Customer Reviews

The Neapolitan Streak

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Set in Verona in 1980, The Neapolitan Streak is the first in a series featuring Inspector Peroni, "the Valentino of the Police Force", a thoroughly likable Neapolitan working in Verona. Its solid whodunit plot involves modern politics and latter-day Montagues & Capulets; the tensions & stereotypes of northern vs southern Italians form an amusing counterpoint to the action. There are plenty of twists & surprises, but perhaps even more of a draw are the understated British humor (the author was British) and the well-drawn characters.

For the squeamish mystery-lover: there's no in-depth gore, just minimal descriptions of the crimes.

This will appeal to anyone who likes an Italian setting and/or dry British humor. Although Inspector Peroni is quite unlike Jonathan Argyll, I imagine these qualities would endear this book to anyone who enjoyed Iain Pears' Art History Mystery series.

I hope Felony & Mayhem is planning on reprinting the other 4 mysteries by this author (The Devil & the Dolce Vita, The Assissi Murders, At the Lake of Sudden Death and A funeral of gondolas). Highly recommended.

The story follows police detective Achille Peroni solving the murder of a former general in Verona. The crime itself isn't the most engaging, but the characters are. Holme really paints a vivid picture of Verona and the Italian lifestyle, which I found entertaining and enchanting. I'll be reading the other books in the series because I enjoyed this sense of 'armchair traveling' so much, but if you are looking for a truly clever and gripping mystery, this is not for you.