The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies by Adriana Licio: Review & Giveaway!

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies

 A German Cozy Mystery

(The Homeswappers) by Adriana Licio

About The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery (The Homeswappers)

Cozy Mystery

1st in Series

Publisher: The Hometravellers Press (September 1, 2020)

~180 pAGES

Digital ASIN: B08DD8C46D

A holiday is a time to relax, unwind and see the sights. But for two adventurous sexagenarians, the sights have a tendency to include dead bodies. 

Etta and Dora, both newly retired teachers, travel from their home in Southern Italy to a fairy-tale German town for their first home swap holiday, delighted by their neighbours’ warm welcome. But the welcome turns sour when the Night Watchman of Rothenburg is brutally murdered while his tour group takes photographs nearby, a halberd buried in his chest and a peculiar iron mask by his side.

When the murderer claims a second victim and the son of their hospitable neighbours becomes the number-one suspect, Etta’s analytical mind goes to work. Why was a shame mask left at the scene of each murder? Is there a clandestine trade going on behind the scenes of apparently upstanding local businesses? And why does every lead take her back to the sinister Devil’s Ale pub and the terrifying gang who lurk within?

Meanwhile, Dora has a puzzle of her own – how can she persuade Etta that a loveably disobedient Basset Hound called Napoleon is now a permanent part of their lives?

◆◆◆ Pack your bags, jump into the backseat of Etta and Dora’s old Fiat 500, and join them on their travels around Europe. There’ll be mystery, murder and mayhem aplenty wherever they go. ◆◆◆

About Adriana Licio 

She loves loads of things: traveling, reading, walking, good food, small villages, and home swapping. She runs her family perfumery, and between a dark patchouli and a musky rose, she reads and writes cozy mysteries.

She resisted writing as long as she could. But one day she found an alluring blank page and the words flowed in that weird English she'd learned in Glasgow...

> Get a taste of Adriana's world reading And Then There Were Bones the prequel to her An Italian Village Mystery series, exclusive to the subscribers on her mailing list - https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub

 

Author Links

Free Prequel: https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub

Website: https://adrianalicio.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-licio

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/program

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianalicio.mystery/inbox/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrianalici

My Thoughts

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies by Adriana Licio has Dora and Etta arriving in Rothenburg, Germany for a monthlong stay.  They have swapped homes with the Baumann family.  They take the Night Watchman Tour of Rothenburg that evening which ends with them finding the tour guide murdered.  Dora had bonded with the watchman’s dog, Leon who is distraught at the loss of his master.  Dora insists on taking Leon home over Etta’s objections.  When their neighbor’s son becomes the prime suspect, Dora and Etta work to find the real killer.  The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies is the first full-length novel in The Homeswappers series.  It can be enjoyed without having read the prequel, Castelmezzano, The Witch is Dead.  I thought The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies was well-written with lively, developed characters.  Dora and Etta are retired teachers who get a very small pension.  They share a house and car in Italy which allows them to travel if they participate in homeswapping.  Rothenburg, Germany is their first homeswapping vacation.  Rothenburg is a picturesque village with cobblestones, narrow streets, friendly residents, and charming shops.  I loved the descriptions of the village which made me feel I was there with the ladies.  The story moved along quickly as Dora, Etta, and Leon worked to find the killer.  The mystery had a couple of suspects and good clues to help readers solve the crime.  The instrument used to kill the watchman was unique.  Leon was a great addition.  He is quite the little sleuth.  It was interesting learning about shame masks and the various pastries native to the area.  The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies takes readers abroad to Germany where there is a calculated killer, appetizing pastries, a cute canine, tension among the tour guides, charming Christmas shops, and snoopy senior sleuths. 

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies is available from Amazon. It is available through Kindle Unlimited. The prequel to The Homeswappers is Castelmezzano, The Witch is Dead.  The next two novels in The Homeswappers  are A Wedding and A Funeral in Mecklenburg which will be out November 1 and An Aero Island Christmas Mystery which publishes on December 15.  Adriana Licio is the author of The Italian Village Mystery series. Would you like to win a digital copy of The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies?  Leave me a comment with your email address (so I can contact you if you win) for a chance to win.  I would love it if you follow my blog as well (button on the right at the top).  Contest ends on September 23 at 11:59 p.m. EST.  Good Luck! For more chances to win, visit the other stops on the tour (schedule below). The images I included today are from Rothenburg and the Night Watchman Tour. Thank you for stopping in today.  I will be back tomorrow with The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox.  I hope that you have an lucky day.  Take care, be kind, and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

