Translated novel set in Tuscany

Submitted: 19th January 2026

An Enigma by the Sea

Destination:

Where are we headed? Why Tuscany no less. But it is winter so I would take a jacket as it might be chilly. there’s also going to be a murder so you might want to bring something wipeable incase you get blood on it 😉

Location map of An Enigma by the Sea

boarding pass new

Location map of An Enigma by the Sea

The book:

The rich are spending the winter in their post holiday homes. But then a couple disappear from a locked one and a body washes ashore….

The location:

Tuscany but it’s in winter. Still the area and weather described in the novel are glorious and come through loud and clear.

The setting

A posh villa! I did not mind spending time here at all. Or on the beach. But when murder is washed up, then I wanted to retreat inside. Turns out a locked villa offers no protection….

Location map of An Enigma by the Sea

enigma by the sea

Location map of An Enigma by the Sea

BookTrail Review

I do love this series. I think this one is high up there with the best of the series. There’s a locked room, a body on the beach and lots of scandal. There’s something very charming about this book in the Agatha Christie-esque nuances but with a clear Italian slant. I felt very much involved with the action and could see the faces of the characters and read their body language, so good was the translation. It’s a book of eccentrics and people I wouldn’t perhaps meet in real life. Everyone is larger than life. Even the old women I met weren’t like those in other books. These meant business – brandishing not brandy but tarot cards. It was good to spend some quality time with Signor Monforti again.