New to me author and I found myself transported to Italy.  Engaging characters and a well written mystery pull the reader in and soon they discover that time has slipped away.

I enjoyed this read, as it was simple and easy to move through. The author's depictions and descriptions of Rome were colourful and true to life. I did, however, struggle to connect with some of the plot at times, finding some of the points a little convoluted. I did enjoy it, though.

This was a great start to this series! The setting was fun, and I loved the mystery. I will definitely be continuing with the series.

Twists, interesting characters, smart, a relatable amateur sleuth, and set in Rome. This is the author’s first book and I found it quite enjoyable. I would put it firmly in the category of a cozy mystery series that I will enjoy reading for some time.

This was such a delightfully written mystery novel! I loved every moment of reading Murder in the Piazza, and I'll definitely keep recommending this book to my bookfam. 💖

The cover is gorgeous, and so is the story. I loved reading about Maggie, our main character. She had a very cheerful attitude, which made reading Murder in the Piazza very enjoyable. The setting of Rome was a lovely touch to the entire book. The ambience, atmospheric vibe to the mystery kept me engrossed through and through. I couldn't predict the twists and turns at all, and that made me more captivated as the plot kept revealing different secrets. 

In one word, Murder in the Piazza was "Unputdownable" <3 Reading this book was such a thrilling ride!

I really loved that Maggie was older than most heroines in books. At 55 she is a little closer to my own age which made understanding her a little better. She was downsized from her job so she accompanied her husband to live in Rome for two years. Now, unhappy with playing bridge and cocktail parties she accepts a job with Lord Philip Walpole.

Lord Philip does small group art tours out of his home which sounds so exciting but when he is found dead Maggie and everyone else there becomes prime suspects. After all there are plenty who thought of killing off Lord Philip. He was a rather nasty character that you love to hate and honestly figure he's going to be the victim right away. 

Maggie sets out to figure out what happened and who the killer is. Her investigating takes us to all sorts of places that many will recognize at least the name of. I loved how the twists and turns of this book took me in a different direction than I thought it was heading. While this is a cozy mystery it could easily be just a straight mystery that fans of old world mystery writers will adore.

As a debut novel, I must say I really loved the character portrayal and development. The storytelling is fantastic. The mystery was well-maintained throughout the book. I am looking forward to reading more of Ms Moore's books.
4.5/5

I found the lead character relatable and kind of fun.  The plot itself was a bit simple as I like more complicated mysteries which keep you guessing.  But the author paints a wonderful picture and it is overall an enjoyable book.

Not your typical mystery, definitely!

First of all, I fell for the cover and because I love the mystery genre reinvented or set in an unexpected setting. This book lived up to its expectations on both parts.

Maggie White, the main character is a great character, and I have no doubt that you are going to like her. 

What really captures you is the mood that is created. The atmosphere itself is unique and it completely takes you over. 

It's packed with twists, and you're kept on your toes. It's just absolutely thrilling!

I would recommend it to anyone who loves a mystery, books set in Rome!

Não gostei tanto assim do desenvolvimento da história, mesmo tendo uma premissa que me deixou bastante atenta, faltou emoção para melhorar a leitura.
Diferente de outros romances policiais que li, nesse não fiquei apreensiva e achei que a autora se perdeu um pouco nas descrições, tornando a leitura um pouco cansativa, nada fluida e deixando os acontecimentos um tanto previsíveis e sem muita graça.
É um enredo que tem tudo pra ser muito bom, mas infelizmente a narrativa não rolou pra mim.

“Murder in the Piazza” by Jen Collins Moore

Maggie White and her husband Burt have temporarily relocated to Rome, Italy, for Burt’s job. The timing is great for Maggie, she was recently “downsized” from her own corporate job and is still licking her wounds. After spending time in the company of several other women in Rome’s expat community, Maggie is bored stiff. So she takes a job as assistant to Lord Philip Walpole, the aristocratic founder of Masterpiece Tours, which offers exclusive painting holidays to small groups of wealthy Americans. It only takes a few days for Maggie to realize that, despite the fact that the company is housed in Lord Philip’s 19th century palace on the Piazza Navona and she’s becoming immersed in the charms of the Eternal City, Lord Philip is the worst boss she’s ever had. She wants to quit, but since her husband was against her taking the job in the first place, she decides she has to stick it out.
The current tour group is on the terrace at the palazzo, enjoying fireworks bursting over the Colosseum in honor of “Natale di Roma,” Rome’s birthday, when Maggie realizes Lord Philip isn’t with them. Puzzled by her boss’s absence, she searches for him and discovers he has been shot dead in his office. She calls the police, and when Inspector Orsini arrives, he’s already decided that Lord Philip was killed as part of a robbery. Maggie knows that she’s innocent, but she’s not so sure about the others, especially since several of them disappeared from the terrace for short periods of time during the fireworks.      
Maggie decides to snoop around and discovers several clues about the murder. But when she brings the information to Orsini, he tells her he’s been ordered to close the case. Immediately. 
“Murder in the Piazza” combines a well-constructed plot with a likeable protagonist and captures the flavor and history of the Eternal City. It’s a delightful visit to Rome without a passport!

Reviewed by Susan Santangelo, author of “Politics Can be Murder,” published by Suspense Publishing, an imprint of Suspense Magazine

Maggie White, a middle aged American woman moves to Rome with her husband after being fired from her administrative job.  This book has interesting characters and a terrific setting. However, I found the mystery uninspired. This book was alright but not the best I ever read. Thank you Netgalley for giving me this book and welcoming my opinion

I really enoyed reading this mystery.  I liked the main character Maggie and the cast of characters.  I loved the Rome guidebook included with the chapters.  


