' The Tuscan Child' transitions and flows seamlessly as a father, Hugo Langley, a British bomber pilot in WWII begins his story as his plane is shot down in the hills of German-occupied Tuscany, Italy in December 1944, and Hugo's daughter, Joanna, begins her story from Surrey, England in April 1973. I'm so glad I selected from the author's mystery list and stand-alone novels as I wouldn't have wanted to miss either. In creating my own wish-to-read list I was intrigued by several titles by the author listed as stand-alone novels.

I discovered the work of Rhys Bowen by an article sharing the names of current authors for readers who have enjoyed the mysteries of Agatha Christie. Prior to reading 'The Tuscan Child' I read 'Her Royal Spyness' the 1st novel in the 'Royal Spyness Series.' The two (2) novels are distinctive and I loved them both for entirely different reasons. Joanna soon discovers that some would prefer the past be left undisturbed, but she has come too far to let go of her father’s secrets now… ( ) Still dealing with the emotional wounds of her own personal trauma, Joanna embarks on a healing journey to Tuscany to understand her father’s history-and maybe come to understand herself as well. Among his personal effects is an unopened letter addressed to Sofia. Nearly thirty years later, Hugo’s estranged daughter, Joanna, has returned home to the English countryside to arrange her father’s funeral. But the love that kindled between them was shaken by an irreversible betrayal. Badly wounded, he found refuge in a ruined monastery and in the arms of Sofia Bartoli. In 1944, British bomber pilot Hugo Langley parachuted from his stricken plane into the verdant fields of German-occupied Tuscany. A very pleasant read, just what I needed at the time. If you like historical fiction, travel, romance and mystery, you will like this. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it held my interest, I had figured out a lot of the mysteries by the end, but that in no way spoiled my read.

The Tuscan Child by Rhys Bowen