Last year I holidayed in Naples, inspired in part by the knowledge that Tara Moss' forthcoming book was set there. I had hoped to time my trip so that I could read the book and then walk in heroine Billie Walker's footsteps, but publication was delayed and my travels could not wait. This was perhaps fortuitous, as I was able to read the novel with a deep love of and familiarity with this beautiful city.
The Italian Secret (2025) follows private investigator Billie Walker's previous adventures in The War Widow (2019) and The Ghosts of Paris (2022).
Billie organises a holiday to Naples, taking Ella, her mother, and Alma, her mother's companion, with her. The three women board the Luxor, a luxury cruise ship and set sail for Europe. Billie has another reason for wanting to get to Naples. She has found a stack of letters to her father from an Italian woman and she wants to understand who this woman was to her beloved dad. But before she can resolve that mystery, she has to deal with her nemesis Vincenzo Moretti.
The Italian Secret is a gripping page-turner. Moss has found the perfect blend of adventure, historical fiction and mystery. She blends multiple storylines and vividly portrays the post-war period. Billie Walker is a fabulous heroine - smart, stylish and self-aware - who holds her own in a world which has different views about the role of women.
I love this series. While The Italian Secret can be read as a standalone novel, I strongly suggest reading these novels in order as there are story threads here which stem from the previous books. My reviews of other books in the Billie Walker series are available on this blog:
- The War Widow (2019)
- The Ghosts of Paris (2022)