More Italian crime fiction, this time featuring Castagnetti or known informally as Casta, a bee-keeping private detective who is based in an unnamed city but which from the descriptions and names of places in the book sounds like Parma, Italy. According to the book blurb, fourteen years ago Silvia Salati's son went missing while waiting for a train. When Silvia dies, the mystery of her son's circumstances becomes an obstacle to disposing of her estate. Her other heirs demand action, and so Castagnetti is commissioned by a notary to change the son's status from 'missing' to 'presumed dead'.
But Castagnetti, who lost his parents and optimism long ago, isn't the sort to content himself with presumption. He likes certainty, and wants justice. Before long he is reopening wounds, exposing family secrets and uncovering a plot as thick and chilling as Italian fog.
The Salati Case (2009) is the debut in the Italian PI Castagnetti series. Another highly satisfying read of an ever-changing Italy with its juxtaposition of the past and the modern which I highly recommend.
About the author: Tobias Jones studied at Jesus College, Oxford. He was on the staff of the London Review of Books and the Independent on Sunday before moving to Parma in Italy in 1999. Since the publication of his bestseller The Dark Heart of Italy (2003), he has written and presented documentaries for BBC TV and radio and for RAI 3. He is the regular contributor for the British and Italian press and is a columnist for Internazionale. Do check out his website for more information on his other books.
Rating: 5/5
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