Blood Curse

Blood Curse (World Noir)

By Maurizio Giovanni

Europa Editions

ISBN #978-1609451134

384 Pages

Price $12.84

Rating 5-Stars

“A Mystery With Twists, And Characters That Come Alive.”

It’s 1931 Naples, and an old woman is found murdered. Investigation reveals that she was working as a fortune-teller and loan shark. Luigi Alfredo Ricciardi, Commissario of Public Safety in the Mobile Squad, Royal Police Headquarters, and his partner, Brigadier Raffaele Maione are assigned the case. They discover a notebook that lists the dead woman’s clients and their record of debts. Any of them could have killed the old woman, but it’s their job to find the guilty party.

The reader is captivated from the first page, and holds on for the full ride. We are never let down. Ricciardi has second sight; he can see the ghost of the victim’s final moments, and hear their last words. But this is merely a vague clue, and he must uncover the hidden meaning behind the final words. This is the type book that you either hate or love. I loved it. Although there is little or no action, we follow the investigators as they uncover clues and question suspects. We also get a view of their own lives in the background, and the story has two strong points: a great plot, and characters that come to life. It’s the characters that pull you into the story, and the plot that entangles you into the mystery. Just as the reader thinks they know who the killer is, twists will throw them off the scent again. I highly recommend this novel to pure mystery lovers.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories