Intrigue in Capri is a short novella in the Amory Ames series. I picked it up on a whim as I was looking at the upcoming novel in this series, and thought it would be a quick interlude to reacquaint myself with the characters. I really liked the first book, Murder at the Brightwell, when I read it a couple years ago but I haven't read the other books yet. This was a fun little jaunt, albeit a rather silly one, set on picturesque Capri in 1933. Amory and her rakish husband Milo are on holiday and are enjoying themselves when Amory naturally sees a suspicious situation.
Unable to help herself she involves herself and Milo in an attempt to get to the bottom of whatever she saw. It's short at fifty-four pages and is not essential reading by any means, but it was a nice quick read, and the Capri setting was fun. Enough local landmarks were mentioned and frequented that it felt authentic, and the descriptions of pergolas festooned with wisteria and white tablecloth restaurants evoked the setting quite well. I say it's not essential because the mystery is solved almost as soon as it's introduced, due to the page length, and I don't imagine this adds anything significant to the character development. But it's a fun read.
Amory did seem a little quick to involve herself in someone else's business, and at one point when she wondered briefly if she should have just went to the cops I thought- you think?- but then she dismisses it and carries on. And I had the same problem I had in Murder at the Brightwell- I don't care for Milo. He's dashing and apparently repenting of his earlier philandering, although Amory here sends him off to dance with another woman to gain information, but I just don't care for him, he's not deep as a character to me. I liked Amory a lot in Brightwell, and she has a lot of the same qualities here, but she's almost obnoxious in the way she pursues her mystery.
Still it's a quick read and if you like the Amory Ames stories, or just want a quick interlude in Capri, it's worth a read.
That cover reminds me of some paintings/plates I got in monaco -- same beaches, same feel! I don't know much about the Ames series, but I feel I should -- this sounds like a good place to start to get a feel of this?
ReplyDeleteI don't know that the cover would have reeled me in, but the story sounds pretty intriguing. Hugs...and Happy Wednesday! RO
ReplyDeleteNot sure I could handle these two characters. They’d either be delightfully quirky or just plain annoying.
ReplyDeleteQuick is always good
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this series. I am always looking for a new series to read. Love the cover too!
ReplyDeleteMaybe not necessary or perfect, but at least it was fun! Lol about the cops thing.
ReplyDeleteYeah it was fun. Plus right? I couldn't help thinking that- just call the cops lady!!
DeleteWell t does sound fun. I love Capri so that would tempt me quite a bit :)
ReplyDeleteI went to Capri this summer and what I noticed straight away on the cover is that how flat everything is. I still cringe if I think the amount of time i spent walking up and down on that island, hehehe. :D
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