"Wherever I went I saw a question mark at the heart of the city."

Why is it that so many of the mysteries I read that are set in Venice are the most crass or violent kind? This book, The Lying Tongue by Andrew Wilson, is a psychological suspense story set in modern day Venice but involving a mystery from 1960s England. The mystery itself and the unexpected solution are inventive but some of the plot elements seemed random and irrelevant.

Adam is a recent college graduate who is an aspiring writer. Through a series of random events, he ends up employed by a one-time writer who is now holed up in a villa in Venice. Adam is supposed to take care of cleaning, cooking and home maintenance but ends up working on the author's correspondence and finds what appears to be a blackmail letter. He decides to find out the history behind the letter and ends up in a complex situation caused by lies and deception.

The writing was good in this book and the ending was creepy and strange. Andrew Wilson has also written a biography of Patricia Highsmith, if you're a fan of hers.

A bit scared of a trip to Venice,
K


Buy The Lying Tongue on Amazon or find it at your local library.