I lived, loved and worked for eight long years in Puglia in the deep south of Italy's heel. From 2005 until 2008, I taught English at the University of Salento, Lecce - that amazing, baroque city that surprises all who visit it. It was my Italian 'girlfriend' who suggested that I should write mystery novels. She became the reluctant heroine of the series of three novels set in Puglia.

The three novels, 'Dancing to the Pizzica', 'The Demise of Judge Grassi, and 'Leonardo's Trouble with Molecules' are stories of suspense, intrigue, romance and the insidious hold of the mafia in Italy. But the stories are laced with humour too. It is impossible to live in Italy and not be struck by the Italians' anarchical relationship with the State, the government - and each other!

My ambition is simply to create stories that adults, young or old, will enjoy reading - my sixteen year-old granddaughter is among my youngest fans. I love Italy and France, and much prefer living in the countryside to city life. I have also written a book of not so short stories entitled 'Long Shorts'. Read the first three novels! Get to know Rosaria and Adam and follow the adventures in which they become involved.

There is a new series of novels - in the same genre. The stories are set in Abruzzo - a region in the centre of Italy. Fortunately, or not, depending on your viewpoint, Abruzzo is largely undiscovered by the tourist industry. The Adriatic Sea bathes its coast while the Apennine mountains rise magnificently in the background. Abruzzo is one of Europe's least spoilt regions. A new set of characters, led by Commissario Beppe Stancato, are waiting to introduce you to new and intriguing cases. The first in the series is called "The Case of the Sleeping Beauty". There are another three titles in the Abruzzo series of novels: A Close Encounter with Mushrooms - a story of misplaced revenge by mushroom poisoning. The Vanishing Physicist.- a story, based on a real life situation, finds Beppe Stancato involved in a suspenseful hunt for an abducted scientist who goes missing from Abruzzo's advanced, mountain top physics laboratory. There is now a fourth novel in the Commissario Stancato series, entitled Death Is Buried. It deals with the scourge of the dumping of toxic waste by the mafia clans in rural Italy. There is also a free-standing novel of a similar genre entitled The Curse of Collemaga (2019) - a story of modern-day witchcraft - based (loosely) on real-life events. Look up the titles on Amazon. You will be heading towards an entertaining reading experience full of Italian characters with all their foibles and idiosyncrasies. If you like Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri, there is a good chance that you will enjoy reading my novels too. Richard Walmsley - 2020