Set in both the present day and 1970s Italy, The Two Women In Rome the title of the book refers to are Lottie - who is married to Tom Archer (who had a job with the British Council, but seems too good to be true in the eyes of Lottie's friends Helena and Peter) and works as an archivist in Italy - and the murdered Nina Lawrence. Nina's items are being archived by Lottie, with the former's story coming alive as Lottie opens each box of research papers.
This may be fiction, but is clearly well-researched as the detailed description (without overdoing it) of Rome's settings and the paintings Lottie looks at makes what we read seem more like non-fiction. The author also does a good job of establishing the theme of lost and found - we learn from the outset that Lottie, for instance, has been unable to trace her parents - while there's plenty of dialogue to keep things moving at a brisk enough pace.
This may be fiction, but is clearly well-researched as the detailed description (without overdoing it) of Rome's settings and the paintings Lottie looks at makes what we read seem more like non-fiction. The author also does a good job of establishing the theme of lost and found - we learn from the outset that Lottie, for instance, has been unable to trace her parents - while there's plenty of dialogue to keep things moving at a brisk enough pace.