The light in the ruins, by Chris Bohjalian

 

The Light in the Ruins takes us to 1943-1944 rural Tuscany where the Nazis were making a last stand against the allies as they invaded Sicily and then began making their way north. The wartime period is juxtaposed by 1955 when a serial killer begins killing members of the Rosati family, whose estate was used by the Nazis near the end of the war. As Nazis plundered art work and antiquities from Italy, the Rosati estate comes to their attention when they learn of the Etruscan burial site that has been unearthed. One of the Nazis begin a romance with Christina Rosati, as Vittore Rosati works reluctantly with the Nazi officers who are identifying the antiquities they want to take. The Rosati parents walk a fine line trying to appease the Nazis without becoming targets of the partisan resistance fighters in the area. The Rosati family pays a heavy price for being at the center of this struggle, and they're trying to move on. But who is now targeting them? Serafina Bettini is a detective investigating the murders, which take her back to her own connection with the family when she was one of the partisan fighters who sought refuge at their estate near the end of the war. This was a well-written book that keeps you guessing until the end.