time keeping all the characters straight (the reason for the Cast of Characters at the beginning of the book!) but still enjoyed the story. I now have added Pigliano to my list of villages to visit in Tuscany!

[Bill Stiefel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a good read, with lots of twists and turns

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series Is like popcorn for the eyes. Fun to read.

[Liz H · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. Not as good as the rest of the series. A bit of a slog

[Julia Alberino · Rating 4 out of 5]

More twists and turns than an Italian mountain road, but eventually a satisfying conclusion.

[Sans Washington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely love this series! Instantly transports me to Italy and makes me crave Italian food.

[Chris Leuchtenburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nico and the gang, la dolce vita and especially Rocco continue to delight, but the plot plodded. I had to work at reading it until about half-way through.