From Publishers Weekly
Family problems lure Greenwich Village-based Roman expatriate Simona Griffo, last seen in The Trouble with Thin Ice, back to Rome, when her mother, Olga, leaves her husband to stay with a friend, art teacher Mirella Monti. Olga remains resolutely quiet about her motives, but when Tamar Deaton, one of Mirella's American students, is fatally stabbed while being robbed, she declares, "I want to get to the bottom of this killing." Simona, devoted to both her mother and Mirella, probes the affairs of Tamar and those of a prince in whose archives the victim had recently made a startling find. Her curiosity is also stirred by both Mirella's American suitor, who bankrolls the art school, and the latest doings of her own ex-husband, who, it seems, is acquainted with Rome's entire female population, including, of course, Tamar. Simona's deductive abilities and some long-distance digging by her lover, Stan Greenhouse of the NYPD. rescue the tale from being entirely family-centered and emotion-driven. Crespi uses personal attachments of varying intensity to bind together the elements of her story, the latest entry in a singular series, but gives us fewer than expected reasons to care about many of the characters here. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Something is very wrong between Simona’s parents, and she flies home to Rome to find out more, only to witness the murder of Tamar, an American art student in front of her mother’s new home. When the police connect the murder weapon to the apartment where Mama is now living, Simona has no choice but to sharpen her detecting skills. Was Tamar killed because she claimed to have found a lost Leonardo drawing? Because she was playing with drugs? Or had she discovered someone’s nasty secret? Mama’s best friend won’t say why she kicked Tamar out of her home and Simona’s philandering ex-husband swears he was only a friend. Then there’s Prince Maffeo who gave Tamar a home in his dilapidated palazzo. And the American owner of the art school who took the student under his wing. Fortified by Mama’s great cooking, Simona pokes into the dark corners of many hearts to reach the shocking truth about the murder and her parents.

A recipe for Pasta Allegria is included.

“Murder may provide the impetus for the action in this book, but it is the particularly Roman lust for life that keeps us turning the pages—and contemplating our next meal.”
—Tom and Enid Schantz, Denver Post “For the armchair traveler, evocative descriptions of the Eternal City make an interesting backdrop to a compelling mystery. The book will appeal to those who like Italian food (who doesn’t?) and female amateur detectives.”
—Elorise Holstad, Deadly Pleasures

“One of the joys of reading this book is discovering the city of Rome through Simona’s eyes. Camilla Crespi makes the city come alive: you meet and see the people, the buildings, the streets and the plazas. And the food. Food is as important an ingredient in The Trouble with Going Home as murder.”
—Ken Hughes, Critics Choice-America OnLine

“The picture Crespi paints of the extended Italian family is emotionally complex, and her knowledge of and love for them is worth the visit.”
—Kathy Phillips, The Drood Review

From the Publisher
The fifth book in this popular series that debuted in hardcover with The Trouble with Thin Ice brings amateur sleuth Simona Griffo back to her native Rome in an atmospheric and cleverly plotted mystery.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Something is very wrong between Simona’s parents, and she flies home to Rome to find out more, only to witness the murder of Tamar, an American art student in front of her mother’s new home. When the police connect the murder weapon to the apartment where Mama is now living, Simona has no choice but to sharpen her detecting skills. Was Tamar killed because she claimed to have found a lost Leonardo drawing? Because she was playing with drugs? Or had she discovered someone’s nasty secret? Mama’s best friend won’t say why she kicked Tamar out of her home and Simona’s philandering ex-husband swears he was only a friend. Then there’s Prince Maffeo who gave Tamar a home in his dilapidated palazzo. And the American owner of the art school who took the student under his wing. Fortified by Mama’s great cooking, Simona pokes into the dark corners of many hearts to reach the shocking truth about the murder and her parents.

A recipe for Pasta Allegria is included.

“Murder may provide the impetus for the action in this book, but it is the particularly Roman lust for life that keeps us turning the pages—and contemplating our next meal.”
—Tom and Enid Schantz, Denver Post

“For the armchair traveler, evocative descriptions of the Eternal City make an interesting backdrop to a compelling mystery. The book will appeal to those who like Italian food (who doesn’t?) and female amateur detectives.”
—Elorise Holstad, Deadly Pleasures

“One of the joys of reading this book is discovering the city of Rome through Simona’s eyes. Camilla Crespi makes the city come alive: you meet and see the people, the buildings, the streets and the plazas. And the food. Food is as important an ingredient in The Trouble with Going Home as murder.”
—Ken Hughes, Critics Choice-America OnLine

“The picture Crespi paints of the extended Italian family is emotionally complex, and her knowledge of and love for them is worth the visit.”
—Kathy Phillips, The Drood Review

SYNOPSIS

Mystery Writers of America Presents