The warmth
is blanketing the city and most people left to celebrate their holidays at the
beach. It is August in Florence and the city is very quiet. Commissario
Bordelli is the one to hold the fort and he is called when an old lady is found
dead. On first sight it looks like a natural murder, brought on by an asthma
attack, but soon it becomes clear it was murder. The two nephews are suspects,
but how can Bordelli prove they killed their aunt?
Bordelli is assisted in this case by bright young police officer Piras, who happens to be the son of Bordelli’s old comrade when he fought in the partisans against the fascists and the Nazis.
English publication in 2011
Translated into English by: Stephen Sarterelli
Bordelli is assisted in this case by bright young police officer Piras, who happens to be the son of Bordelli’s old comrade when he fought in the partisans against the fascists and the Nazis.
Death in August is the first part in a series about
commissario Bordelli. The stories are set in the sixties, and in this first
story it is 1961. The war ended fifteen years ago, but the memories of what
happened in Italy and the things he saw often plague Bordelli. He never
married, but still hoped to meet the right woman one day.
Commissario
Bordelli has a strong sense of justice, for example he does not like to put
people in jail who stole something because they were hungry.
And when he
goes to the house of a prostitute he knows who is on holiday, Bordelli promised
to water her plants, he finds a burglar there. Bordelli recognizes the man and
knows he never has any luck. His solution is to give the burglar the keys of
the house and the job of watering the plants.
Bordelli
has friends from all walks of life, one of the high points in the book is the
diner party where a thief is cooking and a psychiatrist and a pathologist are
amongst the quests and they all discuss the war and life.
If you want
a fast-paced story with loads of action, than this is not the book for you. Death
in August by Marco Vichi is told slowly, both because it is August and the city
is too hot to do anything with haste, and also because it is set in 1961. It is
a story with a commissario who has his own sense of moral and justice, and the
atmosphere of Italy can be found on every page. If these are things you enjoy,
than this is the book for you. I really enjoyed it.
The next
books in the series are: Death and the Olive grove, Death in Sardinia and Death in Florence.
Original Italian
title: Il commissario Bordelli
Published
in 2002English publication in 2011
Translated into English by: Stephen Sarterelli
I love the cover art of this book, and it sounds interesting too!
ReplyDeleteI see your currently reading The Angel's Game - I look forward to hearing your thoughts on that one!
:-)
Bits & Bobs
All the covers in these series have the same kind of artwork, it really suits the books and the time they are set.
DeleteSo far I like The angel's game, but I will place a review when I have finished it!
Kind regards,