Customer Reviews

Suspicion: A Novel

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This is a psychological 'noir' set in Florence.
Florence, for many years, was the true setting of some gruesome murders. Murders of young couples, with amputated bodily parts: women bodily parts only. The search for the killer went on for years and at some point, it peaked towards a conspiracy theory.

The novel, I believe, has recreated some of the tension which existed in reality in Florence and the narrative gives the reader a fluent and erudite insight into Motherhood protectiveness and denial of admission of guilt: it is said that "behind a serial killer there is a mother figure". True? Perhaps, I do not know, but the intent of the novel to try and unravel this theory is clear.

Scent, colours and, what I describe as the 'bohemian renascent' of Florence and Tuscany is clear and almost tangible.

Doncarlo

The cover flap creates the impression Laura Grimaldi is an acclaimed Italian writer, but I found this book boring. An elderly widow suspects her live-at-home son, who is bright but weird and stricken with diabetes, may be the serial murderer terrorizing Florence. And the son is hooked on a young drug addict, why we never understand. Maybe some fault in the mother-son relationship? The mother broods, the son broods, while the druggie strips his wallet.

The book is not well written. Over-indulgence on the murderer's gore, perhaps a feeble effort to add suspense where it's lacking, too many adverbs, mostly a dull narration and even duller dialogue. And not much of the color, mystery or glory of Florence. A predictable ending, too.

Robin Pickering-Iazzi, a professor at UW-Milwaukee took the time to translate this clunker. I'm wondering why.