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I Will Have Vengeance: The Winter of Commissario Ricciardi (The Commissario Ricciardi Mysteries Book 1) by [Maurizio de Giovanni, Annie Milano Appel]

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Maurizio De Giovanni

I Will Have Vengeance: The Winter of Commissario Ricciardi (The Commissario Ricciardi Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Maurizio de Giovanni (Author), Annie Milano Appel (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

188 ratings

Book 1 of 10: The Commissario Ricciardi Mysteries

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Introducing Italy’s Commissario Ricciardi. “De Giovanni’s distinct brand of noir . . . will appeal to Agatha Christie and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán fans” (Publishers Weekly).

Commissario Ricciardi has visions. He sees the final seconds in the lives of victims of violent deaths. It is both a gift and a curse. It has helped him become one of the most successful homicide detectives on the Naples police front. But the horror of his visions has hollowed him out emotionally. He drinks too much and sleeps too little. Other than his loyal partner, Brigadier Maione, he has no friends.

Naples, March 1931. A bitter wind stalks the city streets, and murder lies at its cold heart. When the world’s greatest tenor, Maestro Arnaldo Vezzi, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples’ San Carlo Theatre, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called in to investigate.

Arrogant and bad-tempered, Vezzi was adored by millions and hated by hundreds, but with the livelihoods of everyone at the San Carlo opera at stake, who there would have committed such an act? Ricciardi is determined to find out.

Fans of Donna Leon and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán will thrill to this fresh voice in crime fiction. I Will Have Vengeance is the first book in a quartet of masterful crime novels set in fascist Italy.

“A welcome addition to the pantheon of Italian crime fiction . . . Ricciardi is a suitably principled, charismatic yet enigmatic detective.” —Euro Crime

“The combination of an unusual detective, historical setting and Italian opera was impossible to resist.” —Crimetime.co.uk

Print length

217 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Europa Editions
Publication date

December 31, 2012
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

4592 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maurizio de Giovanni lives and works in Naples. His Commissario Ricciardi series, of which I Will Have Vengeance is the first, has quickly made him one of Italy's most popular and acclaimed crime authors. Europa Editions has published all five books in the series—Everyone in Their Place, The Day of the Dead, I Will Have Vengeance, Blood Curse, and By My Hand—and the standalone Neapolitan thriller, The Crocodile.

Anne Milano Appel's translation of Stefano Bortolussi's novel Head Above Water was the winner of the 2004 Northern California Book Award for Translation. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

Praise for I Will Have Vengeance

"De Giovanni's distinct brand of noir...will appeal to Agatha Christie and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán fans."
—Publishers Weekly

"The combination of an unusual detective, historical setting and Italian opera was impossible to resist."
—Crimetime.co.uk

"...such detailed images in the novel that will haunt me for a long time to come"
—Books and Writers

"...a colourful novel that imparts a strong sense of time and place...there's more than a touch of Agatha Christie in this tale."
—Curious book fans --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079MGDBJQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Europa Editions (December 31, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 31, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4592 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 217 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #37,306 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #196 in Ghost Mysteries
- #272 in International Mystery & Crime (Kindle Store)
- #322 in International Mystery & Crime (Books)

Customer Reviews:
188 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

188 global ratings

5 star		54%
4 star		29%
3 star		11%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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This is one of the best crime novels I have read in a long time

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 20, 2014

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This is one of the best crime novels I have read in a long time. I will definitely be reading more by De Giovanni. Okay to get started the setting is 1931 fascist Naples, Italy. The protagonist is Luigi Alfredo Ricciardi currently police commissioner of Naples. He has an unusual gift wherein he can see the last few seconds in the life of victims of violent crimes, many of these visions he sees throughout the novel are not connected to the investigation he is currently involved in. He discovered this gift as a young boy and it has left him emotionally drained and unable to interact with other people. He has one friend, a man who works for him, Brigadier Raffaele Maione, who would do anything for the Commissioner. Further he works for a self-serving buffoon who worries only about himself who you will immediately hate.

This particular story revolves around the murder of a famous opera tenor Arnaldo Vezzi. Although he was a genius in the opera world he was a despicable human being and hated by most everyone who met him making the list of suspects very long indeed. Ricciardi works tirelessly on the case though slowly eliminating suspects. Now you might think because Ricciardi can hear the last words spoken by a victim that this would make cases easy to solve but this is not the case and fortunately for the readers we must follow along as Ricciardi and Maione work the case.

I fell in love with Commissioner Ricciardi as he has deep feelings and thoughts and is very much in tune with the victims of violent deaths. He suffers intensely from the sights and sounds he receives from the recently deceased. Further he is a man of integrity and a romantic at heart as evidenced by his muse, Enrica, who he has never spoken to but worships from afar.

If you liked Stieg Larsson's and Jo Nesbo's novels then you will love De Giovanni's. I can't wait to get started on #2 in this series and find out what Commissioner Ricciardi is up to now. Enjoy reading!

6 people found this helpful

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Patto

I love this intense, tormented investigator

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 28, 2013

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Commissario Ricciardi is a young man and the most successful homicide investigator in Naples working during the fascist regime. He's well off and doesn't have to work, yet no one works longer hours. What drives him is a secret he can share with no one. When people die violently, they become visible to him briefly, in the surge of energy of their final thoughts. This has caused him to take the suffering of others on himself. Ricciardi is a kind of Christ figure, a man of sorrows of the police force.

Other people are often repelled by Ricciardi's troubled personality, his morose manner, his brusque indifference to everything but the task at hand, his piercing green eyes. But women feel the magnetism of the chaste commissario.

