In the prologue 'Pino' Petri recalled shooting a man. Then we have short sections introducing us to several people, including -
- Napoleone Canessa, who hasn't seen his brother for 30 years. He nearly got mixed up with crime when young.
- Judge Federico Astroni, whose having an affair with a 50 y.o. ex-rebel. He lives under protection, which irritates his neighbours. He sleeps with Marta, a prosecutor of the case
- Rocco (a heavy from Naples) and Nando Pattanoni (who uses his cover as a private investigator to transgress) killed Petri and Napoleane.
- Carla Trovati, a journalist who nearly resisted sleeping with her boss, Giulio Strozzo
- Giannino Saleme, 70, a lawyer, friend of Giulio. He's not impressed by his son, Claudio. He caused Napoleone to be arrested long ago. He'd been released, no charge.
- Annibale Cannessa - a legend amongst police. He arrested Petri in Spain, then retired and got 2 degrees. 20+ years later his brother is killed.
- Repetto - Canessa's trusted underling, who retired roughly when Canessa did, and helps when he returns.
Giuseppi 'Pino' Petri, ex-killer, was out on parole.
Canessa sleeps with Carla. He interviews Petri's ex-cellmate Cannello. Learns little. Petri, out on parole, had learned IT in prison and got a job when he left. Canessa interviews one of his ex-colleagues who helps (with Carla's help) to access the newspaper archives Petri looked at - a list of his murders? Maybe Petri had deliberately left a trail. The colleague is killed (by Pattanoni and Rocco) after having been tortured for info. Cannessa begins to think that Petri had been trying to contact him, which was why he contacted his brother?
Back in 1980 he'd planned a raid on a Red Brigade cell only for it to taken from him at the last moment by the secret service who killed everyone because they wanted to show the press they were doing something. Canessa was shot by the secret service during the operation. He got promotion in return for his silence
Back in the current day Canessa shoots a husband in the leg after telling his wife and kids all about his secret life. Canessa and Repetto are ambushed by Pattanoni and Rocco. Repetto and Pattanoni are wounded, Rocco dies. Claudio kills Pattanoni - his first murder. The Salemes and Astroni make a plan.
Petri made a recording for Canessa, which he left with a churchman. Petri felt guilty that one of the murders he committed was of a husband whose wife was loved by the person who hired him - a magistrate. It's this secret that's the root of the trouble.
Carla had been passing on info to someone she shouldn't have trusted. In the end she and Canessa get together, she working in his aunt's restaurant as a penance for a while.
Canessa is like James bond at times - minisubs; an amazing ability to pick locks; excellent disguises; attractive to young women. Indeed, there are lots of younger woman with "men old enough to be her father".
"Terrorism ended with the supergrasses and the 1980s, when supporters became entrepeneurs and armed groups became rock bands" (p.165). "[Milan] was in the grip of an icy wind blowing in from the forts to the north" (p.170) - has something got lost in translation?
I'm not at all convinced - too many unbelievable events (out-of-character or unlikely). And the writing's rather creaky.
Other reviews
- Glen Harper (Overall the book is a satisfying introduction to what has become a series featuring perrone, though I have a couple of reservations. The first thing is that young women seem always to be compellingly attracted sexually to the old men ... a limited sccope of action for the women in the book. Canessa also possesses superhuman powers, it seems, when people are trying to kill him)
- goodreads
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