Three Card Monte: A Bar Lume Mystery

Even though the geriatric sleuths in Malvadi's modest second Bar Lume mystery (after Game for Five) may not be quick on their feet, they are quick with their wit when a murder disrupts their laid-back routine. When a large international scientific conference comes to the Italian resort town of Pineta, the four old codgers aren't happy to find new customers disturbing the tranquility at Bar Lume, their habitual spot to drink coffee and chat. Their peace is even more disturbed when one of the conference attendees, Koichi Kawaguchi, is found dead under suspicious circumstances. As any scientist at the conference could be the culprit, Massimo Viviani%E2%80%94conference caterer, bar owner, and grandson of one of the four%E2%80%94gets roped into helping the police solve the crime. Between griping and grousing about modern technology, the elderly quartet aids Massimo. A stereotypical culture clash ensues as Massimo translates between the scientists' English and the police's Italian. Like Massimo's efforts, some of the senior citizens' jokes are lost in translation as this whodunit builds to its unsurprising conclusion. (Aug.)