This book brings Riciardi a politically sensitive case. A famous opera singer is murdered. Arnoldo Vezzi is the world's greatest tenor - and a great favorite with El Duce. So the pressure is on for a quick solution to the crime.

There's a charming priest in this story who loves opera and sneaks into the theater to watch rehearsals and performances. Father Pierino becomes Ricciardi's instructor in opera culture. It's amusing to watch an odd partnership evolve between the bubbly priest and the glum cop.

Ricciardi also has a devoted subordinate who gathers intelligence for him - the one man in the department not repulsed or infuriated by the driven behavior of the commissario.

The circumstances surrounding the crime are rather like an opera. I found everything about this novel fascinating - the artful plot, the very human characters, the tense atmosphere of Fascist Italy. There's even the hint of a love story developing, which makes me eager to read the next book.

7 people found this helpful

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propertius

Through Naples Darkly, Very Darkly

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 22, 2013

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What makes a mystery story worth reading, not only once but twice, is that it introduces the reader to an alien world and atmosphere and intriguing characters. There are just so many methods and motives for commmitting a crime. What do you you remember about Raymond Chandler, Mike Hammer, Andrea Camilleri, Magdalen Nabb etc? It is the detective and the milieu in which they work. If these two elements are not arresting (Oh my I did it again) intriguing and provocative, then all you have is a puzzle (once done dissasemble and pack).

Maurizio de Giovanni's protagonist Detective Ricciardi says that all crime has one of two causes, hate and hunger. Ricciardi himself is a fascinating character, haunted by ghosts of the past, his troubled psyche intrigues almost all of the other characters in the book, from his assistant Maione, the priest Pierno Fave, his housekeeper, even the murder victim's wife Livia.

The other remarkable method the author uses, is his balancing of the Inspector's character with Naples. Not the Naples of tourists but Naples of superstitions, 1930's Naples with the specter of Mussolini haunting every one with his ubiquitous presence. Nowhere in Italy are people more open about their superstitions then here, and their fatalism is famous.

De Giovanni manages to bring the leitmotif of opera into his story without turning it into some puerile cliche. Without spoiling the fun, attention should be given to the use of names and historical references. Maurizio de Giovanni may not like Naples as Magdalen Nabb likes Florence or Andrea Camilleri likes Sicily, but he certainly knows it as well as they do their respective homes.

In short, a journey into a haunted man's soul with a Byronic attraction for all.

13 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Love the series, read the book!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 29, 2022

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The series plays remarkably close to the text, though Dr Giovanni can go deeper into Richardson's back story. For those who enjoyed the series, the book paints a slightly fuller picture!

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

JJ

Strangely haunting tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 12, 2016

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Set in Naples around the time of Mussolini being in power in the 1930s. Commissario Ricciardi is one of those strong, silent, honest detectives who makes few friends and is not that bothered. So far, so typical. However, he has one untypical trait. He sees dead bodies and hears the victims last words or thoughts. The 'ghosts' appear with whatever wounds took the victim from this world so, for the reader this can be a bit unpleasant, especially when it is a child. I found this a bit off-putting. However, I stuck with the book and was glad I did and found the story coming back to me days after I'd finished it. Quite a compelling read.
A famous and egotistical opera singer is murdered just before he is due on stage. With so many people about why did no one hear or see anything. Ricciardi must investigate, with his loyal sidekick Maione. But he must clear it up quickly. This is not good for the opera house and the tenor was a favourite of Il Duce so it must discreetly done.
I do hope Ricciardi gets to meet the woman in the flat opposite in future novels.

PHanson

He sees dead people and no-one likes him

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 26, 2014

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He sees dead people. A green-eyed, morose, aristocratic, senior policeman who unsettles his colleagues. He's damaged, naturally, by this curse of seeing those who have died violently - he sees their wounds and feels their final emotions. He has difficulty making friends and is isolated. Women seem to find him attractive tho' - surprise, surprise.

Set in 1930's Naples with the rise of fascism and its inherent threat of irrational brutality, the scene is set for an unsettling story.

Characters are competently given back-stories, relationships are explained, motivations explored and unearthed. Imagery is nicely satisfying and surprising at times. So why only three stars?

I was disappointed. In the middle third of the book I found my mind wandering repeatedly and I kept on putting the book down. The mystery lost dramatic tension and I flagged. I'm glad I persisted to the end because things picked up again. I will probably buy more of these, to read in order of publication, but only if the price is right.

Applecross

Pleasant Surprise

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 10, 2014

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I had picked up another novel by this author in the Library but before I read that, bought this for my Kindle. I found it intriguing and enjoyable - if somewhat fanciful. The descriptions of Naples and its people are vivid; the placing of the story in the time of Mussolini adds to the interest. The detective is unusual though there are one or two stock characters such as his Chief who is, as so many, unimaginative, stupid and self-serving. But it was enjoyable enough to make me look forward to reading the book I had originally borrowed. Unfortunately, although de Giovanni has written several books about the same detective, none of the others have been translated into English.

Speedwell

A worthwhile purchase

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

This, was enjoyable enough to buy the next two 'Ricciardi' without even 'looking inside'. The Commisarrio was believable, had an unusual 'gift' or 'curse' depending on your point of view, which I 'swallowed' without a blink, the 'drawing back of his curtain' in the evening was touching and revealed a further aspect to a complex character. The scenes and feel of Italy in this pre war setting were authentic and fascinating and I so enjoyed the opera loving priest who got embroiled in the crime. I'm looking forward to the next.

Barbaverde

A good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

Don't expect a thriller but it's a stylish whodunnit. Had early reservations re the supernatural visionary talents of the Commissa' but glad I read on. Opera fans will particularly enjoy the setting/background, but non-opera folk shouldn't be put off.

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