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The Fatal Touch: A Commissario Alec Blume Novel (The Alec Blume Novels) Hardcover – June 7, 2011

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Conor Fitzgerald (Author)
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Conor Fitzgerald (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars 45 customer reviews
Book 2 of 6 in the Alec Blume Series
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Product Details

  • Series: The Alec Blume Novels
  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (June 7, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9781608193295
  • ISBN-13: 978-1608193295
  • ASIN: 1608193292
  • Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #324,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsOld Masters, Old Swindlers and the American Commissario in Roma
By Blue in Washington TOP 1000 REVIEWER on April 26, 2011
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
"The Fatal Touch" is Conor Fitzgerald's second book in the Commissioner Alec Blume series, and a rather good mystery it is, with an intriguing focus on the world of fine art--production, reproduction and sales.

Blume is an unlikely Commissario of the Rome (as in Italy) Police, making him the fictional southern confrere of the equally fictional Guido Brunetti. His presence and position in Rome are explained in some detail by the author as the story unfolds. Overall though, his character gets somewhat shorter shrift than was the case in his debut in "Dogs of Rome", and there are other players in this story that come across as more interesting, real, scary, etc.

And the story in this case has an intriguing plot that opens with the death of an art forger who specialized in producing Renaissance and Baroque master drawings for sale to gullible, and usually greedy, collectors. As Commissario Blume delves into the forger's death, he quickly finds that it leads into a messy mix of artistic misdeed, betrayal, broken relationships and connections with some of the most unsavory government officials in the country.

One such unpleasant character is the off-the-charts unscrupulous Colonel Farinelli of the Art Theft Division of the Carabinieri, who it will turn out, had been a partner in crime with the deceased forger. Author Fitzgerald invests a great deal of time and detail to bring this character into focus, and succeeds in presenting the reader with a menacing vision of the older Orson Wells in "Touch of Evil" (my impression at least).

Another character in this story who is rather skillfully developed is Inspector Caterina Matteolii, who seems destined to become Commissario Blume's better professional half.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsA good start, but not quite there yet.
By P. Wung VINE VOICE on July 22, 2011
Format: Hardcover
It is very difficult to enter into a mystery genre when the marketplace is already filled with others trying to use the same starting point as you are. Colin Fitzgerald is jumping into the Italian murder mystery club with an added side note of art history, or more accurately, the art forgery genre.

While this book shows good promise and held my interest for long periods of time, there are significant weaknesses. It just seems like the author really doesn't know where he is headed with the protagonist. The character development is somewhat weak, and the plotting is ambiguous. This is especially glaring when comparing Alec Blume with such characters as Aurelio Zen, Guido Brunetti, Inspector Montalbano, and Jonathan Argyll. Granted, comparisons with those characters are unfair since they are well ingrained in our minds, since they have long been established, but such is the perils of entering into genre fiction writing.

I can see Blume developing into an interesting character. His quirks, personal pain, and warped sense of humor need to be examined in sharper focus and used in ways that are more than window dressing. The meandering nature of the plot needs to be a little more focused, and the villains need to be less pure evil and more nuanced. The villain in this book is almost a caricature of a villain.

Not that this story has no redeeming qualities. Blumes' newly introduced sidekick is a nice touch, bringing some sense of freshness and hope for the story. While she is a minor character, I am hoping she grows like Annie Cabot in the Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson. Blumes little interplays with his subordinates are at this point, a little forced. He doesn't spar with them with the ease of Inspector Montalbano, but again it shows promise.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsIntrigue in Italy
By P. Edie on January 22, 2012
Format: Hardcover
"The Fatal Touch" written by Conor Fitzgerald, is the second novel in the Commissario Alec Blume series. Set in Rome, I was anticipating a delightful experience of walking the streets and alleys of the Eternal City. The plot involves the murder of an art forger, Henry Treacy, and the twists and turns as Blume and his partner, Caterina Matiola, deal with the Carbinieri, the corruption of highly placed police officials, the mafia, and thugs. As much as I wanted to be caught up in the story, I found it plodding and a bit meandering. Except for Caterina, I found it difficult to connect with the characters. The author uses the technique of reading from some old memoirs to give you history of the story and for me it seemed tedious. I did come away with a better understanding of the world of art forgery and corruption within the Italian police force.
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4.0 out of 5 starsBlume in Love
By Jersey Exile on September 28, 2011
Format: Hardcover
Alec Blume is back in Conor Fitzgerald's sequel to "The Dogs of Rome."

"The Fatal Touch" returns to the basic theme of corruption among Italian police agencies, but this time framed not in the world of underground dog fighting, but rather the world of art forgery. Who is Henry Treacy? Was his death an accident or murder? And if it was murder, who killed him, and why?

Blume's former partner, Beppo Paolini, returns to help Blume, but his new inspector is Caterina Mattiola, a single mother who transferred to the murder squad from immigration investigations. She has talent and intuition, but is struggling with the old boys club among the state police, and trying to accommodate Blume's often abrasive style. Together, Blume and Mattiola seek to solve Treacy's death and a series of muggings of foreign tourists - which might include Treacy.

Fitzgerald's most compelling characters are the villains. In "The Dogs of Rome," it is a psychopathic murderer. In "The Fatal Touch," it is a Carabinieri colonel in the Art Forgeries and Heritage Division, a man who physically and psychologically is reminiscent of Orson Welles' character, Hank Quinlan, in "Touch of Evil." Colonel Farinelli is both repellent and superficially charming; a man with refined and enormous tastes in food and art, and an equally enormous capacity for corruption and treachery. He is a fully-drawn character, which I wish was also true for Blume and Mattiola. What does Catarina look like? The only real reference is to the figure of the Madonna in Caravaggio's "Rest on the Flight Into Egypt." Thank heaven for the Internet.

The plot is intricate, satisfying, and a good overview of art forgery and the enablers who paint the forgeries, provide false provenance for the forgeries, sell the forgeries, and buy the forgeries.

I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as "The Dogs of Rome," but it made me look forward to Fitzgerald's next Alec Blume novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsI very much enjoy this series and plan to keep reading them

I very much enjoy this series and plan to keep reading them. I love how the author captures the atmosphere of Rome.

Published 8 months ago by Simon Fraser
5.0 out of 5 starsThe fatal touch.

I thoroughly enjoy every one of these books.

Published 9 months ago by jo
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you enjoy this genre

Fitzgerald uses his knowledge of the human condition and international culture, both past and present to write inspired crime fiction. Read more

Published 11 months ago by Richard Holzinger
4.0 out of 5 starsGood series!

Looking forward to reading more of this series.

Published 12 months ago by Mary Jane McKitis
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

An excellent story.

Published 15 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Complex with details but overall a good read!

Published 16 months ago by William L Butler
4.0 out of 5 starsgood but too long

Enjoyed this book very much. Italian setting entertaining and characters interesting with personalities. I would recommend to the detective enthusiastist

Published 17 months ago by Elizabeth l. Pullen
4.0 out of 5 starsA good read

If you want a good read in an Italian setting, this is it

Published 17 months ago by J. Murray
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Read in a Rome Based Series

Commissario Blume embroiled in another intricate Rome based plot but is it murder, natural causes, or a mugging gone fatal? Read more

Published 17 months ago by Ina
3.0 out of 5 starsReadable but disjointed

nice prose. great characters. plot doesn't flow and way too many events that are disconnected. maybe that's how real life is but this genre requires a nice unfolding into an... Read more

Published 21 months ago by Paul Jorgensen

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