The book
“Death in Florence” by Marco Vichi (Pegasus Crime, 385 pages, $25.95) (Translated from the Italian by Stephen Sartarelli)
Marco Vichi’s series of crime novels featuring the Florentine policeman Inspector Bordelli are as delicious and satisfying as the Tuscan cuisine that Bordelli savors every chance that he gets. The latest book in the series, “Death in Florence,” has just been issued in an English translation.
These books are set in Florence, Italy, during the 1960s. As this one begins it is October 1966, and the city is being drenched by constant rain. Some readers will recall that this steady precipitation eventually caused the River Arno to flood the city on Nov. 4.
If you have read any of the other titles in this series, “Death in August,” “Death and the Olive Grove” or “Death in Sardinia,” then you’ll know what to expect from this one. There will be a death, perhaps not even a suspicious one, and Bordelli will begin to doggedly devote himself to figuring out what has actually occurred.
In this one a young boy has simply vanished from the streets of Florence. Bordelli suspects foul play, but he has virtually no clues to guide him. After the unfortunate youth’s body is found buried in a remote woodland area, Bordelli scours the forest for any traces of the perpetrators of this evil deed.
He finds something among the fallen leaves, a random scrap of paper that probably has nothing to do with the crime. But that is all he has to go on, so he begins the painstaking process of turning this potential clue into something more substantial.
These books have a wonderful sense of familiarity. Bordelli tries to limit his cigarette consumption. As he gets closer to solving the cases he’ll be smoking like a fiend. He’ll take frequent meal breaks to visit the cook at his favorite restaurant. While they chat the cook will be whipping up some fabulous dishes for Bordelli to feast upon right there in the kitchen.
Bordelli has been unlucky in love. A confirmed bachelor, he still has an eye for the ladies and hasn’t stopped hoping that someday he’ll meet the right one. His best friend is a retired prostitute. She pampers him whenever he’s feeling down. Their relationship is chaste, but she wishes it wasn’t.
In each book Bordelli has frequent flashbacks to his days fighting the Germans during WW II. The fascists who ran Italy under Mussolini (Il Duce) before the war are still very much in evidence. Bordelli despises them. During his investigation he encounters a butcher who is clearly a secret admirer of Il Duce.
Bordelli knows how to play this game. He ingratiates himself with the butcher by pretending to be a fascist sympathizer. This interaction sets Bordelli on the path to solving this murder case. When the flood hits Florence Bordelli is trapped in his apartment and he fears his investigation will be thwarted by this natural disaster. The Inspector observes “cars crashed against buildings, banging into one another, knocking down street signs… a Volkswagen Beetle floated by like a boat ….”
This atmospheric period crime novel has it all, suspense, shadowy villains and a cop who will not stop until he solves this case. Bravo, Marco Vichi!
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