Shadows on the Lake

December 19, 2016
Husband-and-wife Cocco and Magella’s strong series kickoff introduces police inspector Stefania Valenti, a devoted, if plausibly imperfect, single mother, who’s fiercely dedicated to the pursuit of justice. The excavation of a tunnel linking the Lake Como region with Switzerland has engendered controversy. A local Italian legislator has publicly denounced the project’s destruction of acres of forest and warns of the traffic congestion the completed roadway would cause. When the demolition of an abandoned cottage uncovers human skeletal remains, the evidence suggests that they belong to someone who was murdered decades earlier. Despite the paucity of clues, even as to the victim’s identity, Valenti persists in investigating the cold case, though her interview of a member of the influential Cappelletti family, whose property values have increased as a result of the tunnel project, ruffles some feathers. Police procedural and whodunit elements combine nicely with a complex, three-dimensional lead. Agent: Loredana Rotundo, Loredana Rotundo Literary Agency (Italy).

February 15, 2017
This first entry in a planned series leaves the reader longing to spend more time with the fetching Inspector Stefania Valenti, perhaps even get on the next plane for Lake Como. Just the thought of chestnut ravioli with plums and sausage is enough to get one packing. Stefania is a complex character. She is, at 45, a hardworking and overworked single mother with a spirited young daughter. Her staff adores her, and she deals with her colleagues and superiors in a refreshing, straightforward mannernot a lot of professional angst, just good old dedication and determination. She devours countless pastries without referencing her figure. No body-image angst either. When the remains of a young man are unearthed during the construction of a new road, the investigation leads Stefania back to the chaotic closing days of WWII in Italy, and a Shakespearean story unfolds. A well-crafted piece of crime fiction cleverly enhanced by an inviting travel narrative from a husband-and-wife writing team who live in the region. Brunetti fans will love it. Brava!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)