SPRING CLEANING

A beleaguered police detective unravels a mysterious prison
killing while continuing the hunt for a dangerous hit man.

Reeling from the brutal murder of Adele Talamonti, his best
friend Sebastiano’s girlfriend, Deputy Police Chief Rocco Schiavone hides out
in a hotel far from his home in the Alpine town of Val d’Aosta. His only
companion is his faithful dog, Lupa, a rare Saint-Rhémy-en-Ardennes. Rocco’s
guilt is severe since Adele had been staying at his house in his absence. Was
he the real target of the killer? Searching for a likely suspect, Rocco runs
through a list of criminals he’s put away in the course of his long career (Out of Season, 2018, etc.). In the forefront is notorious madam Stefania
Zaccaria, in the hospital after a head-on collision—an apparently convincing
alibi, though not an ironclad one. As Rocco methodically investigates this
case, another baffling one lands on his desk. During a prison riot, infamous
inmate Domenico “Mimmo” Cuntrera is found dead, perhaps by a heart attack from
the excitement of the riot. Cuntrera is another of Rocco’s past adversaries
who’s been jailed for his involvement in a complex Mafia operation. Work should
be a welcome distraction for Rocco. Friends and colleagues try to support him.
But grief continually shadows him. Manzini peppers his account of Rocco’s
travails with the perspectives of several others throughout, like prisoner
Sergio Mozzicarelli, who can’t sleep because he saw the murder of Cuntrera and
knows whodunit.

Rocco’s fourth case offers a procedural panorama with an
abundance of subplots, characters, and lively dialogue. For readers new to the
series, persistence will be needed, and rewarded.