Frank Abroad: When Life, Music, and Mystery Collide in Italy

There are some books you outline carefully.

There are others that ambush you.

Frank Abroad belongs to the second category.

This novel has been a long time coming. Back in 2018, my wife and I, along with our daughter Lilliana, my wife’s dad, her sister, and her brother-in-law, embarked on a pilgrimage to Italy to sing with the St. Mary’s of the Lake choir from Skaneateles, New York. What began as a musical journey became something much deeper — spiritually, emotionally, and creatively.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was gathering material.

A Trip That Refused to Stay a Memory

Italy has a way of imprinting itself on you.

The early morning light in Rome.
The layered silence of Assisi.
The warmth of Florence’s narrow streets.
The shimmering canals of Venice.
The quiet reverence of singing in sacred spaces where music has echoed for centuries.

That trip wasn’t simply tourism. It was shared meals, long bus rides, laughter, prayer, and music that carried emotion in ways words never could. Our choir director, Michael “Mickey” Kringer, brought a level of excellence and passion that elevated everyone. Father Bob Weber framed each day with reflection. Our unforgettable tour guide, Rita Lorenzini, infused every stop with energy and heart. And fellow travelers — including the unforgettable “Tuni,” whose spirit still lingers with all of us — made the experience richer than any itinerary could plan.

Many of those locations — and echoes of some of those personalities — found their way into Frank Abroad. Fiction transforms reality, of course, but the emotional truth of that journey remains intact in these pages.

Why Italy?

rank Rozzani has operated in familiar American terrain for years. In Frank Abroad, I wanted to remove him from comfort — geographically, emotionally, and morally.

Italy provided the perfect backdrop.

There’s something about the weight of history in Rome… the way the Colosseum casts a literal and symbolic shadow. The beauty of Florence feels almost deceptive — elegance layered over centuries of intrigue. Venice, with its labyrinthine canals and hidden passages, practically begs for secrets to be uncovered.

A foreign country strips away certainty. Language barriers create vulnerability. Cultural nuance complicates trust. In this novel, Frank must navigate all of that while confronting a case that is far darker than the beauty surrounding him would suggest.

From the opening scenes, the tension is palpable. The story begins not with postcard imagery, but with dread — a stark contrast to the luminous setting. That contrast became one of the central themes of the book: beauty and brutality existing side by side.

The Personal Thread

Writing Frank Abroad allowed me to revisit that 2018 trip through a different lens.

While the plot is entirely fictional, the emotional landscape is rooted in lived experience. The camaraderie of travelers. The hum of a choir rehearsing in an ancient cathedral. The feeling of standing in St. Peter’s Basilica and understanding, however briefly, how small you are in the grand arc of history.

Those sensations infused the novel.

Frank may be solving a mystery, but he’s also navigating family, love, identity, and the fragile nature of happiness — themes that resonate deeply with me as both a writer and a father. Watching my daughter sing in Italy was a profound moment. That sense of pride, of time passing too quickly, of wanting to hold onto a fleeting chapter — those emotions live inside this book.

A Challenging and Intriguing Backdrop

Writing a mystery set in Italy required careful attention to atmosphere.

Italy is romanticized in popular culture, and rightly so. But beneath its beauty lies complexity — political layers, regional identity, and modern realities coexisting with ancient tradition. That tension made the story richer. Every narrow street felt like it could conceal something. Every piazza became a stage.

Frank is forced to operate without his usual safety net. He must adapt, rely on instinct, and confront danger in unfamiliar territory. And perhaps most importantly, he must reckon with what matters most when the scenery changes but the stakes remain deadly.

A Book Close to My Heart

Every novel has its own journey. Some are purely imaginative. Others are rooted in memory.

Frank Abroad is both.

It is a mystery set against the beauty of Italy.
It is a detective story infused with music and faith.
It is a deeply personal reflection disguised as a thriller.

Most of all, it is a thank-you — to those who traveled with us in 2018, to the choir that made the trip unforgettable, and to the places that left an imprint on my heart.

I hope you enjoy reading Frank Abroad as much as I enjoyed writing it. You can purchase it by clicking on the button below:

And if you’ve ever traveled somewhere that changed you — even subtly — perhaps you’ll recognize a little of yourself in these pages.

— Don Massenzio