Billie
Walker Mystery #3
The Italian Secret by Tara Moss
Published: December
2, 2025 by Dutton
Genre: Historical
Fiction
Naples, 1943. Deep within a secret network of underground tunnels, a woman takes shelter from a wartime air raid and prays her husband will return home safe.
Pacific Ocean, 1907. A girl embarks on a lonely journey to begin a new life far from home.
Sydney, 1948. Billie Walker, recently returned from a stint as a wartime investigative journalist, has reopened her father’s private inquiry office. One day, Billie is cleaning out old filing cabinets when she uncovers a dusty box whose contents just might upend everything Billie thought she knew about her late, beloved father.
Soon Billie is on the scent, uncovering the secrets of her family’s past, travelling aboard the first post-war luxury passenger ship from Sydney to Naples in search of answers. And as the trail leads her toward two women whose history may be entwined with her own, she realizes she might be putting all three of them in harm’s way. Billie’s father had an enemy—one who may now be stalking Billie around the world—and the closer Billie gets to the truth, the more danger she finds herself in.
My Thoughts:
The Italian Secret is an amazing historical fiction book. The storyline is entertaining and full of
adventure. The characters are strong,
independent, and realistic. I love that
the main character, Billie, is a woman who has a career she loves, is not
afraid to take charge in a man’s world.
I enjoyed that there was a slight romance within the
story. Billie does not need a man but
she also wants the right man. She puts
herself out there to let Hank know that she is interested. The romance played a small part of the book,
and I will hope that it will continue in future books. Maybe a love triangle??
This is book three in the series, and I have not read the
first 2 books. I felt like I was
missing some of the back story and relationships. I do not think they must be read in order,
but I do think it would add more to the story to know what happened in earlier
books.
Thank you Dutton Books for a copy of the book via NetGalley
in exchange for my honest review.
Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy on Amazon
Moss is an outspoken advocate for the rights of women and children, and people with disabilities, and has also published two best-selling non-fiction books, The Fictional Woman and Speaking Out - A 21st Century Guide for Women and Girls.
She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2007 and as of 2013 is UNICEF Australia’s National Ambassador for Child Survival, and has visited Australian hospitals, maternity wards and schools as well as Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon in her UNICEF role. In 2015 she received an Edna Ryan Award for her significant contribution to feminist debate, speaking out for women and children and inspiring others to challenge the status quo.
Her in-depth novel research has seen her tour the FBI Academy at Quantico, spend time in squad cars, morgues, prisons, the Hare Psychopathy Lab, the Supreme Court and criminology conferences, take polygraph tests, shoot weapons, conduct surveillance, pass the Firearms Training Simulator (FATSII) with the LAPD, pull 4.2 G’s doing loops over the Sydney Opera House flying with the RAAF, and acquire her CAMS race driver licence. She has hosted the true crime documentary series Tough Nuts – Australia’s Hardest Criminals on the Crime & Investigation Network, ‘Tara Moss Investigates’ on the National Geographic Channel and the author interview show Tara in Conversation on 13th Street Universal. In 2014 she was recognised for Outstanding Advocacy for her blog Manus Island: An insider’s report, which helped to break information to the public about the events surrounding the alleged murder of Reza Barati inside the Australian-run Manus Island Immigration Detention Centre.
She has earned her private investigator credentials (Cert III) from the Australian Security Academy.
Moss is a dual Australian/Canadian citizen. Visit her at TaraRaeMoss.com
Recent Awards and Accolades:
2012 Australia’s 20 Most Influential Female Voices
2013 Australia’s Most inspiring Women ‘who push boundaries, create change and motivate’
2014 Outstanding Advocacy Award for Manus Island: An insider’s report
2014 Cosmo’s The Women Who Made 2014 Better for The Fictional Woman
2014 Influential Women of 2014, alongside Malala, Laura Bates, Angelina Jolie and more
2014 The Hoopla‘s The Female Eunuch Award for The Fictional Woman
2015 Best Designed Non-Fiction Book Award, for The Fictional Woman designed by Tara Moss and Matt Stanton
2015 Part of the University of Sydney’s Leadership for Good
2015 Edna Ryan Award - ‘Grand Stirrer Award’ for making a feminist difference by speaking out for women and children, for a significant contribution to feminist debate and inciting others to challenge the status quo
2016 Champion of the West award for community service
2017 The Order of Lambrick Park
2018 International Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life ‘recognises the achievements of individuals who have used their position in public life, for example as a campaigner, politician or journalist to make an impact in diversity.’ Listed alongside Malala Yousufzai, Angelina Jolie, Bernie Sanders, Emma Watson, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet and more.
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