Tour Participants

September 14 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

September 14 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST

September 14 – Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 15 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 15 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 16 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

September 17 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 17 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW

September 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 18 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Baroness' Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 19 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 20 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 20 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 21 – My Reading  Journeys – REVIEW

September 21 – Here's How It Happened – REVIEW 

September 22 – Reading, Writing & Stitch-Metic – SPOTLIGHT

September 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 23 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW, GUEST POST

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A Mystery Before Christmas by Adriana Licio

Hello!  Adriana Licio lives not far from Maratea, the setting for An Italian Village Mystery series.  Adriana loves to travel, walk, read, explore small villages and savor good food.  Like Agnese in her books, Adriana runs her family perfumery shop.   When not busy, she indulges in cozy mysteries.  Adriana lives with her husband, Giovanni and her dog, Frodo.  You can find out more about the author and her books by visiting her website.  Subscribe to her newsletter and get And Then There Were Bones which is the prequel to An Italian Village Mystery series*.  Readers can follow Adriana Licio on Amazon to get updates when she releases a new story.

A Mystery Before Christmas by Adriana Licio has Anna Giordano and her daughter, Betta stranded in Maratea, Italy because of car trouble.  A kind couple provides them with lodging.  Anna and Betta decide to spend Christmas in Maratea, so Anna gets a job with Agnese Fiorillo at her perfumery.  Mrs. De Blasi comes in one day and is surprised when she sees Betta.  The young girl looks remarkably like her son who passed away years ago in a fire.  Gio notices the unique tune Betta sings that her father taught her and how the carillon Mrs. De Blasi gifts Betta plays the same song.  She decides to do a little digging and get some answers.  The citizens of Maratea are in distress because jewel thefts are occurring around town and the police have no leads.  The local library is having a similar problem with books.  But in this case, the books reappear after a short while.  Gio and the librarian decide to catch the culprit.  Christmas is rapidly approaching and Gio wants to wrap up her the mysteries before the festivities begin.  

A Mystery Before Christmas by Adriana Licio is the third story in An Italian Village Mystery series.  This charming novella has realistic characters who live in a charming Italian village.  Gio Brando is busy finishing up her Scottish travel guide before the holidays.  She is not feeling the Christmas spirit since there are no decorations up in town yet.  The town has a tradition and Gio must wait until the night of the tree lighting.  Gio is kept busy when newcomer Betta Giordano bears a close resemblance to Mrs. De Blasi’s deceased son.  There are a couple of other coincidences that send Gio into sleuthing mode.  Paolo, with the local carabinieri, is dealing with a rash of jewel thefts.  The thieves are clever leaving Paolo with few clues.  When Gio goes looking for a book at the library, it is missing.  The librarian states this has been happening for a month.  They decide to do a stake out to catch the book thief.  With family coming to town for the holidays, Gio wants to wrap up these mysteries before the bickering begins.  I thought A Mystery Before Christmas was well-written and it moved along at merry pace.  The mysteries were well-crafted and intriguing.  They are the type that play out and I could not wait to see how everything turned out in the end.  I liked the message that the best way to repay kindness is to pay it forward.  I loved the author’s vivid word imagery that brought the town, Christmas market, the holiday decorations as well as the characters to life for me.  A Mystery Before Christmas can be read as a standalone if you have not had the opportunity to read Murder on the Road and A Fair Time for Death.  A Mystery Before Christmas is an appealing cozy mystery with jewel thefts right and left, illicit library loans, kindly citizens, wrangling relatives, and a magical Christmas market.  

A Mystery Before Christmas is available through Amazon* along with Murder on the Road and A Fair time For Death (the latter two are available through Kindle Unlimited).  Thank you for visiting today.  I am featuring A Wedding for the Spitfire Girl by Fenella J. Miller tomorrow. I will have an excerpt from the book and there will be a giveaway for an ebook copy.  I hope you have a joyful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!  

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

A Fair Time for Death by Adriana Licio

Welcome!  Fan Mail by Daryl Wood Gerber* is the second An Aspen Adams Novel of Suspense.  It releases on November 12.  Spy by Danielle Steel comes out November 26 along with Paw of the Jungle by Diane Kelly.  I am looking forward to reading all three of them!

