‘Last Testament in Bologna’ by Tom Benjamin

Published by Constable,
2 May 2024.
ISBN 978-1-4087-1557-4 (PB)

Daniel and his father-in-law, head of the Bologna-based family firm of private investigators, are requested to attend the reading of the will of the late Giorgio Chiesa where they discover that the old man has bequeathed up to a third of his inheritance to investigate the death of his youngest son Fabrizio who died in a car crash seven years earlier. Although the cause of death was ruled as an accident, the old man had always been convinced that his son had been murdered. Fabrizio had been an F1 driver, seen as a potential champion, who raced for a team owned by Chiesa’s one time partner who became his arch-rival.

It is not necessary to be a fan of motor racing to enjoy Benjamin’s latest novel in his series following the investigations of Daniel Leicester although I confess, as a keen follower of FI, the background to Last Testament in Bologna with all its high-octane, fierce rivalry, ever-present sense of danger and carnage is one of the many reasons why this is my favourite of his novels so far.

It was a joy to meet up with the characters once again. Daniel’s daughter Rosa is growing up fast and he is faced with all the problems of having to deal with a seventeen-year-old as a single parent at the same time as worrying about his father-in-law’s health. We learn more about the background of Dolores who has always been something of an enigmatic figure within the closeknit agency in the previous novels.

The main reason why I’m aways eager to read a new Benjamin story is the certainty that I’m going to be treated to a pacy complex plot that will keep me turning the page and despite all its many twists and turns will deliver an unexpected yet thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
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Reviewer: Judith Cranswick

Tom Benjamin started off as a reporter covering crime in North London. After a stint on the nationals, he joined Scotland Yard as one of its famous spokesmen. He went on to pursue a career in international aid before emigrating to Italy, where he credits his language skills on the time he spent working as a bouncer on the door of a homeless canteen. A Quiet Death in Italy, the first in a series featuring Bologna-based gumshoe Daniel Leicester, was published in ebook by Little, Brown in November 2019, and in paperback in May 2020. Book Two in the series, The Hunting Season, will be published in November 2020.

Judith Cranswick was born and brought up in Norwich. Apart from writing, Judith’s great passions are travel and history. Both have influenced her two series of mystery novels. Tour Manager, Fiona Mason takes coach parties throughout Europe, and historian Aunt Jessica is the guest lecturer accompanying tour groups visiting more exotic destinations aided by her nephew Harry. Her published novels also include several award-winning standalone psychological thrillers. She wrote her first novel (now languishing in the back of a drawer somewhere) when her two children were toddlers, but there was little time for writing when she returned to her teaching career. Now retired, she is able to indulge her love of writing and has begun a life of crime! ‘Writers are told to write what they know about, but I can assure you, I've never committed a murder. I'm an ex-convent school headmistress for goodness sake!’ 

http://judithcranswick.co.uk/