April 11, 2011
In Fitzgerald's exciting sequel to The Dogs of Rome, a string of muggings targeting foreign visitors staying at Rome's tourist hotels turns deadly when a man's body is found in Trastevere, a picturesque medieval neighborhood on the Tiber's west bank. But this victim is no travelerâhe's an art forger with a laundry list of enemies. Police Commissioner Alec Blume, an American expatriate who's lived in Rome for more than 20 years, and his team have barely begun investigating when the carabinieri take over. Alec calls on old friends for help as the carabinieri's crooked Colonel Farinelli tries to discredit him. The heroic if aloof Alec sees the same outsider qualities in Caterina Mattiola, a rookie inspector and single mother, whom he patiently shows the details of detective work and office politics. Intriguing touches such as the tools a forger has in the kitchen and a strong sense of Rome's environs enrich the intelligent plot.
Starred review from April 1, 2011
Rome's Commissario Alec Blume suspects there is more to an old bum's death than too much drinking when his body is found in the street. Blume's instincts are spot-on as the victim--a homicide?--turns out to be Henry Treacy, an infamous art forger. Quite good at his craft, Henry left behind a detailed set of notebooks that people might kill to obtain. Blume's assistant, Insp. Caterina Mattiola, is flummoxed by her boss's unorthodox methods, but she has enough intuition to trust him. The danger ratchets up dramatically when the corrupt and powerful Col. Orazio Farinelli from the Art Forgery and Heritage Division makes it clear that he can and will kill people who hide notebooks from him. VERDICT The search for the authentic goes beyond art in this outstanding police procedural. Recommend for readers who relish a police ensemble cast (first introduced in The Dogs of Rome) just starting to gel. Donna Leon and Louise Penny fans would probably like this one, as might the Dan Brown art thriller crowd.
Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.