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The Taste of Datura
An alluring affair in Napoli. Nick seeks the value of an antique bracelet in his possession. He encounters Laura, an amateur medium cursed by uncontrollable visions. With Laura's help, Nick closes in on the origin of his treasure. But as the word gets out, the quest puts them both in danger. A noir-inspired story ensnared by mystery, myth, and murder; all under a watchful eye shadowing Italy's vibrant city of Napoli.
- GenresMystery
380 pages, Paperback
Published April 2, 2024
About the author
Lorenzo Petruzziello
3 books61 followersLorenzo holds degrees in International Marketing and Economics, with a background in global marketing for the entertainment and life sciences industries. He writes in his spare time, drawing inspiration from his frequent trips to Italy, his first dating back to his childhood. THE TASTE OF DATURA is Lorenzo’s third book. -- Instagram: @lorenzomagnus
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 24, 2024
The Taste of Datura is set in Naples and does a fabulous job of bringing the city to life – the place, food, people, and some of the mythology. Nick is in Naples when he is contacted by a black-market dealer about a bracelet he has in his possession. Turns out there are several people interested in the bracelet, which makes Nick curious about its history and meaning. I was not in love with Nick. I didn’t quite understand what his profession was, if he had one. He’s resourceful and stubborn but has little common sense when pretty women are involved.
The book is fast-paced with plenty of action, violence, and tension. We’ve also got a touch of the paranormal, too, with Laura who is a medium. Her visions center around the bracelet and the people touched by it. She’s nice but a little too trusting for my taste.
The mystery here is why the bracelet is so important and who is willing to kill for it. I was surprised by the twist at the end and the epilogue was also a nice touch. It was a touch Indiana Jones with its historical artifact and race around the city, and in that it was a bit over the top.
The book is fast-paced with plenty of action, violence, and tension. We’ve also got a touch of the paranormal, too, with Laura who is a medium. Her visions center around the bracelet and the people touched by it. She’s nice but a little too trusting for my taste.
The mystery here is why the bracelet is so important and who is willing to kill for it. I was surprised by the twist at the end and the epilogue was also a nice touch. It was a touch Indiana Jones with its historical artifact and race around the city, and in that it was a bit over the top.
April 15, 2024
The Taste of Datura is an adventure. Nick Terenzi purchased an intricate brass bracelet some time ago in Rome. He tried to sell it and when he couldn’t, we went to the black market. Now, the Egyptians, the Turks, a Spanish professor, the UN, and a sexy flourist all want what Nick has. Nick doesn’t know what’s special about the bracelet, only that it’s his key to staying alive.
Bottom line: The Taste of Datura is for you if you like adventures building off mythology with a touch of paranormal.
Strengths of the story. The strength of the story is the composition itself. The Taste of Datura is listed on Amazon in the fiction / literature category. This fits as Datura is a little bit of everything. There is a mystery surrounding the bracelet – what makes it special, why major players want it. There is adventure as Nick loses the bracelet, fights to get it back, and transports it to Cairo. There is mythology in the roots of the bracelet, drawing in both Greek and Roman stories. There is thrill as the few people Nick trusts start dying and Nick knows he's next. There is paranormal when Nick meets Laura, a medium whose visions show her snippets of the bracelet’s turbulent past. This story gives readers a lot to unpack.
Nick is a likeable lead. He isn’t a professional and doesn’t have “people” or resources. He has a decent amount of common sense, unless he’s around one particular beautiful woman, which is pretty funny.
Laura is interesting in her own right. Her role isn’t traditional. She isn’t a sidekick or a partner, she isn’t a love interest. The best description may be a companion storyteller as she has takes the lead in her sections in a manner similar to a romance (but without the romance). She helps us as readers get a sense of the history. She does passout a lot and her accounts to Nick are less detailed than we get with the vision, giving us a clearer vision (pun!) than Nick.
The pacing of the story is good for keeping the reader’s attention. The author uses a few techniques including, as you heard, starting the story first with the past, then the near future, before settling into the present. I appreciated the epilogue which finished telling the 1890 history, giving us a satisfying end with information that Nick will never have.
The Napoli setting was affectionately written by someone who loves the area. The detail in the location, the food and drink, and the people reflect someone who has spent time there, not just researched on GoogleEarth.
Where the story fell short of ideal: The logic of the story holds up. In an adventure story, logic isn’t as core as in a mystery, it’s more about the hunt or the chase. Nick is more of a reactive hero than a driving force, responding to the actions of the various bad guys, again, common with adventures.
Nick’s actions are true to character. There is only one character whose actions, once the fully scope is revealed, doesn’t hold true. Interestingly, those around this character comment something like “I don’t know why they did that.” It wasn’t bad as much as weak.
The editing on this could have been sharper. There were little things that jumped out as I was reading, such as Nick grabbing his left torso and one of my kindle pages having sixteen sentences beginning with the word “He.” These weren’t big detractors of an overall fun story but something readers are likely to notice.
Bottom line: The Taste of Datura is for you if you like adventures building off mythology with a touch of paranormal.
Strengths of the story. The strength of the story is the composition itself. The Taste of Datura is listed on Amazon in the fiction / literature category. This fits as Datura is a little bit of everything. There is a mystery surrounding the bracelet – what makes it special, why major players want it. There is adventure as Nick loses the bracelet, fights to get it back, and transports it to Cairo. There is mythology in the roots of the bracelet, drawing in both Greek and Roman stories. There is thrill as the few people Nick trusts start dying and Nick knows he's next. There is paranormal when Nick meets Laura, a medium whose visions show her snippets of the bracelet’s turbulent past. This story gives readers a lot to unpack.
