We met
Michele Balistreri in Roberto Costantini’s last book The deliverance of Evil. Here
we had a policeman who made a great mistake during a case in 1982 and who tried
to solve this years later. In this books there are sometimes references to
Michele’s childhood in Tripoli, but nothing much more is told.
An English translation will be available in August 2014.
In this
second book of what is to become a trilogy, we get to know Michele Balistreri
better. We meet him in the sixties in Tripoli, when Libya was still an Italian
colony. Michele’s father was one of the richest businessmen in Tripoli and this
gave Michele quite some influence with his peers. Still, he does not really
like his father and the way he thinks money is the most important thing. He
feels contempt to the shady deals his father makes and the way he even betrays
Italians if he has to. Michele feels better connected to his grandfather and
mother, who still believe Mussolini was betrayed by his own people.
In 1969
Michele has to deal with three things. Nadia, the sister of his two friends
Achmed and Karim is found murdered, his mother dies and Khadaffi takes over the
country, expelling all Italians. Michele has to go to Italy, although he does
not want to be there. He vows it will only be for a short time, then he will
come back to Africa.
However, in
1982 we still find him in Italy. He is by then a police officer in Rome. The first
case that went so spectacularly wrong is from the previous book is just over.
Michele is completely fed up, he hates all fathers, all women, all priests, all
politicians, all communists, all Italians and especially everybody who is
stupid enough to get murdered so he has to spend time solving the case.
Then a girl
from Argentina is found murdered and there are similarities with Nadia’s
murder, all those years ago. To solve the cases, see the connections and find
the root of all evil, Michele must dive into the past again.
Roberto Costantini managed to make Michele Balistreri a very
unpleasant person, you still feel for. Despite his indifference and his anger
he still had certain character traits that you can admire, such as a strong
sense of honesty and justice. Michele Balistreri doesn’t bullshit and he does
no deals. And when he is convinced he should do something, he is determined to
do it, despite the danger for himself. And you understand where his anger comes
from, even though the anger takes a not very pleasant form.
The root of all evil gives an interesting insight in the
way of living in Tripoli in the sixties. I especially liked how it makes you
understand Michele better. His background and youth is told in detail, but it
never gets boring. This is because it not only describes the case, but also the
main character. The case itself was also quite good, until the end I did not
know what had happened.
In short, a
very intelligent and well written thriller again, and I am very happy there
will be a third book to look forward to.
Original
Italian title: Alle radici del male
Published in
2012An English translation will be available in August 2014.
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