Monday, November 3, 2025

Murder in Venice by T A Williams Book Review

About the Book:


A movie icon, a murky past… and a murder mystery set in the magical city of Venice.

Private investigator Dan Armstrong can’t believe his luck when he’s invited to the luxury villa of none other than Alice Graceland, movie legend and queen of the silver screen. Could this be his big break - a chance to schmooze with stars and pitch his own murder mystery series? He’s already imagining red carpets and a golden Oscar to accompany his faithful canine companion, Oscar the Labrador…

But when he gets there, things start to look far from magical ...

Alice isn’t looking to bankroll Dan’s writing, but instead she wants him to play host at a murder mystery evening with a glamorous (but suspiciously tense) collection of Hollywood royalty. It should be a meeting of old friends - but just how friendly are they? There’s champagne, candlelight, and an increasing number of grudges floating beneath the surface.

As the murder mystery evening takes a sinister turn, Dan and Oscar find themselves navigating more than the city’s canals to find the truth.

My Review:

I think this is the first mystery I have read featuring Dan and Oscar. Oscar is a special canine. He helped solve the mystery here. Party masks did not fool him. Williams' writing style is a pleasure to read. I liked his descriptions of Venice. I felt like I was there with Dan.

This is a good mystery with an unusual pair of sleuths. We get a little insight into the glamorous but power hungry and dangerous world of Hollywood. I liked it and will be watching for Oscar's next sleuthing adventure.

My rating: 4/5 stars.


About the Author:


I've written all sorts: thrillers, historical novels, short stories and now I'm enjoying myself hugely writing romance and whodunnits. Romantic comedies are what we all need from time to time. Life isn’t always very fair. It isn’t always a lot of fun, but when it is, we need to embrace it. Murder mystery is all very well, but it needs to put a smile on your face, so that's why I like to inject some humour. I'm having a lot of fun writing the Armstrong and Oscar cozy mystery series set in sunny Italy. They are all standalone books but if you really want to do it properly, start with the first one in the series, Murder in Tuscany. If my books can whisk you away to gorgeous locations, put a smile on your face and maybe give your heartstrings a tug, then I know I’ve done my job.

Boldwood Books, 232 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)

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