Nick is a likeable lead. He isn’t a professional and doesn’t have “people” or resources. He has a decent amount of common sense, unless he’s around one particular beautiful woman, which is pretty funny.
Laura is interesting in her own right. Her role isn’t traditional. She isn’t a sidekick or a partner, she isn’t a love interest. The best description may be a companion storyteller as she has takes the lead in her sections in a manner similar to a romance (but without the romance). She helps us as readers get a sense of the history. She does passout a lot and her accounts to Nick are less detailed than we get with the vision, giving us a clearer vision (pun!) than Nick.
The pacing of the story is good for keeping the reader’s attention. The author uses a few techniques including, as you heard, starting the story first with the past, then the near future, before settling into the present. I appreciated the epilogue which finished telling the 1890 history, giving us a satisfying end with information that Nick will never have.
The Napoli setting was affectionately written by someone who loves the area. The detail in the location, the food and drink, and the people reflect someone who has spent time there, not just researched on GoogleEarth.
Where the story fell short of ideal: The logic of the story holds up. In an adventure story, logic isn’t as core as in a mystery, it’s more about the hunt or the chase. Nick is more of a reactive hero than a driving force, responding to the actions of the various bad guys, again, common with adventures.
Nick’s actions are true to character. There is only one character whose actions, once the fully scope is revealed, doesn’t hold true. Interestingly, those around this character comment something like “I don’t know why they did that.” It wasn’t bad as much as weak.
The editing on this could have been sharper. There were little things that jumped out as I was reading, such as Nick grabbing his left torso and one of my kindle pages having sixteen sentences beginning with the word “He.” These weren’t big detractors of an overall fun story but something readers are likely to notice.
April 18, 2024
This novel is an adventure that takes readers through Naples. Petruzziello excels at description and creating atmosphere. Readers will feel a real sense of being grounded in the location and activities of the characters.
Nick, the hero, was a bit of a puzzle for me. I wanted to know more about him early on, his profession and perhaps a bit of his background. He is a flawed character and doesn't seem too bright, unable to figure out related events. He is more responsive to what's below his belt than what's above his neck, getting him into trouble. He is described as “feeling a fool” (1534/3854) and admits to his own procrastination and foolishness. (1676/3854) I would have preferred a stronger hero. There were a number of interesting support characters, however, adding depth to the plot.
This is a novel for readers would who like an adventure centered around finding the meaning and value of an ancient bracelet. There is a bit of a paranormal aspect as one of the characters has revelatory visions. There is lots of action and an interesting twist near the end.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners In Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Nick, the hero, was a bit of a puzzle for me. I wanted to know more about him early on, his profession and perhaps a bit of his background. He is a flawed character and doesn't seem too bright, unable to figure out related events. He is more responsive to what's below his belt than what's above his neck, getting him into trouble. He is described as “feeling a fool” (1534/3854) and admits to his own procrastination and foolishness. (1676/3854) I would have preferred a stronger hero. There were a number of interesting support characters, however, adding depth to the plot.
This is a novel for readers would who like an adventure centered around finding the meaning and value of an ancient bracelet. There is a bit of a paranormal aspect as one of the characters has revelatory visions. There is lots of action and an interesting twist near the end.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners In Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
April 15, 2024
I loved the premise of this book, based in Italy and also heavily in Europe. Our MC is named Nick. Nick is looking for a very old bracelet’s price in his possession. The bracelet has a history and a past. Everyone wants this thing and Nick is trying to figure out why.
I love fast paced action filled thrillers and this was a good one folks! The writing is superb overall, I was immediately transported into the world of Cairo and Italy. I loved the characters, they were also well written and I especially liked the character of Laura. She is a unknown medium looking to help, kind of😉 Laura is a very likeable character who I share some feelings of intuition in my life like she does, but to a lesser degree!
I loved the writing style of this book, it is definitely a story to read and find out what is going on with Nick, Laura, and the bracelet. And we also eventually at the ending find out who the bracelet belonged to and the value of it! I was surprised and loved that ending. I am also hoping for more in the Nick journey of his life.
I love fast paced action filled thrillers and this was a good one folks! The writing is superb overall, I was immediately transported into the world of Cairo and Italy. I loved the characters, they were also well written and I especially liked the character of Laura. She is a unknown medium looking to help, kind of😉 Laura is a very likeable character who I share some feelings of intuition in my life like she does, but to a lesser degree!
I loved the writing style of this book, it is definitely a story to read and find out what is going on with Nick, Laura, and the bracelet. And we also eventually at the ending find out who the bracelet belonged to and the value of it! I was surprised and loved that ending. I am also hoping for more in the Nick journey of his life.
April 6, 2024
The Taste of Datura by Lorenzo Petruzziello has a way with bringing to life his characters and fictional world. It feels so real. There is plenty of action, humor, and danger to keep crime fiction and cozy mystery fans happy. I like when mediums are used especially the ones trying to help but then get into harm's way due to the help or answers they provide. Treasure hunting, deadly, and intriguing as hell this book should be made into a film. I think fans of Agatha Christie and James Bond would like this book a lot.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
I received this copy from the publisher. This is my voluntary review.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews