‘The Hunting Season’ by Tom Benjamin is the second book in the Daniel Leicester mystery series, set in Bologna in Italy.

I love the colours of the cover of this book, that was my initial attraction…until I read the synopsis.

The hunt for the ‘Boscuri White’, a legendary truffle is on. This rare truffle is the star of the show for Italian gastronomy. An American superstar of truffle tasters goes missing and English detective Daniel Leicester is soon to discover not all truffles are the same level. He is approached by Mr and Mrs Lee whose son Ryan failed to meet them at the airport when they flew in. Ryan happens to be a superstar truffle hunter, with the skills to be able to identify minute details in food. As Daniel begins to investigate what has happened to Ryan, one of the witnesses and a leader of the Italian food scene is found dead at the bottom of one of Bologna’s famous towers. Daniel has to enter into the world of the counterfeit truffle trade as the possibility of organised crime having a hand in this case becomes real. He teams up with a glamorous reporter. More murder is on the cards and Daniel has to find Ryan to clear his own name!

My first book by Tom Benjamin and won’t be the last. I didn’t realise it was a second book, so off to buy the other I go. A book that brings plenty of mystery and suspense but also manages to send me on a trip to Bologna with all the scenery and even the food! I have never visited Italy and this book has made me fancy visiting.

The book is written from Daniel’s point of view so we get the opportunity to see the investigation with him. I like this as it also gets me understanding the character to a greater depth. A plot revolving around truffles would not maybe be everyone’s choice but I learnt a lot about the money they are worth and the illegal trading and thefts. Booming business truffles! This had me engaged throughout.

I like Daniel, a grumpy widower P.I. with a daughter, who is working for his father-in-laws firm out in Bologna. I found the characters well fleshed out and the plot just brilliant. A slow burner of a story that took me on a cultural break in Italy… of course with a bit of murder and mystery added along the way.

Thank you to Random Things Blog Tours, Constable and Netgalley for the copy of the book.