The Neapolitan streak [Hardcover]

Timothy Holme (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1980

Achille Peroni loves the spicy food and passionate arguments of southern Italy, land of his birth. But fate -- and the Italian police force -- have stuck him in Verona, a city of bean soup and endless problems with the Red Brigades, a vicious gang that relies on bombs and high-profile kidnappings to further its rather fuzzy political aims. When a wealthy general, head of one of Italy's finest Fascist families, goes missing from his palatial estate, the Reds are the most obvious suspects. But Peroni finds himself considering a crime far more subtle and sinister than anything the Reds can dream up. A crime, in fact, the leads all the way back to Romeo and Juliet, the most famous Vernoseses of them all.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The characters are delightfully etched, and Verona is bewitchingly presented" --Daily Telegraph (UK)

"The Montagues and Capulets return to life in a rich ambiance of neo-Fascism, corruption and murder...stylish done" --The Observer (UK)

"Peroni, an Anglophilic Italian, is a genuine find, an original and unusual hero" --Times of London (UK) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 223 pages
• Publisher: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan (1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698110528
• ISBN-13: 978-0698110526
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,582,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Italian intrigue told with British wit, April 4, 2008

By 

C. Morris - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Neapolitan Streak (Felony & Mayhem Mysteries) (Inspctr Peroni Myst Of Italy) (Paperback)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Light and engaging, March 15, 2011

By 

Calypso007 "myz" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Neapolitan Streak (Hardcover)

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.