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For you the war is over
Jun. 30th, 2023 08:15 pmBook Review: The Damned Season, by Carlo Lucarelli
This is an equally slim sequel to Carte Blanche and although it stands on its own as a story, it does make more sense to read them in order, as this follows on more or less immediately. Inspector De Luca is on the run; Communist partisans have him on their "wanted" list, as a de facto instrument of the fascist regime. But despite false papers, he is recognised while travelling from Bologna to Ravenna, by a man now running the local police, who has a local case to solve and needs some help, and isn't beneath a little blackmail.
The black-and-white of the criminal case contrasts with the rather grey area of De Luca's loyalties. Perhaps working on the case is penitential; perhaps it is just another job. Like the previous story, the investigation bumps up against authorities, of a different sort this time; and there are a few surprises in the way the story concludes. It's clever enough to make me want to read the third volume.
This is an equally slim sequel to Carte Blanche and although it stands on its own as a story, it does make more sense to read them in order, as this follows on more or less immediately. Inspector De Luca is on the run; Communist partisans have him on their "wanted" list, as a de facto instrument of the fascist regime. But despite false papers, he is recognised while travelling from Bologna to Ravenna, by a man now running the local police, who has a local case to solve and needs some help, and isn't beneath a little blackmail.
The black-and-white of the criminal case contrasts with the rather grey area of De Luca's loyalties. Perhaps working on the case is penitential; perhaps it is just another job. Like the previous story, the investigation bumps up against authorities, of a different sort this time; and there are a few surprises in the way the story concludes. It's clever enough to make me want to read the third volume.