A cooking school designer tries to keep murder from ruining a most expensive birthday gift. Nell Valenti is pleased as punch that her renovation of Chef Claudio Orlandini's cooking school is finally complete. Now the Villa Orlandini is ready to host the scads of gastro-tourists she hopes will flock to this picturesque estate at the edge of the quaint Tuscan village of Cortona, where Chef stands ready to teach them the secrets of Northern Italian cuisine. The first group through is far smaller than the usual dozen, not because the course is unpopular, but because the very rich Philip Copeland is willing to plunk down $75,000 to buy out the whole session so that his mother can spend her 80th birthday enjoying a set of semiprivate lessons on how to prepare her favorite food--ziti--in every way imaginable. It's just Philip, his mom, and his mom's best friend, Muffy Onderdonk, whose job is evidently to remind Mimi, who has mild dementia, that it's Philip and not her other son, the late William, who's hosting the trip. Taking immediately to what she calls the Copeland Party of Three, Nell does her best to make sure that the Ziti Variations live up to Mimi's expectations, however fleetingly the octogenarian remembers them. So Nell is more than a little put out when the body of would-be real estate developer Renata Vitale is found on the edge of the olive orchard that borders the villa. Renata's murder is a threat not only to the Ziti Variations, but also to Nell's boyfriend, Pete Orlandini, who is Chef's son, the owner of the orchard, and the police chief's favorite suspect in Renata's death. Cole's solid characters, sharp dialogue, and clever puzzle provide a recipe for more than just ziti. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Nell Valenti has finished designing the cooking school at Villa Orlandini in Tuscany, and she wants an excuse to stay. When rich philanthropist Philip Copeland rents the entire school for his party of three--himself, his mother, and his mother's best friend--it works out perfectly; Nell can stay and plan their events. She hasn't planned, however, for the mysterious woman who returns to Cortona, turns the town upside down, and ends up dead in the villa's olive grove. Only afterward does Nell discover the woman's connection to one of the villa's residents. Now that there's a murder investigation in progress, she needs to keep the guests busy while she looks for a killer. Philip's questions about the villa's history lead to a search for documents connecting the nun who cared for the property during World War II, and artwork once owned in Germany. That information ties all the strings of mystery together. VERDICT Cole's follow-up to Crime of the Ancient Marinara sweeps readers off to the cooking school in Tuscany where marvelous food competes with murder and threats to a community tied to its history.--Lesa Holstine