About 8 months ago, Anne and her husband moved from Boston to Ascona in Southern Switzerland, a Mediterranean town where the primary language is Italian. Anne’s husband Ben learned the language from his grandmother and speaks fluently. However, even taking an Italian class Anne still relies on her husband as a translator in many situations. A bookshop selling Italian antiquarian books captures Anne’s interest with a sign advertising for an English-speaking assistant. This position might help Anne with the language and return her confidence and self-worth.

I was fascinated by this cozy as it is the 1st time, I recall reading a cozy described by the author as "some elements are grounded in historical fact, and all of the events are historically plausible." As a mystery develops for Anne to investigate, the bookshop’s black cat reminds me of Koko assisting James Qwilleran in "The Cat Who…" series by Lilian Jackson Braun.

The one puzzling factor is a character's name is sometimes spelled Elaine and at other times spelled Elain, sometimes within the same paragraph—a curiosity it was not discovered during editing.

The series of books are marketed as fast-paced cozies to read in approximately 2 hours. I look forward to reading more of the series. ( )