Armstrong and Oscar Books in Order

Armstrong and Oscar follows retired British detective Dan Armstrong as he discovers that leaving the police does not mean leaving murder behind. After a career in the Metropolitan Police, he heads to Tuscany for a writing retreat, hoping for quiet days, good food and time to think about what comes next.

That plan falls apart in Murder in Tuscany, when the famous crime author hosting the course is found stabbed with his own award in a hilltop villa. Dan steps in to help Inspector Virgilio Pisano from Florence, using his experience to read alibis and motives while trying to keep a low profile among the guests. By the end of the case he has inherited the victim's black labrador, Oscar, and realised he is not ready to give up investigating.

Over the rest of the series Dan settles into life in and around Florence. He turns his knack for asking awkward questions into work as a private investigator, taking on cases that lead him to golf resorts in Chianti, film sets, mountain hotels and quiet coastal towns. Oscar comes with him everywhere, charming witnesses, sniffing out trouble and providing a running commentary in wagging tail form. Virgilio and his wife, Lina, become real friends, and Dan slowly opens up after a painful divorce.

Each book offers a self contained mystery: a suspicious death in an isolated setting, a closed circle of suspects and a trail of clues that Dan and the local police have to piece together. The tone stays firmly cosy. The violence happens mostly off the page, the focus is on interviews, hunches and small details, and readers are encouraged to solve the puzzle alongside Dan.

The Italian setting is a constant. Williams leans into markets, trattorias and narrow backstreets, along with the countryside of vineyards, cypress trees and hill towns. Meals around a table, an afternoon espresso or a dip in the sea all give the cases a relaxed rhythm, even as the stakes rise.

At heart, the Armstrong and Oscar books are about second acts. Dan is working out who he is without a badge, learning a new language and building a chosen family in another country. Readers who enjoy classic whodunits, gentle humour, loyal dogs and a strong sense of place will find plenty to enjoy, whether they pick up Murder in Tuscany first or drop into the series later.