The Blurb:
There's a monster lurking in these woods...
In a quiet village surrounded by the imposing Italian Alps, a series of brutal assaults take place.
Police inspector Teresa Battaglia is called in when the first body is found. Soon more victims are discovered - all horrifically mutilated - and when a new-born baby is kidnapped, Teresa's investigation becomes a race against the clock.
But Teresa is also fighting a battle against her own body, weighed down by age and diabetes, and her mind, once invincible and now slowly gnawing away at her memory...
Flowers Over The Inferno was published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (part of Orion Publishing Group on 7th February 2019. You can buy it from Waterstones and Amazon.
My Review:
I'm always excited to read a debut novel, particularly when it's the start of a planned series. In addition to that, this was the first book I've read set in this particular part of the world.
I'm going to be careful what I say because I really don't want to give anything away.
In the village of Traveni in the Italian Alps, a series of horrific incidents take place, starting with a murder and including the kidnap of a baby boy. Superintendent Teresa Battaglia feels they are all related and tries to pull together an idea of the perpetrator and his motivation. Along the way she discovers a very different but equally horrific crime from decades earlier, and a desperately sad story.
Teresa Battaglia is marvellous. Quite ordinary really, she's in her sixties, a bit overweight and diabetic. She's gruff, independent and strong minded, but can be gentle and has occasional flashes of weakness, of which she is desperately ashamed. But what her fiercely loyal team don't know is that she is starting to have some memory issues, and that terrifies her. It is so refreshing to have a main character who is an older woman, and not a glamorous one either - bravo to the author!
I loved Battaglia's developing relationship with Marini, the new guy in the team. She is pretty merciless with him as he continually attempts to impress her and many of their exchanges provide some much needed light relief. This book is very character driven, and every single one is exquisitely drawn. I really cared about all of them - well most of them anyway. And The four young friends who feature are fabulous.
The scenery also plays an important role, with the mountains and woods appearing as imposing characters. The woodland is particularly significant, under threat as it is from development.
This is a dark tale, told in a dual timeline - the present and the past, beginning in the seventies. The story moves backwards and forwards between the two eras as we discover awful deeds in both times and the links between the two. It wasn't always easy to follow, but some of that was due to the formatting of my review copy, which I'm sure has been corrected.
The crimes featured here are shocking and horrific, and tell a bleak tale. The action is constant and details are teased out. The story is written in a beautiful way with a very human touch. And it shows how important love is to us all. Ilaria Tuti is a fresh new voice in crime fiction and this is an assured debut. I very much look forward to reading more about Teresa Battaglia.
The Author:
Ilaria Tuti lives in Friuli, in the far north-eastern part of Italy. Flowers Over The Inferno, her debut novel and the first book in the Teresa Battaglia trilogy, was a top 10 bestseller on publication and the biggest debut of 2018 in Italy.
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