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N. N. Light
Jan 31, 20223 min read

5+ stars for The Case of the Missing Botticelli by @MarilynBaron #cozymystery #italy #bookreview



Title: The Case of the Missing Botticelli (A Massimo Domingo Mystery, Book 1)

Author: Marilyn Baron

Genre: Cozy Mystery


Book Blurb:


In this cozy mystery, American art history major Hadley Evans joins an art detective agency in Florence, Italy, working for Massimo Domingo, once a major player, now the Inspector Clouseau of the art world.


Determined to save the flailing agency and prove her worth, Hadley and her sexy carabiniere boyfriend, Luca Ferrari, take on a mysterious client behind her boss's back. While hot on the trail of a missing masterpiece, they discover a hidden cache of stolen Nazi art in a Venetian villa and encounter a dangerous enemy with a link to an evil past.


My Review:


2 cozy mysteries set in the heart of Italy for the price of one!


A missing Botticelli takes Hadley and her boyfriend Luca on a wild chase across Italy to a deadly art theft the world chose to ignore. Hadley is over in Florence, Italy on an exchange program and works for Massimo Domingo, an art detective agency. Her boss used to be prominent in his field but has resorted to a life of leisure. Hadley wants to prove her worth so when a phone call pleading for help arrives, Hadley jumps at the chance and takes the case herself. Partnering with her boyfriend, Luca, they follow every lead and clue. They never expected to wind up in a villa in Venice with a stolen stash of masterpieces taken by the Nazis during World War Two. Can Hadley return the artworks to their rightful owners and show her boss she’s worthy of being more than an errand gopher?


The Case of the Missing Botticelli is a cozy mystery I couldn’t stop reading. Set in Italy, the setting alone captured my imagination. Add in art thefts, dubious gallery owners, unscrupulous forgeries, and a race against time, you’ve got an unputdownable read. The descriptive narration was incredible as Marilyn Baron wrote about Italy and the Italian way of life as one who lived there. It was such a joy to experience Florence through the eyes of Hadley. It transported me to Italy and added such depth to the story. The plot moved at a good pace with a good suspense subplot. I found myself detecting alongside Hadley which added to my enjoyment of the story. The parts with the Nazis stealing masterpieces from the Jewish people were historically accurate and well-described. The Case of the Missing Botticelli is one of the best cozy mysteries I’ve read in a long time, and I look forward to reading more from this series. Marilyn Baron has a bestseller in the making. Highly recommend!


My Rating: 5+ stars


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Author Biography:


Marilyn Baron, a Miami native, writes in a variety of genres from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to paranormal/fantasy and cozy mysteries. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was also The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel, Stumble Stones, and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel, The Alibi. Her latest novel, The Case of The Missing Botticelli is her 28th work of fiction. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, and member of Atlanta Writers Club, Marilyn is past chair of Roswell Reads, a one-city, one-read program and serves on the Atlanta Authors Series Committee. She graduated from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing. To find out more about what Marilyn writes, visit her website at: www.marilynbaron.com/


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Reviewed by: Mrs. N

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