BOOK #1: DEception in siena
IN THIS FIRST BOOK in the series, American Antonio Cortese, a retired detective and Italian restaurant owner, is visiting extended family in Tuscany. He has come looking for peace and to move beyond a major tragedy in his life.
While bicycling the back roads of Chianti with his young cousin, nineteen-year-old Giulia, the two of them are run off the road in an obvious attempt to bring harm, leaving Giulia in a coma.
Now an injured Antonio—with his uncle Nicolo--Giulia's father, and the lead detective in Siena--seek to find whoever did this and bring them to justice. Though they each have a different idea what that looks like.
AUTOGRAPHED HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACK BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DIRECT SHIPMENT (SEE STORE TAB).
E-BOOKS, HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACKS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING …
“This story is so well written that if you didn't know it was the author’s first venture into fiction, you'd be looking for more of his works to read. I found this book very hard to put down. The combination of real relationships, complicated police work portrayal and vivid scenic descriptions kept me turning pages.”
BOOK #2: missing in firenze
THE SECOND INSTALLMENT in the Antonio Cortese Mystery series, set in the historic and double-edged City of Firenze.
Antonio Cortese, restaurateur and ex-detective, is dealing with PTSD from the terror attack that stole his wife and daughter three years prior. He’s still trying to get his feet under him when his world seems to crumble once again.
Gabriella, the beautiful Carabinieri detective from Tuscany, has breathed new life into him. Now, a suspicious accident takes the life of her brother and his wife. Antonio wants to be with her. As he makes plans to do so, he gets a desperate call from his Uncle Nicolo, lead detective in Siena. Antonio’s cousin, Raphael, a policeman in Firenze, has disappeared.
Antonio returns to Tuscany, where the search for Raphael embroils him and Nicolo in a dangerous web of child prostitution, human trafficking, and the Nigerian mob—all as the Covid-19 epidemic begins its deadly spread throughout Italy and Antonio’s home state of Washington. The clock is ticking and there is far more at stake than meets the eye.
AUTOGRAPHED HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACK BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DIRECT SHIPMENT.
E-BOOKS, HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACKS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
BOOK #3: DEATH IN ABUNDANCE
THE THIRD INSTALLMENT in the Antonio Cortese Mystery series, set in the historic Tuscan hill town of Montepulciano, The Pearl of the Renaissance.
Restaurateur and ex-detective Antonio Cortese is about to board a plane to Seattle from Tuscany when he receives a call from his fiancée, Gabriella, a colonel in the Italian Carabinieri. She just found out that an accident which took the life of her brother, Andrea, and his wife, Bria, was no accident at all. Though Antonio is sorely needed at home—as Covid-19 sweeps through Italy and his home state of Washington—he chooses to stay to help her through this difficult time.
The Polizia di Stato are in charge of the case, but as the Covid situation spins out of control, preventing them from doing their job, Gabriella goes rogue, deciding to take over the investigation herself. Antonio refuses to let her go it alone, and so becomes embroiled in the investigation alongside her—both in helping to find Andrea and Bria’s murderers, and in keeping Gabriella from taking justice into her own hands.
The investigation takes them to the beautiful Tuscan hill town of Montepulciano where Gabriella’s brother, Andrea—an investigator with the Italian Wine Commission—had gone to investigate possible improprieties and died under mysterious circumstances. As Gabriella and Antonio conduct their investigation, more suspicious deaths continue to pile up. What had Andrea discovered which led to this tragic chain of events? They need to find out soon before the Covid-19 pandemic shuts down all of Italy.
AUTOGRAPHED HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACK BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DIRECT SHIPMENT.
E-BOOKS, HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACKS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
BOOK #4: Drowning in betrayal
As the COVID19 pandemic releases its grip on Italy and the rest of the world, Antonio and his new wife, Gabriella, a Colonello in the Carabinieri, are finally able to reconnect for their long overdue honeymoon. They join Antonio’s Uncle Nicolo, Aunt Sofia, and Antonio’s newly widowed sister, Alessia, on a sailing yacht to cruise the sun soaked French Riviera and Italian coasts.
Antonio is happier than he has been in years but their idyllic time is short lived as they are drawn into a deadly Corsican vendetta with roots going back to the Second World War. They vow not to become involved but find themselves drowning in an ocean of betrayal and deceit which threatens to destroy their very lives. They must work together to unravel a dark past and painful truth, no matter how close to home it falls.
AUTOGRAPHED HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACK BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DIRECT SHIPMENT.
E-BOOKS, HARDCOVER AND PAPERBACKS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
Frankie at Home in the Kitchen: deluxe softcover
Beautifully photographed and complemented with wine-pairing recommendations, this cooking compendium offers more than 120 recipes for Italian dishes inspired by the famous Washington State restaurant, Frankie’s Pizza and Pasta. Numerous delectable ideas for pizza, pasta, and antipasti are presented as well as tasty tips on soups, salads, sandwiches, beverages, and desserts. Memorable images of the famed restaurant itself are also featured along with a photographic jaunt through the author's vegetable garden and travels to Italy. Ensuring each recipe is well tested and easy to follow, this collection is a wonderful guide for those who want to lure friends and family to the table with handcrafted Italian entrées.
AUTOGRAPHED deluxe softcover BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR DIRECT SHIPMENT.
deluxe softcover and E-BOOKS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
pursuing the heart of God: One Man’s story of healing and restoration
This book is a love story, a story of healing and restoration. It is the story of how Jesus took me from a broken man to one made whole by his Holy Spirit. He accomplished this by his incomparable comfort, and by revealing the depths of his beauty. He has put his heart in me, a heart that passionately burns for his presence.
Our family has suffered some unspeakable losses, losses which crushed my faith and trust in God, and sent me into a wrestling match with him. Like the patriarch, Jacob, who literally wrestled with God, I told him I would not let go until he blessed me. He did, proving himself faithful beyond measure. Against all odds, God bound up our broken hearts. He has taken the ashes of our lives and gone about the work of creating something beautiful, just as he promised through the prophet, Isaiah.
I tell my story from a unique perspective. Included in the narrative you will find psalms, poems, and journal entries I have written. As King David used his psalms to worship and communicate with God, so have I. Jesus used these as a significant part of my healing process. They also help to tell my story. I hope you will be blessed by them.