The story takes place in two times, and normally I’m not a fan of this, but the times weren’t that far apart (1940s versus 1950s) and for some reason it didn’t bother me. Maybe because it was the same characters in both times and not some disjointed person in the present unravelling someone else’s story in the past. Anyway, it’s the story of a wealthy Italian family during World War II in Tuscany and then how they are targeted a decade later by a maniac (don’t worry, I’m giving anything away here you wouldn’t get in the first couple of chapters). It’s juxtaposed against the story of a now police detective and her experiences during the same time-frame in war-torn Italy.
I didn’t love this book or even really like it but I did enjoy it. Basically, it was just a really good mystery, that kept me guessing almost until the reveal. Furthermore, it took place in an area of Italy with which I’m exceedingly familiar, so much so, I could pin point the location of the fictional village and could picture the roads in the area. Lastly, it left me wishing that this was the first in a series of mysteries featuring Serafina as the Italian detective.
Alas, it’s a one off for the author, Chris Bohjalian. I think if you enjoy some of his other books (I’ve read Midwives and Double Bind and liked them), you will probably enjoy this too. If not, well, just pass it by.