Murder Under the Tuscan Sun: A gripping classic suspense novel in the tradition of Agatha Christie set in a remote Tuscan castle

Product Information

At first the Castello di Roccia Nera is everything Constance hoped for, with its beautiful surroundings and interesting inhabitants. This is an immersive and quite brooding book with a cast of characters most of whom have a dark side. When she notices an advertisement for an ‘invalid’s companion’ in an English household near Florence, she applies ‘on a whim’. She keeps having a see-saw of highs and lows with regard to how she feels about everything around her. As time passes you start to wonder whether events are real or if your mind is just playing tricks on you.

Delighted if you have guessed correctly as to what is going on but equally satisfied when the wool has been pulled over your eyes.Written as a first person narrative, the story is told by Constance Bowen, a woman whose husband has recently died. Murder Under The Tuscan Sun is an atmospheric mystery set in 1920s Tuscany that keeps you guessing right to the end. Whereas my psychological thrillers tend to be domestic based and therefore quite insular and claustrophobic, Rachel Rhys was free to explore the world, escaping from the monotony of everyday life to sip cocktails on hotel terraces in 1940s Antibes, or sun herself on white sand beaches in 1950s pre-revolution Cuba. It’s a slow read, in a way mimicking the lifestyle of the Tuscan hills where life is unhurried and travels at its natural pace, where time is taken to observe and experience what is happening around you. Rachel Rhys takes us to an isolated castle in 1920s Tuscany for a brilliant and Du Maurier-esque tale of dark secrets, rising menace and the importance of taking a leap of faith.

Connie leaves London after the death of her husband to become a nurse/companion to William North, but it soon becomes clear he doesn't want her there. To Constance’s surprise she is offered the role and plucking up her courage, she determines a change will be good for her and accepts.The Italian sunshine and countryside are both beautiful but the intense heat can also be oppressive and add to the dark atmosphere in the castle.

was fascinating to watch her relationship with the inhabitants of the castle grow, particularly with William and his niece, Nora. Evelyn’s eight-year-old daughter Nora from her first marriage is a stick-thin child with a crooked nose. This was an enjoyable and compelling read with some interesting characters giving the reader a lot to ponder when thinking about motivation. Consance is looking to spread her wings after the death of her husband and daughter but instead of flourishing under the Tuscan sun she seems to loose sight of herself, hearing noises, seeing things and starts to question her own sanity. She feels the sadness within the castle especially with Nora who comes across as a strange child who is more or left to her own devices whilst her mother flits around the city with her new husband.I don't think anyone would be disappointed, but it's best to come to the book without preconceptions of genre and be pleasantly surprised. It’s 1927 and Fascism is on the rise in the beautiful country that Connie comes to love – and even present in the castle in the form of the handsome young Roberto who is married to Evelyn, William’s niece. Historical fiction is something I’ve only fairly recently started enjoying and this was a good one as I found myself drawn into the plot chapter by chapter. Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is a suspenseful, perceptive and haunting read – historical fiction at its absolute finest. Much to her son James’s annoyance her application is successful and she accepts the position, quickly setting off for Italy, arriving at an old castle and meeting Evelyn and Roberto, her new employers.