I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I don't really know why I read all the way to the end,  this was a pretty facile tale and not particularly well written, but it did have a certain charm and a very easy read.

Maggie White is in Rome with her husband while he takes a job for two years. Maggie goes to work for a tour company for something to do. Her boss is killed and Maggie thinks she can solve the crime. After several wrong turns with her theory and another murder she is finally on the right track.

Looking to make herself useful while her husband is off at work, Maggie takes on a new position with a boutique tour company, run by a British (ex-pat) nobleman. When her boss is murdered, no one seems to really care. He wasn’t a very nice man and not even the police seem inclined to find the culprit. But Maggie just won’t let it go. She pushes and prods the detective in charge until she ends up the prime suspect. And so she takes on the role of amateur sleuth and launches her own investigation while continuing to take care of the participants in the already running tour. Maggie’s list of potential suspects is long, however she does eventually solve the mystery.

This was pleasant cozy mystery that allows you to travel without moving your feet. The descriptions of Rome, its historic sites and art, are vivid and give the reader a great feel for the city. The quotes from the travel brochure at the start of each chapter were a great touch. And kudos to the graphic designer – that cover is simply gorgeous.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book. 
I absolutely loved the atmosphere created by this book. I have been to Rome and reading this brought back good, vivid memories of that trip, right down to getting lost near the Pantheon. The setting has a really authentic feel, and the descriptions are wonderful. It's not just what can be seen but, I felt that it appealed to all the senses and made this a memorable read. I particularly liked the extracts from the "Welcome to Rome" pamphlet at the beginning of each chapter - pure gold! 
The plot was quite intricate with many twists and turns. The story follows Maggie White who is an expat living in Rome. She was let go from her job so she is out to prove to herself and the world that she is still capable of something and this becomes the motivation which drives her every decision. I have to confess that I found Maggie very annoying. Her habit of spinning theories out of thin air was particularly irksome and I felt the middle section of the story where she fantasizes about drug deals and art theft was quite slow. I almost gave up reading at one point. 
After much running around everything finally fell into place with the big reveal at the end. 
I did have a question though - how did the killer know that Lord Walpole had a gun and where it was kept?

Murder in the Piazza is a cozy mystery that takes place in Rome.  Maggie White is a fifty-something woman who moves to Rome when her husband takes a temporary job assignment.  But, after working most of her adult life she finds that she misses it.  So, she accepts a position as assistant to a gentleman who offers painting lessons and private tours to visitors in Rome.  When her boss, a distasteful man, is found murdered, Maggie becomes involved in the investigation. 

This book has so many elements that appealed to me.  An older amateur sleuth, a group of interesting suspects, and Rome.  Even the cover of the book is beautiful.  How could this not work?  But, sadly, it didn’t work for me.  I found Maggie to be annoying, jumping to conclusions that really didn’t seem to be very logical, accusing a variety of people of murder, and then refocusing on yet another suspect.  It became pretty clear that Maggie didn’t have a clue, and yet she thought that she, a foreigner, could do a better job than the local police.  And, when she wasn’t focusing on the murder, she fixated on the loss of her job and the meaninglessness of being a non-working spouse.  Good grief, she was in Rome and couldn’t seem to appreciate that.  In the end, I really didn’t like Maggie very much.  

Meanwhile, I found that the storyline definitely needed to be tighter, with better transitions and less random activity, and more attention paid to detail (how can someone be walking up the stairs with their hat in their lap?).  Even the passages that referred to Rome and its beauty felt flat.  The names of streets, piazzas, and buildings seemed to go on and on, while the descriptions were minimal.  Even the mention of meals and food items lacked the descriptions that would have made my mouth water.  Although gelato was (finally) mentioned, after that it was referred to as “ice cream” (gelato is definitely not ice cream). Caio de pepe, suppli, and pizza (all iconic Roman food) didn’t make the cut at all. These are some of the things that would have made this book richer and might have drawn attention away from the fact that the plot was rather weak and disorganized.

At the most I would give this book 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Love Love Love! 

As a cozy mystery newbie, I loved absolutely loved this book! I loved the quirky characters and the unexpected twists. In particular, I loved the protagonist, Maggie. Her gentle determination to get to the bottom of the mystery and middle-aged, retiree background made for a refreshing, engaging read. 

I also loved the setting. Jen Collins Moore did an amazing job of integrating the Italian setting throughout the book to allow the reader to get emerged in the Italian atmosphere. I finished the book longing for a fresh Italian gelato :)

For a debut author, the writing was superb. The clues were included with just enough subtlety and the plot points were integrated seamlessly and packed enough punch to keep the pages turning. The characters were also fleshed out beautifully and masterfully portrayed to allow for the wide cast to be instantly identified / recognisable which made reading the twisty-turny mystery such a delight! 

If you're looking for a book that will transport you on an Italian adventure and make you forget about 2020 for an afternoon or two, I would 100% recommend :) 

Can't wait to read what Jen Collins Moore comes out with next!

Murder in the Piazza, first in the Maggie White series, by Jen Collins Moore takes place in Rome, Italy, where a small private tour group visits famous    local attractions to study and paint them.  Maggie, an American in her mid 5O's, runs the tour group for English Lord Phillip out of his mansion/ palazzo. Two different murders occur involving the tour group. There is a wide range of ages and background in the tour group which makes an interesting mix of possible suspects. When the Italian police seem to be making little progress, Maggie becomes determined to solve both crimes. The author allows the reader to enjoy a tour of Rome while solving a double murder mystery.  I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.