The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies Book Review

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Welcome to the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery (The Homeswappers) by Adriana Licio. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!

A holiday is a time to relax, unwind and see the sights. But for two adventurous sexagenarians, the sights have a tendency to include dead bodies.

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery
(The Homeswappers)

by Adriana Licio

I received this book free to review; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.

The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies: A German Cozy Mystery (The Homeswappers)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Publisher: The Hometravellers Press (September 1, 2020)
~180 pages

Etta and Dora, both newly retired teachers, travel from their home in Southern Italy to a fairy-tale German town for their first home swap holiday, delighted by their neighbours’ warm welcome. But the welcome turns sour when the Night Watchman of Rothenburg is brutally murdered while his tour group takes photographs nearby, a halberd buried in his chest and a peculiar iron mask by his side.

When the murderer claims a second victim and the son of their hospitable neighbours becomes the number-one suspect, Etta’s analytical mind goes to work. Why was a shame mask left at the scene of each murder? Is there a clandestine trade going on behind the scenes of apparently upstanding local businesses? And why does every lead take her back to the sinister Devil’s Ale pub and the terrifying gang who lurk within?

Meanwhile, Dora has a puzzle of her own – how can she persuade Etta that a loveably disobedient Basset Hound called Napoleon is now a permanent part of their lives?

◆◆◆ Pack your bags, jump into the backseat of Etta and Dora’s old Fiat 500, and join them on their travels around Europe. There’ll be mystery, murder and mayhem aplenty wherever they go. ◆◆◆

My review of The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies

This book is so much fun! It’s definitely my type of cozy mystery book. I have nothing against cozy mystery books that end up being romance cozy mysteries, but do they all have to have romance? No! Variety is the spice of life. Give me a good mystery with senior citizens sleuthing once in a while, and I’m happy. The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies makes me happy for that very reason.

Dora and Etta are two recently retired teachers who live in Southern Italy, and it’s very expensive to live there! They’ve always wanted to travel, so to save money, they combine households and cars and discover homeswapping as a more affordable and immersive form of travel. Their first trip is to Rothenburg, Germany.

Check out these photos from Rick Steve’s about Rothenburg…I want to go there!!! The author has obviously been there or has really done her research since the places Dora and Etta visit are real places as is the Night Watchman Tour!

Like I said, I love that this cozy mystery series has these retired ladies as the main characters. They are the best of friends; and, although they’ve certainly got different personalities, they balance one another out. The author describes both the characters and the setting with great skill. You’ll feel as if you’re with Etta and Dora as they explore the hidden delights (and not so delightful!) parts of this enchanting place.

You will be able to read this book very quickly, but you won’t quickly figure out who the murderer is in The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies. Be aware…things are not always as they appear to be!

I cannot wait to read the next book in The Homeswappers series! If you like your cozies with a variety of settings and wonderful characters, I think you’ll love The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies.

About Adriana Licio

She loves loads of things: traveling, reading, walking, good food, small villages, and home swapping. She runs her family perfumery, and between a dark patchouli and a musky rose, she reads and writes cozy mysteries.

Adriana resisted writing as long as she could. But one day she found an alluring blank page and the words flowed in that weird English she’d learned in Glasgow…

Get a taste of Adriana’s world reading And Then There Were Bones the prequel to her An Italian Village Mystery series, exclusive to the subscribers on her mailing list – https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub

Author Links

Free Prequel: https://adrianalicio.com/murderclub

Website: https://adrianalicio.com

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/adriana-licio

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19378391.Adriana_Licio

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adrianalicio.mystery/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/adrianalici

Purchase Link – Amazon FREE on Kindle Unlimited

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