Death by the River

The nuns of Santa Caterina are back and sinister goings-on are afoot.

Old Gaetano, an amiable local drifter, is a welcome and regular guest at the convent. But to everyone’s shock, Carabiniere Matteo finds his body down by the river, murdered in cold blood.

The village is stunned – who would do such a thing? And where is Gaetano’s beloved Saint Bernard, Caesar?

Determined to get to the bottom of it, Sister Isabella teams up with Matteo (whether he likes it or not) to follow the clues and solve the mystery. But, it may not be a simple murder case after all, and perhaps old Gaetano has not always been whom he claimed to be...

A delicious, cosy crime that is as warm as the Tuscan sun, perfect for fans of Julia Chapman, Fiona Leitch and Richard Osman.



Valentina Morelli is a German author. With the Sister Isabella Series, she pays homage to her spiritual homeland, and captures the unique feel of life in Tuscany. For her, murder mysteries are a way of telling human stories.