A novel of melancholy set in RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
Murder mystery set on LAKE GARDA, Italy
10th January 2024
Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle, murder mystery set on Lake Garda, Italy.
Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle is an entertaining murder mystery. It’s quite complex, with a variety of false leads, but for me it lacks something that would make it compelling, and I’d rate it a fun read.
The novel centres on a gathering of well-to-do British and Italian guests at a wedding in a fairy-tale castle on Lake Garda. From the outset relationships are strained between various groups of guests and family members. It becomes clear that several of them have terrible secrets and axes to grind. The couple who are marrying are Laurence Heywood, from a wealthy British family and Eva Bianchi, an attractive Italian social media influencer. Guest Robyn feels a misfit at the wedding. Her partner, Toby Heywood, is the son of the hosts but he has rejected a role in the family business and they blame Robyn for influencing his decision.
The guests participate in various events prior to the day of the wedding, with relationships between them not getting any better. Then there’s a murder. Who might be responsible? Robyn hasn’t met any of her fellow guests before, so we learn about them through her eyes. As far as the families are concerned because Robyn is a stranger that makes her a suspect too. Both Robyn and other guests think they have theories about who had the motive and the opportunity to be the murderer. An additional complication is that among the guests are two unidentified individuals. Are they the true murderers? Now everyone is trapped in the castle on the tiny island and the police haven’t shown up to investigate and prevent any further disaster.
Hindle is wonderfully descriptive and it’s easy to imagine the dramatic setting of the story: the glamour, luxury and sheer beauty of the Italian location are a stark contrast with the horror and tragedy that’s taking place.
The author builds the tension and suggests a number of possible perpetrators among the case of characters. The characters are given detailed back stories, but they are mostly not very likeable, and I found it hard to empathise with them. The denouement wasn’t entirely surprising, though there were a few details that were nicely handled and made the journey worthwhile.
Sue for the TripFiction Team
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