A Stranger in Disguise (A Commissario Scala Mystery in Rome) by P.J. Mann – Review by Jennifer Crain

A Stranger in Disguise: An Italian Murder Mystery by P. J. Mann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even though this is #4 as a series, I read it as a standalone, and now I want to go back and read the first three. The story centers around multiple murdered bodies as an actors’ troupe is set to perform the cursed play, Macbeth.

As Macbeth himself says, “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’t were well
It were done quickly”- I found the book a fast read, yet intriguing. The author, P.J. Mann, does an excellent job dropping enough hints to help you solve the mystery of the murder yourself, without hitting you over the head being obvious. Enough twists and turns to keep it interesting, and if I wasn’t such a well read mystery reader, I might have solved it before Inspector Scala.

I found the banter between Inspector Scala and his colleagues to be refreshing and highly realistic- I thought I was a fellow detective working along side him. The author also characterizes the suspects well- reminds me a lot of Donna Leon’s writing, which is a high compliment. I also enjoyed the inclusion of every day nuisances like traffic refreshing because even the police have similar irks as civilians!

As a side note, while reading this, I assumed the author was male, because PJ Mann illustrates the camaraderie and banter among the male police squad spot on.

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Reviewed @bookworm1909