Sunflower Publishing Book Reviews

    Fire in the Mountain   By AJ Aberford   SUMMARY: A colleague in need Superintendent George Zammit is persuaded to go to Sicily to investigate the disappearance of his superior’s niece. There, George discovers a city overshadowed by the mighty Mount Etna, a huge volcano perilously close to a major eruption that would have disastrous consequences around the world. The magic of the volcano George finds the volcano not only provides unlimited energy, but has long been worshipped by an ancient and mysterious cult, which believes it has the power of renewal and rebirth. Strange priests and monks wander the volcano’s flanks and the old volcanic tunnels, risking the wrath of Mother Etna to keep its secrets safe. Unlimited power, unlimited wealth The dark forces of organised crime have captured the green energy of the volcano and grown rich on the profits. Others have noticed this deep source of wealth, and they gather to plot and scheme to take a share ...

    A Venice Summer   By Lynne Shelby SUMMARY: Art conservator Rose Bennet is still reeling from a bad break-up when she is offered a dream job in Venice, restoring an art collection in the Ca’ D’Ambra, a six-hundred-year-old Venetian palazzo. Despite her fears about travelling to a foreign country on her own, Rose is soon heading to Italy for the summer. While she is awestruck by the breathtaking beauty of Venice, Rose finds the owner of the palazzo, the arrogant and short-tempered Luca Casserini, insufferable. When he questions her ability to do her work, she almost heads straight back to London, but decides that she won’t let herself be intimidated or driven away before she’s even had a chance to ride in a gondola. Losing her way in Venice’s picturesque maze of canals and alleyways, the last person Rose wants to see is her employer, but when they meet by chance and, to her surprise, he offers to show her around the city, she feels it would be churlish to re...

    Italian Rules   By Tom Benjamin   SUMMARY: When Hollywood comes to Bologna, La Dolce Vita turns into sweet murder... A famous Hollywood director arrives in Bologna to remake a cult film, and the city's renowned cinema archive decides to mark the occasion with a screening of the original... only to discover it has disappeared. After English detective Daniel Leicester follows the trail of Love on a Razorblade to an apparent murder-suicide, he begins to suspect there may be more at stake than just missing negatives - could the film contain a clue to one of the city's most enduring mysteries? Together with a Hollywood star from the upcoming remake, Daniel moves from the glamour of Venice Lido to the depths of Bologna's secret tunnel system as a sinister network closes in. Daniel is about to learn that, for the ultimate 'director's cut', some people are ready to kill.   TERRI’S REVIEW:   What do you get when Hollywood movie elit...

 May Flowers at The Three Coins Inn  by Kimberly Sullivan   SUMMARY: Glorious spring has arrived in Todi. Will friendship and hope blossom as well? After a successful seasonal opening in April, friends Emma and Annarita are eager to welcome a new set of guests to their Umbrian inn during the full bloom of May. Upstate New Yorker Lisa needs an escape from betrayal and the prying eyes of her small-town neighbours. Elderly, reclusive artist Antonio hopes leaving Milan for a country sojourn will spark his long-dormant creative muse. Manhattan socialite mother Sharon grudgingly embarks on a country holiday with her young son, Josh, with whom she shares few interests. Roman author Margherita prefers time spent alone, but her career may depend on a stay in bucolic Todi among fellow guests. And Emma and Annarita are anxious to embrace their close friend Tiffany on her brief stay in the heart of Umbria. The swallows may have returned, and colourful petals now dot the c...