Having enjoyed Philip Gwynne Jones' Venetian adventures of Nathan Sutherland, it was a great surprise to see a new series of stories was to be written set In Sicily..

The Magus of Sicily is the introductory story featuring a new crime solving duo. Nedda Leonardi is a newly inducted journalist working on a local newspaper- reviewing pasticceria and the delights of baked goods when she has ambitions to follow in the family footsteps of investigative news reporting.

At a local festival a body is found on the beach- an accident- Nedda is not so sure and she finds herself entering into the world of fortune tellers, illusionists and sleight of hand. Here she meets, the enigmatic Calogero Maugeri otherwise known as the Magus.

Blackmail, murder and intrigue abound. The two characters are drawn together to clear Calogero's name of crime and give Nedda her first big scoop.

Full of Philip Gwynne Jones' trademark dry wit and observations; regional food and drinks abound and a good crime story/caper.

The first of a new series is never easy following a successful series- but The Magus of Sicily gets off to a good start. Light-hearted in some sense ( not cosy!) but a good escapist crime read. Four stars are given probably a realist 3.75 for a new book series as the characters and the region will grow in familiarity and enjoyment.

Thank you Mr Gwynne Jones for bringing summer sun to my reading.

Thank you to the Little, Brown Book Group for an advance copy