Suburra

June 19, 2017
In 1993, 18-year-old Marco Malatesta, the hero of this fast-moving crime thriller from journalist Bonini and novelist De Cataldo (The Father and the Foreigner), was a “hoodlum from Talenti with plenty of heart.” He followed a gang leader known as Samurai, who asserted that certain acts considered criminal by the bourgeoisie such as theft and assault were appropriate responses to an inadequate justice system. But after realizing that Samurai was merely interested in consolidating his own power, Marco broke with him and joined the police. With his past a closely held secret, Marco rose through the ranks and eventually became a lieutenant colonel. In the present, an outbreak of violence in Rome appears to be the initial stage of a full-fledged Mafia gang war that Samurai might be involved in. When a massacre confirms Marco’s suspicion that Samurai is involved, the policeman is sidelined, forcing him to be creative in his pursuit of justice. The authors effectively use genre formulas to provide an unflinching look at real-life widespread corruption in Italy.

Edoardo Ballerini is akin to a narration magician. Few others could make this novel full of unlikable Mafioso--with vocabularies to rival those of middle school boys--an enjoyable listening experience, but he achieves this feat. The detestable thugs in this Italian crime story are somewhat caricatured--especially their misogyny and egocentrism--but they are disturbingly intensified through Ballerini's emphatically evil portrayal. Bonini and de Cataldo's writing itself creates little for the listener to care about; the performance is the audiobook's saving grace. Ballerini's energy and emotion keep the listener anticipating what's to come. J.F. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine