‘Murder At Vigna D’Oro by Camilla Trinchieri

Published by Allison & Busby,
19 March 2026.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-3358-3 (PB)
Originally Published as
The Bitter Taste of Murder 2021

In Murder at Vigno D’oro we are back in Gravigna, a small, wine-producing, medieval town in the Chianti Hills of Tuscany. Nico Doyle, ex NYPD detective, and his seemingly psychic, four-legged friend OneWag, are now well settled members of the community with Nico routinely helping out at the Trattoria run by his late wife’s sister Tilde and her husband Enzo.  All is peaceful until several people hear Nico’s landlord, Aldo, threatening to kill Michele Manetti a prestigious wine critic.  Then trouble descends on the town. 

When Manetti dies after being poisoned and driving his car down a cliff, Aldo becomes the prime suspect. Delle Langhe, the superior officer at provincial police headquarters insists that Aldo is arrested and taken to the cells in Florence. The discovery that Manetti had an affair with Aldo’s wife, Cinzia, and that she had been his one and only great love, did nothing to help Aldo’s case. Neither Nico, nor the local police, Salvatore Perillo and his sensitive, young assistant Daniel are convinced of Aldo’s guilt.  The three of them start looking for other suspects of whom there are plenty. To start with there is the dead man’s ex-wife Diane. She will inherit all Manetti’s money and property. Then there is Manetti’s young, drug-taking and very beautiful girlfriend, Loredana whom he has just rejected. Also in the queue is Peppino, the old caretaker, whose entire life and love has been expended on looking after Manetti’s house and garden. He was heartbroken when Manetti cast him out on the streets. Then there is one local grower, Verdini, and two other vine growers who all owe money to Manetti. 

Investigations take place against the background buzz of a small town where everybody knows everyone else and everybody else’s business.  Information and banter are exchanged over breakfast, lunch and evening meals at which delicious recipes are often revealed. The young constable Daniel has a sensitive soul and is convinced that somebody as beautiful as Loredana could not murder anyone. He is very upset when she is eventually murdered. On the lighter side, romance is blooming very slowly between Daniel and Stella – Nico’s niece and Enzo and Tilde’s daughter. Nico is struggling to overcome feelings of disloyalty to his forma wife, Rita, over the awakening feelings he has for the kind and generous artist Nelli.  It’s a pity that OneWag, the small dog who has adopted Nico/been adopted by Nico, can’t talk.  Generally speaking, he seems to have a very sensible head on his shoulders. All in all, this is an absolutely charming book of many varied parts.  Whilst Murder at Vigno D’Ora is part of a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Once you have read one book though, you will likely be drawn to the others.
 ---------

Reviewer: Angela Crowther 

Camilla Trichieri  was born in Prague to an Italian diplomat father and an American mother. Camilla came to the U.S. when she was twelve and returned to Italy after she graduated from Barnard College. In Rome she worked in the movie industry as a dubbing producerdirector with Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Lina Wertmüller and many others. She came back to New York City in 1980, married, received an MFA from the Columbia's Graduate Writing program and became an American citizen. Under the pseudonym Camilla Crespi, she has published seven novels in “The Trouble With” mystery series, featuring Simona Griffo, a nosy Italian immigrant who loves to cook. The Breakfast Club Murder, featuring caterer Lori Corvino, was published in February, 2014. As Camilla Trinchieri, her own name, The Price of Silence was published by Soho Press in 2007. Seeking Alice, a fictionalized account of her mother’s life in Europe during WWII, was published by SUNY Press in 2016. Both have been translated and published in Italy. She followed with a Tuscan mystery series featuring Nico Doyle a New York ex-homicide detective and Maresciallo dei Carabinieri Salvatore Perillo. Soho Press published Murder in Chianti in 2020. There are six books in the series.

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.