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.

July 1, 2017
Rome is a hotbed of political corruption, violence, and scheming at the end of Silvio Berlusconi's reign as prime minister in this modern Mafia novel.Some of the most powerful Mafia families in town, led by a shadowy figurehead known as Samurai, are taking advantage of the unrest to hatch a multibillion dollar plan to build a luxury waterfront development that will also give them full control of the nearby port of Ostia. But Mafia egos are notoriously delicate, and, inevitably, murder will undercut the spirit of "family" cooperation. The novel begins with a politician covering up the death of a prostitute he's just had sex with, which leads a relatively unimportant gang member to overestimate his power. When he ends up murdered, the response from his family is swift. In the middle of this vicious quagmire stands one smart and noble Carabinieri, Marco Malatesta, himself a product of the violent streets. With help from the magistrate Michelangelo de Candia and a firebrand leftist named Alice Savelli, Marco not only uncovers the complex plans and the murders at their heart, but also sets his sights on Samurai, determined to catch the puppet master once and for all. The novel is set in a very specific time, and it is a novel of Rome, meaning that the city itself, in all its history, glory, and despair, is skillfully sewn into the fiber of the tale. At the same time, there is something old-fashioned about the narrative, because it clearly evokes Mario Puzo's famous trilogy and other classics of the genre. It can be hard to keep track of all the characters, but loose ends are admirably tied up in the end. While the complex plot intrigues, there is so much violence, so much dirty scheming, that even when the "good guys" win, it's hard to muster up much hope for Rome itself.

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Starred review from August 1, 2017

In this gritty, beautifully translated crime novel, Bonini, a journalist for La Repubblica, and de Cataldo, a novelist, screenwriter, and circuit court judge in Rome, delve into the complex world of Italian political corruption. As promoters of a public works project, a cabal of ruthless profiteers--Neapolitan Camorristi, hoods of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, a Roma tribe, local mafiosi, whore-mongering politicians, and a monsignor of the Catholic Church--consort and compete to bring a Las Vegas-style casino strip to the beaches of Rome's port district, Ostia. When gang war breaks out, a stalwart Carabiniere officer, Marco Malatesta, butts heads with not only a former and now deadly childhood adversary who goes by the moniker Samurai but the bent bureaucracy of his own service and the often lax Italian judiciary. As the dead pile up, no one escapes unscathed, not even Malatesta. Italophiles will love the violent scaramuccia (skirmishes) that carry the many unforgettable characters through the streets of Rome. VERDICT The basis of an award-winning 2015 Italian film, this contemporary noir will appeal to readers intrigued by gangland crime, big-city corruption, and how Italy actually "works."--Ron Terpening, formerly of Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017

In this gritty, beautifully translated crime novel, Bonini, a journalist for La Repubblica, and de Cataldo, a novelist, screenwriter, and circuit court judge in Rome, delve into the complex world of Italian political corruption. As promoters of a public works project, a cabal of ruthless profiteers--Neapolitan Camorristi, hoods of the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta, a Roma tribe, local mafiosi, whore-mongering politicians, and a monsignor of the Catholic Church--consort and compete to bring a Las Vegas-style casino strip to the beaches of Rome's port district, Ostia. When gang war breaks out, a stalwart Carabiniere officer, Marco Malatesta, butts heads with not only a former and now deadly childhood adversary who goes by the moniker Samurai but the bent bureaucracy of his own service and the often lax Italian judiciary. As the dead pile up, no one escapes unscathed, not even Malatesta. Italophiles will love the violent scaramuccia (skirmishes) that carry the many unforgettable characters through the streets of Rome. VERDICT The basis of an award-winning 2015 Italian film, this contemporary noir will appeal to readers intrigued by gangland crime, big-city corruption, and how Italy actually "works."--Ron Terpening, formerly of Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.