Esther F. Strouth

In The Lake Garda Mysteries Vol 20 Kim sympathizes with an exhausted Francesco who is struggling with a diabolical case. She promises not to interfere so he divulges the essence of the problem. It’s not long before she’s in it up to her neck. But can she bring this gang of hard boiled culprits to justice? The task proves much more difficult than she could ever have imagined.

In this strange mystery, Kim is called in to help identify a corpse that has been discovered in a most unusual place. As usual, she applies her investigative skills and slowly tracks down exactly who the victim was. On the way, she enjoys some good times with her coterie of friends and lovers. And there are a few unexpected surprises that pop up. Finally, she conjures up a cunning stratagem to ensnare the prime suspect.

In The Carcass in the Car in Cassone, Kim is asked by the Carabinieri to help identify the body of a mysterious suicide. She accomplishes that task with her usual panache. But later she is unsure – was it really the body of the person she identified? She has to go to great lengths to find the true identity of the victim and to trace and trap the actual killer who has staged the apparent suicide.

In The Lake Garda Mysteries Vol 17 Kim finds herself wrapped up in a peculiar case that makes little sense to anyone, especially the brusque Commissario Tommaso she is obliged to work with. It takes some patience, foresight and intense investigation to figure out what actually happened and who did what to whom, and why they were all lying about it.

Kim starts to put her own affairs in better order, helped by her loyal colleagues. But she hears of a woman in distress and resolves to assist her. Before she can act on that, her husband brings a new case to her attention. A dead driver and a coach nobody owns. Who was he and where was he going? The conundrum has resisted all the efforts of the Carabinieri, and they know only Kim can crack the case with no leads to follow. Having solved that, she settles the issue of the beleaguered woman, entirely to her own satisfaction.

Kim faces two cases in this gripping instalment. An escaped felon and a strange request from an olive-skinned beauty. She must wrestle simultaneously with both conundrums, and track down the convict while resolving the mystery of what exactly is inside the booty in the boathouse - and who put it there and why? There are the usual splashes of humour as Kim gets to grips with her tasks.

Once more, Kim is called into action to solve a baffling case. The sudden and unexpected demise of a dentist in his own surgery has the Lombardy State Police and the Carabinieri desperate to find an explanation. Only Kim’s inimitable talents can resolve the riddle and bring the culprit to justice and secure the safety of the good citizens of Desenzano. She also secures her own happiness by marrying for a second time.

The skeleton of a young woman is discovered in the shallows of Salò Bay. The unfortunate police follow their standard procedures, but after considerable effort, they are no further forward. With the greatest reluctance and with significant reservations, they turn to their last resort - an amateur consulting detective named Kim.

In this adventure, Kim gets a call from the Veneto State Police to come and assist them in a new case that has them puzzled. While they have identified the body in the boat, found in the harbor of the pretty little town just south of Malcesine, there are certain anomalies that they have discovered in the deceased’s own home. Strange things for which they can arrive at no credible explanation. So, they call in the famous consulting detective to sort it all out. But the question is, can she? Or is this going to be one occasion when Kim has bitten off more than she can chew?

When a horribly murdered body is found in a cable car in a beautiful mountain setting, the State Police and Carabinieri swing into action to identify the victim and proceed to ensnare the culprit. Unfortunately for them, they cannot even establish the identity of the victim, let alone catch the killer. With grave reluctance, they turn to their last resort, the formidable Kim, consulting detective. But even she struggles. Can this really be the case that flummoxes even her and remains unsolved?