From Publishers Weekly
The taxidermist of the title of Di Fulvio's grim but often subtly amusing first crime novel, published in Italy in 2000 and shortlisted for the European Crime Writing Prize, relishes watching creatures die. His victims also include humans. The first policeman to realize what's going on when a series of mutilated bodies start to show up in and around a city that sounds a lot like Genoa is Chief Insp. Giacomo Amaldi, in his own depressed way as strange a character as the killer. As a garbage strike turns the city into an evil-smelling symbol of modern life, Di Fulvio deftly walks both sides of the noir line by letting us in on the joke—adding more and more problems to Amaldi's load, but always transcending dreary genre parody with a beautifully written phrase or paragraph.
(Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
In an unnamed city that bears a strong resemblance to Genoa, Chief Inspector Giacomo Amaldi burns with a singular need: "His talent was tracking down homicidal maniacs. That was his mission. That was all he had done for the last twenty years, even while he pretended to be busy chasing bag-snatchers and car thieves. He was especially interested in men who killed women." Luckily for Amaldi, an equally obsessive and grandiose fiend with a flair for taxidermy has begun murdering women for their body parts. And thanks to a series of astonishing coincidences--including Amaldi taking a break from his high-profile investigation to follow up a garden-variety harassment complaint--the detective is soon much closer to his prey than he realizes. The resulting melodrama plays out in the expected gruesome fashion. Di Fulvio makes a token attempt to create suspense, but Roger Ebert's Law of Economy of Characters immediately gives the game away. Die-hard Thomas Harris fans will find cheap thrills here, but this novel is more rote lecture than inspired Lecter.
Frank SennettCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"'A roman noir as dark as the soul of the killer, elegant and precise writing that describes the daily tribulations of an Italian city plagued by strikes. Society falls apart, the investigation leads nowhere. And yet Amaldi works his way through a puzzle anchored in the past.' Le Point 'A wonderful first novel that will seduce the fans of deranged murderers in the style of Hannibal Lecter. And beautifully written to boot.' RTF"
Book Description
“Di Fulvio exposes souls with the skills of a surgeon. It’s like turning the pages of something forbidden—seductive, elegant and dangerous.”—Alan Rickman
“A wonderful first novel that will seduce the fans of deranged murderers in the style of Hannibal Lecter. And beautifully written to boot.”— RTL
“A novel that caresses and kisses in order to violate the reader with greater ease.”— Rolling Stone
“A powerful psycho-thriller of spine-shivering intensity. Written with immense intelligence and passionate menace. Not to be read alone at night.”— The Times
“Know why she’s smiling?” he asked, pointing a small torch at the corpse. “Fish hooks. Two fish hooks at the corners of her mouth, a bit of nylon, pull it round the back of the head and tie a knot. Pretty straightforward, right?” Amaldi noticed the metallic glint at the corners of the taut mouth.
Inspector Amaldi has enough problems: a city choked by a pestilent rubbish strike, a beautiful student harassed by a telephone stalker, a colleague dying of cancer, and the mysterious disappearance of arson files concerning the city’s orphanage. Then the mutilated bodies begin to appear.
This novel of violence and decay, with its vividly portrayed characters, takes place over a few oppressive weeks in an unnamed Italian city that strongly evokes Genoa. A finalist for the European Crime Writing Prize.
About the Author
Luca di Fulvio, born in 1957, lives and works in Rome. He is a much acclaimed novelist, screenwriter and playwright Patrick McKeown specializes in the translation of literary fiction from the Italian.
