Crime Thriller set in PUGLIA

22nd June 2026

Old Bones in Puglia by Tom Benjamin, crime thriller set in Puglia.

This is no.7 in the Daniel Leicester series, an English investigator working alongside his Italian father-in-law. There is a quick catch up on the characters as the novel opens, so this one can definitely be read as a standalone, but it is really lovely how the scene has been set over the previous books; the stories have hitherto been set mainly in Bologna.

Puglia: “..a wild place characterised by suspicion and superstition and a cacophony of local languages..”

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Daniel is sole carer for his daughter, Rose (now 19 years old). His wife passed away some years ago and now the little family is bowling along the autostrada in the company of Dolores, who is a work colleague. They are on a personal mission to (fictional) Pietrina in Puglia with the Comandante (father-in-law), who needs to visit a relative in hospital, many miles from their base in Bologna (which lies much further North). They are heading for the Gargano area of the region, otherwise known as the spur of Italy’s boot. In the Author’s Note, there is more information about how Tom Benjamin came to depict setting. Interestingly, Puglia is a long Province and is home to the so-called “Fifth Mafia”, and in this story, they are possibly behind a series of mysterious happenings at the local Museo del Paleolitico: artefacts are being squirrelled out of the building, replaced by cheap replicas and, of course, the Comandante is keen to help out, because back in the day, this used to be his patch. There are also strong family connections to this part of Italy.

The plot thickens and dark forces start to manifest, with presumed mafia intervention and a burgeoning sense of folkloric myths that seem innate in the fabric of the region. Then, as Easter celebrations start, Daniel’s family is targeted. There are challenging situations created for the characters, a murder too, all mixed with a good sense of humour, and even a heartening flirtation to lighten to the mood.

The author really catches the sense of locale so well and he mixes real life places with a couple of fictional locations, which works well. It is not an area people generally know so well, therefore it is very interesting to read about the landscape, local traditions and beliefs (some are quite dark), which are brought to life in the capable hands of this author.

Tina for the Tripfiction Team

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