Rhys Bowen writes with vivid imagery, and I was transported to a little village in the Tuscan hills. Her imagery goes beyond sights and sounds to include the tastes and smells of rich Tuscan food (I mean, it’s Italy—writing about the food is almost obligatory), and the interwoven narratives created suspense and mystery that compelled me to keep reading.

The only faults I could find were some unnecessary exclamation marks (one of my pet peeves) and some over-explanation. But overall, this was an engaging read, and I would recommend it to fans of historical and war-time fiction.