Hidden loves and dangerous secrets may be uncovered as suspicion and lies swirl around trattoria Casa Maria and the Nazis tighten their grip on power in Italy in the powerful follow-up to Annabelle Thorpe's The Village Trattoria.

Family-run Casa Maria is the beating heart of beautiful Amatino in Umbria. But now it is under Nazi control, to the fury of matriarch Elena Capaldi. Forced to give board to a hated young German soldier, she reluctantly realises he shares her passion for cooking and can be a real help. But should an enemy soldier ever be trusted?

In Rome, Elena’s charismatic grandson, Giorgio, is undercover at the other family trattoria, leaving his new wife, Sophia, to keep the secret of his whereabouts. Amatino is seething with conspiracies and some would happily bring down the Capaldis and all they stand for. In war, there are always people ready to do business with the enemy...

Return to Casa Maria in this heart-wrenching follow-up to The Village Trattoria!

***

Readers LOVE The Moonlit Piazza:

'A poignant and evocative tale of resilience, family, and resistance' 5* Netgalley review
'Thorpe’s lyrical prose and nuanced storytelling make this a standout novel' 5* Netgalley review
'A moving story that will keep you hooked until the end' 5* Netgalley review
'The characters truly feel like family and their stories felt so real and powerful' 5* Netgalley review

all the settings are beautifully described * Historical Novel Review *
Gripping follow-up to The Village Trattoria * Chat Magazine *
Gripping follow-up to The Village Trattoria * Woman Magazine *

Annabelle Thorpe has been a travel and features journalist for over twenty years, spending six years on The Times Travel desk, before becoming deputy travel editor for Express Newspapers, and then taking the same role at the Observer. She was named one of the top 50 travel writers in the UK and has visited almost sixty countries, including crossing China by train, driving solo across the Omani desert, and nearly getting run over in Tripoli. Her first novel, The People We Were Before, was set in the Croatian civil war of the 1990s, her second, What Lies Within, is set in Marrakech. She has also written two travel books. Home is rural Sussex, with her husband and cat, although she remains a Londoner at heart.