Trek the Transhumance in Abruzzo by author Bluette Matthey



Title: Corsican Justice
Author: Bluette Matthey
Publisher: Blue Shutter Publishing
Pages: 284
Genre: Travel Mystery
Format: Kindle/Paperback

 In Bluette Matthey's first novel, Corsican Justice, we are introduced to Hardy Durkin, an American tour outfitter who seems to experience a mystery at every stop. Hardy is visiting Corsica for the first time to explore the possibility of arranging a hiking tour for   segments of Corsica's infamous hiking trail, the GR20.  He was also seeking closure from the fact that his father was killed in a highway accident on the island of Corsica several years earlier, Hardy learns his father was actually murdered.  The truth of his father's murder lies among arms smuggling, Russian mobsters, and judicial corruption.

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  • Corsican Justice is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Title: Abruzzo Intrigue
Author: Bluette Matthey
Publisher: Blue Shutter Publishing
Pages: 310
Genre: Travel Mystery
Format: Kindle/Paperback

 Bluette Matthey's latest novel, Abruzzo Intrigue, embodies mystery, thievery, and spiritual encounters in this entangled plot, all set in the landscape of rural Italy. Hardy Durkin, an American tour outfitter, 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 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.

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  • Abruzzo Intrigue is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

Trek the Transhumance in Abruzzo

Trek the Transhumance in Abruzzo The tiny (population 50ish) fortified hill town of Castrovalva, Italy is perched on a knife-edge mountain overlooking the Sagittarius Gorge in Anversa degli Abruzzi. Made famous by M.C. Escher's lithograph in 1930, the village has changed little since it was built in the Middle Ages. For sure, there is electricity and running water, and the road has definitely been widened, but it over flows with old-world charm. Castrovalva is situated on an off-shoot of a Transhumance route, a narrow, pre-Roman trail used to move flocks of sheep spending their summers pasturing the mountains of Abruzzo in the warm months to the more-southern region of Puglia during winter. Although the trails are used less for sheep these days they make great hiking trails in a world of wild, spectacular beauty. So, join outfitter Hardy Durkin on a trek through Anversa degli Abruzzi. Visit Abruzzo's rich heritage, enjoy the butterflies, try some juniper-smoked ricotta, and have a good read: Abruzzo Intrigue. Bluette Matthey.com

Bluette Matthey is a third generation Swiss American and an avid lover of European cultures. She has decades of travel and writing experience. She is a keen reader of mysteries, especially those that immerse the reader in the history, inhabitants, culture, and cuisine of new places. Her passion for travel, except airports (where she keeps a mystery with her to pass the time), is shared by her husband, who owned a tour outfitter business in Europe. Bluette particularly loves to explore regions that are not on the "15 days in Europe" itineraries. She also enjoys little-known discoveries, such as the London Walks, in well-known areas. She firmly believes that walking and hiking bring her closer to the real life of any locale. Bluette maintains a list of hikes and pilgrimages throughout Europe for future exploration. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, faithful dog, and band of loving cats. You can visit Bluette’s website at www.bluettematthey.com

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