Aden and Joan are retirees who travel the world house-sitting. Their latest assignment takes them to Venice, Italy. What was supposed to be a romantic experience over Carnival turns into an assignment that they'll never forget when they stumble across a dead woman. What's worse, the woman is the daughter of the homeowners they're house-sitting for.

Luckily, Aden is a retired sheriff and Joan a retired 9-1-1 operator! They team up to use their investigative skills in order to help their hosts discover the truth behind their daughter's death.

Victimized in Venice is an interesting mix between a cozy mystery and a travelogue. It's a combination I didn't know I needed! I especially liked how the book took us around Venice. It incorporated local architecture, historic sites, and even social issues in Venice such as over-tourism and rising housing prices.

Readers who are mostly interested in the mystery may not be interested in the travel components of the book. At times, the travel component is tangential to the plot. They might also find its inclusion to be a bit unnatural.

As for the mystery itself, I thought that it could have been more clearly resolved. The ending made sense, but I still wasn't 100% certain about why and how the daughter was killed.

However, to me, the travel component was so strong that it overpowered my dislike of the mystery's resolution. I felt like it took me right into the streets of Venice! I also thought that it made for quite a unique read.

Please note that this book does reference the coronavirus pandemic - specifically, the early days of the pandemic in Italy. In my opinion, these references aren't too heavy, but readers who are looking for an escapist read may want to skim over these parts.

When I read this book, it was available for free from Kindle Unlimited (Canada).

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