Very engaging and enjoyable Italian crime story. The river Po is flooding the valley and a barge moves the river and finally runs aground. The pilot is not found aboard. The following day a man falls to his death from a hospital window. The missing pilot and the dead man have the same surname. Commissario Soneri, in the face of skepticism from the investigating magistrate senses a connection. The investigation in the closed community of river boat workers is hampered by the flood, fog and freezing of the river as much by the uncommunicative inhabitants of the area. Slowly the investigations find links in Italy Fascist history, gone but not forgotten. The reveals are quietly served up as the brutal story is unearth and the conclusion is satisfying and uncompromising.
The plot mechanics are deceptively simple, the way the past continues to shape and torment the present give then a sharp edge. The struggle by Commissario Soneri to maintain the investigation in the face of public and private pressure are a nice counterpoint to the lives still beholden to the past.
The cast are veery engaging, Commissario Soneri is patient and competent. He pursues the investigation with thoughtful care that finally leads to the terrible truth. The supporting cast are excellent, they are given the time and space to engage the reader. The community of river workers. Bonded by history and the river are treated with care and given the dignity they deserve. An interesting walk on part is Commissario Soneri’s romantic partner, a woman with very clear ideas of what she wants, she has a vivid intensity that is a pleasure to encounter.
The pace is unhurried, never slow, the story quietly engages the reader and draws them in. There are no action set pieces, the tension is subtle and effective. First rate crime fiction.
