The Italian Party

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher --- One of the Wall Street Journal's "Six Books to Read This Winter" The Italian Party by Christina Lynch is a delicious and sharply funny page-turner about “innocent” Americans abroad in 1950s Siena... Newly married, Scottie and Michael are seduced by Tuscany's famous beauty. But the secrets they are keeping from each other force them beneath the splendid surface to a more complex view of Italy, America and each other. When Scottie’s Italian teacher—a teenager with secrets of his own—disappears, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband and her country. Michael’s dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate, and love to a new kind of complicated truth. Half glamorous fun, half an examination of America's role in the world, and filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, prosecco, charming spies and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.

Ahhhhh ... Italy! And Italy before it was run over by modern tourists in sneakers and baseball caps. This book was a delight to read --- it seemed fluffy at times but serious undertones kept popping up as the story progressed. One part romance novel, one part thriller, and one part mystery you will IN WHOLE love the sum of its parts. (I am now wishing for a time machine to go back to post-war Italy to eat pasta and drink prosecco!) An absolute MUST READ book for any lover of fascinatingly put together books that keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning. Five solid stars.