Murder in Trastevere

August 24, 2023

Murder in Trastevere

Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery
by Jen Collins Moore

About Murder in Trastevere

Murder in Trastevere: A Roman Holiday Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Setting – Rome, Italy
Level Best Books (May 18, 2023)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 286 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1685123384
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1685123383
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C13DRJQN

After a decade dominating the expat scene in Rome, Faye Masters has had enough beautiful art, delicious food, and bureaucratic nonsense to last a lifetime. She’s just about decided to pack up and head home when a rival drops dead at one of Faye’s famous cocktail parties. Rumors fly that Faye was the intended target, but the police think Faye might just be an attention-seeking poisoner.

Faye refuses to let the cloud of suspicion stop her from completing a self-imposed 25-picture Caravaggio Challenge. Or keep her from assisting friends Maggie White and Thomas Evans on their painting tours of Rome. But when the leads fizzle out and a series of accidents hit close to home, Faye accepts her own life is on the line. She must search for a killer while keeping up appearances at some of Rome’s most iconic sights.

About Jen Collins Moore

Jen Collins Moore transports readers to Rome in the Roman Holiday Mysteries. Her short fiction has appeared in Mystery Weekly and Masthead: The Best New England Crime Stories. She is president of Sisters in Crime Chicagoland and a founding member of Sleuths and Sidekicks. A transplanted New Englander, she lives in Chicago with her husband and two boys.

Q&A With the Author: Jen Collins Moore

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

There were two things that made this book especially fun.

First, I love escaping to Rome in my head. Writing a book takes a long time, and getting to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of Italy while I write is a joy. This book is centered in Trastevere, my favorite neighborhood in Rome. It’s a cozy area across the Tiber (literally "beyond the Tiber" in Latin) from most of the big tourist sites. It's close to everything and has charm coming out of its ears. It's not exactly a well-kept secret, but the number of actual Italians still outweighs visitors, which is saying something in that popular city.

Second, I loved was getting to know a new main character. When I began this series, I thought I would always follow the same detective: Maggie White, a middle-aged American expat living in Rome. It turns out I was wrong. This book stars Faye Masters, a side character in the first book.

I didn’t start out with Faye in charge, she just snuck in. When I was planning the book, I decided to connect it to Faye, a woman Maggie has a complicated relationship with in the first book. I kept thinking there was more to Faye than Maggie saw, and I wanted to explore it in this book.

Dropping a dead body in Faye’s living room seemed like a good way to do that. The problem was that Faye wasn’t willing to accept the role of sidekick. Eventually I realized she was the right main character for the story and re-wrote the entire thing, and I had so much fun getting to know someone new as I wrote.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?

I’m always playing around with short stories and novels. My problem is too many ideas and too little time! One activity I have been loving is writing story vignettes for Sleuths and Sidekicks, a website devoted to the art of mystery. Each month I take a picture and sketch out a story inspired by it in the Back Cover feature.

It’s a fun way to brainstorm stories without the pressure of actually writing them. I’ve loved a few enough to use them as the basis for full length novels that I’m playing with.

Can you tell us about what you have planned for the future?

Travel is a big part of my writing life. It’s an activity that I love, and it provides me with exotic locations that I want to bring to life in stories. Same goes for food and cooking. I bring these interests together in a monthly newsletter with travel tips, favorite recipes, thoughts on the writing life and more. If you’re interested in any of these things, I hope you’ll subscribe.

I also am busy giving workshops in editing, plotting, and more in a mix of in-person and online events. My current schedule is here, and I hope you’ll join me!

How long have you been writing?

I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I dedicated time to it. I gave myself a year to write what I called “a terrible novel that no one would ever read.” And it was terrible, because all first drafts are terrible. But it was also good enough to give me inspiration to keep going. I spent five years on that book and it became Murder in the Piazza: A Roman Holiday Mystery Book 1. Murder in Trastevere, A Roman Holiday Mystery Book 2 is my second book.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?

There’s nothing I love more than hearing from readers. If you read Murder in Trastevere, I’d love to know how you enjoyed being transported to Rome. Please get in touch at jennifercollinsmoore.com, sign up for my newsletter and join me at some events!

Author Links

Website www.jennifercollinsmoore.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jencollinsmoore
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jennifercollinsmoore/

Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N –

Tour Participants

August 14 – Baroness Book Trove – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 14 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT

August 15 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 15 – Brooke Blogs – CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 16 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIEW

August 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 17 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST

August 17 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

August 18 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

August 18 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

August 19 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT

August 19 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST

August 20 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT

August 21 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT

August 22 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

August 23 – Novels Alive – REVIEW

August 24 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

August 25 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

August 26 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST

August 27 – StoreyBook Reviews – RECIPE

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