The Truth

Ceclia Valetti’s latest novel, THE TRUTH, is the first book in her new “Mysteries at Anna’s Trattoria” series. The book is set in a fictional coastal town in New Brunswick, Canada, where–Anna, who emigrated to Canada from Italy forty years ago–runs the restaurant with her daughter Silvia. Three weeks after Anna’s son Luca, a priest, dies in a car accident, Neil McKinley begins his new job as the chief inspector. McKinley is a much-revered lawman from Vancouver, and immediately dives into community life, including taking over as a basketball coach and involving himself in the local orphanage, where one of the young girls may have a connection to his past. He also becomes embroiled in a series of murders, which he believes are connected. The sense of place is strong in the book, with a location rarely seen in books, but well rendered. The meals and cooking lessons are lovingly detailed, along with the positive connection between food lovingly prepared and building community. THE TRUTH launches a new mystery series juxtaposing tight community with the perils of human shortcomings.