Abruzzo Intrigue

Author: Bluette Matthey

ISBN: 978-1-941611-01-2 (softcover)

310 pages

Hardy Durkin leads a hiking tour into Italy's Abruzzo region where they experience the area's culture, food, and history. There is a good deal of exposure to the region's religious and spiritual past, and one of the tour group's members struggles with an odyssey of the soul that ends in redemption. Some of the cast of characters are who they seem to be, but most aren't. A member of the group, a grieving widower, plans to steal one of the Vatican's most precious religious relics, The First Eucharistic Miracle, from the Church of San Francesco in Lanciano. The book is a collision of values and traditions while hiking through the oft-overlooked beauty of ancient Abruzzo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bluette Matthey is a 3rd generation Swiss American and an avid lover of Europe and its cultures. She is a keen reader of mysteries and, in particular, of mysteries that bring the reader new discoveries of places and the flavor of their history, inhabitants, culture and food. Her love of travel, except for airports (when she always has a mystery novel in hand to while away the time) is shared by her husband, who formerly owned a tour outfitter business in Europe. Bluette is particularly attracted to exploring regions that are not on the usual "15 days in Europe" itineraries. She also enjoys off-the-beaten-path places in well-known areas such as the various London Walks, and believes that walking and hiking bring her closer to the real life and people of any place. Bluette maintains a mental list of hikes and pilgrimages she still wants to do throughout Europe. She currently lives in western North Carolina with her husband, faithful dog and a band of loving cats.