Parma is shrouded in autumnal mist. Commissario Franco Soneri is called to a body found on the verge of the autosrada, where there has been a multi-vehicle pile-up. A lorry-load of bulls have broken loose and there is a Roma camp close by. The body has been badly and deliberately burnt.
The victim turns out to be a beautiful young Romanian girl with links to the Roma people. She operated under various names and had a string of well-off older lovers who have different perspectives on her character. Whilst they certainly give her presents, she is not a prostitute. Her day job seems to have been cleaning for a specialist firm of goldsmiths. She was, however, having an intense affair with the husband of the proprietor and was three months pregnant by him.
Soneri investigates at a leisurely pace. We are gently introduced to the unique working of the Italian crime and judicial system. The book was written in 2007 and it is therefore just about credible that a middle-aged commissario like Soneri should still be immune to technological advances. Soneri does things old-style. He believes that coincidences happens, that people are fallible, and all will become clear in the end. His private life is going through a troubled time, so he increases his visits to local bars and trattoria. He meets a down-at-heel marchese whose aristocratic demeanour gets him carte blanche for his eccentricities. He too is one of nature's philosophers and his interactions with Soneri are highlights of the story.
I was reminded of Camilleri's Mantalbano novels. The focus on food, regionality, character - alongside a wry commentary of the current state of affairs. Reading it was pure pleasure. I'm no expert on translations from the Italian but I will certainly keep an eye out for translator Joseph Farrell's versions of Dario Fo's plays. In fact I think I might Google them now...
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