A Fair Time for Death by Adriana Licio takes us back to Italy.  It is time for the annual Chestnut Fair in Trecchina which draws numerous visitors to their tiny village.  Vanda Riccardi is helping to organize the massive event.  After final preparations, Vanda heads into the nearby forest to pick up chestnuts for the cakes she needs to make.  She finds a woman dead and that is the last thing she remembers until she awakens in the local hospital.  When Vanda was found, the body was gone.  The local carabinieri do not believe her story and try to get Vanda to retract her statement.  Gio Brando, a local travel writer and amateur sleuth, along with her sister, Agnese believe Vanda and set out to obtain answers. 

A Fair Time for Death by Adriana Licio is the second An Italian Village Mystery.  I enjoyed the authors lovely descriptions of Trecchina, Italy which transported me to the region.  I could just imagine walking through the woods and picking up chestnuts.  I thought A Fair Time for Death was well-written with interesting characters.  The main characters are developed, and I like that we get know the locals.  Gio Brando is busy working on her travel book and she has convinced inspectors from the Travel Writers’ Conference to visit Maratea.  She is hoping they will consider Maratea as the site for the upcoming conference.  Agnese, Gio’s sister, has a couple of unique customers at the perfumery.  I like the clever game Agnese plays with her customers to help them find the right scent.  When their friend, Vanda Riccardi stumbles upon a dead woman who then disappears, the sisters help her get to the truth.  The mystery is intriguing with a variety of suspects.  There are twists and suspense that will keep readers turning the pages.  I recommend reading Murder on the Road before picking up A Fair Time for Death.  It will give you the information you need on the main characters and the town. My favorite phrase from A Fair Time for Death is “I’m positive people will rediscover the joy of good reading.”  A Fair Time for Death is a charming cozy mystery with cooking commotion, a fun fair, puzzling perfume picks, indolent inspectors, and bookstore buzz.

A Fair Time for Death is available on Amazon* (Amazon UK) as well as Murder on the Road.  They are both available through Kindle Unlimited.  The next An Italian Village Mystery is A Mystery Before Christmas which comes out on November 20.  Readers can connect with Adriana Licio on Facebook.  You can also sign up for her newsletter here and visit her website.  Thank you for stopping by today.  I will be sharing my review of Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen.  It is the debut of A Woman of World War II Mystery.  I hope you have a delightful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

*This post contains affiliate links.

Murder on the Road by Adriana Licio

Good Day! Read and Buried by Eva Gates, Christmas Angels by Nancy Naigle and The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron come out on October 15.  Christmas with the Shipyard Girls by Nancy Revell is available on October 24.  It is the seventh book in the delightful The Shipyard Girls series.  I wish publishers would wait to release Christmas themed books in November and December because I want to enjoy spooky Halloween books in September and October.  Does anyone else feel this way?

Murder on the Road by Adriana Licio is the first book in An Italian Village Mystery.  Gio Brando is heading home to Maratea, Italy after breaking off her engagement to her cheating fiancé.  She finds a woman crushed from a boulder inside a car and Gio becomes Maresciallo Mauro Mangiaboschi main suspect.  Gio with help from her sister, Agnese and Briadiere Paolo Rossi sets out to find the real culprit.  I found Murder on the Road to be a refreshing new cozy mystery.  Adriana Licio’s descriptions swept me to sunny Italy.  I found Maratea to be a charming village and I was intrigued by Agnese’s perfumery.  Maratea is a small village where everyone knows your business and information travels faster than maple syrup on hot pancakes.  Of course, small town politics are also at play with a less than stellar police chief and an overbearing investigator.  We get to meet various townspeople, check out the shops and spend time at Agnese’s perfumery (sells all types of cosmetics plus scents).  We get to see Agnese at work and meet some of her clientele.  The mystery has some intriguing elements with my favorite being the unique method of murder.  Suspects are questioned and gossip is obtained to help ascertain the killer’s identity.  There are multiple suspects, a red herring or two and good clues to help readers solve the crime.  I would have liked the whodunit to be more challenging since the guilty party can be identified early in the story.  I kept hoping for a twist to surprise me.  The Italian police have very different titles from our officers in the states.  I enjoyed learning about the Italian justice system.  Murder on the Road is a charming cozy mystery with a quaint Italian village, gossip galore, delectable Italian delicacies, pleasing perfumes, surprising secrets and a travel writer turned sleuth.

Murder on the Road is available at Amazon and can be borrowed through Kindle Unlimited.  To get the prequel And Then There Were Bones by Adriana Licio, visit her website and subscribe (big red button in upper right hand corner). Thank you for dropping in today.  I am reviewing Wherever You Go by Tracie Peterson tomorrow.  It is the second novel in the Brookstone Brides series.   I hope that you have a peaceful day.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader