First
Sentence: Death comes in on track three at 8:qr in the morning,
seven minutes behind schedule.
A killer
is loose in Naples; anonymous and methodical, yet keeping
a diary, known about only to him, of his actions. Insp. Giuseppe
Lojancono is mistrusted as a suspected snitch to the Mafia,
and has been transferred to an inconsequential post in Naples.
The only thing he is supposed to do is paperwork; no cases.
It's not his fault that he's the only one on duty when a call
comes in about a murder. In fact, it is the third execution-style
killing of a young person, all within days of each other.
Magistrate Laura Piras quickly learns that Lojancono is the
only one to have picked up on clues missed by others and orders
he be assigned to the investigation.
What a wonderfully evocative and compelling opening. The narrative,
which progresses through the story, is chilling for its complete
objectivity.
de Giovanni
has excelled at creating an excellent character in Lojancono
who is isolated by circumstances outside his own making. It
creates a strong bond of empathy to the reader. Yet he balances
that character with others who form a link to Lojancono, yet
have insecurities and failings of their own.
There are wonderfully descriptive passages throughout
"Dawn
on a rainy day. There's not a specific moment when you see
the dawn. Suddenly it's there, sliding into view while you
had your mind on other things." The one weakness, however,
is in the dialogue which often seems awkward, possibly due
to issues in translation.
This is definitely a darker book than his "Deed"
series, but de Giovanni is such a fine writer, he draws you
in and makes you want to know about the people and where the
story is going.
Crocodile is, in an odd way, a story of broken relationships,
and includes a very good description of grief. There is an
excellent building of suspense as the pace of the story accelerates.
All the pieces are brought together to a stunning conclusion.
de Giovanni is an author very worth reading.
|