The Dark Valley

Commissario Soneri #6

by Valerio Varesi

It is autumn in Parma. Commissario Soneri decides to escape the city to return to his home village in the Appenines for a much-needed holiday. He plans to spend the time hunting for mushrooms on the wooded slopes of Montelupo. The small and isolated village revolves around the fortunes of the Rodolfi family, salami manufacturers for generations. Its patriarch, the gifted Palmiro, runs a tight ship, but behind the scenes, all is not well: his son, Paride, has other plans for his future. And then all of a sudden the family finds itself in the throes of a financial scandal, with worrying implications for the entire community. Soon afterwards a hiker discovers a decomposing body in the woods. After initial protestations, Soneri soon gives up all hope of a peaceful break. The complicated relationship he uncovers between Rodolfi and his son becomes all the more pertinent when he learns that his own father and Palmiro Ridolfi were once friends.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Italy, Italian Literature, Mystery Thriller, Fiction

246 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2012

About the author

Valerio Varesi, nato a Torino nel 1959, vive a Parma e lavora nella redazione de La Repubblica di Bologna. Romanziere eclettico, è il creatore del commissario Soneri, protagonista dei polizieschi che hanno ispirato le serie televisive "Nebbie e delitti" con Luca Barbareschi (distribuite anche negli Stati Uniti). I romanzi con protagonista Soneri sono tradotti in tutto il mondo, e nel 2011 Valerio Varesi è stato finalista al CWA International Dagger, il premio internazionale per la narrativa gialla. Parallelamente Varesi ha iniziato la propria personale ricognizione della recente Storia italiana con tre romanzi generosi e appassionanti: La sentenza, Il rivoluzionario e Lo stato di ebbrezza

Reviews

[Calzean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Commissario Soneri takes a break, returns to his home village and goes mushroom hunting. A missing person, a murder, corruption, poachers, dark cold mountains and a nice dog. Lots of sitting around the village talking about what is going on. Didn't really grab me.

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read almost exclusively in the crime, thrillers and mystery genre and I love police procedurals but The Dark Valley isn't really any of them. There is a crime - the murder of Patride Rodolfi, Soneri is a policeman but he's on holiday and the mystery as to whodunit is fairly obvious early on so not really my fare but I found this book gripping. The descriptions of a petty minded village, incompetent carabinieri, greed and financial shenanigans are compulsive, almost characters in their own right because they the result of human frailty and are so preventable. Add in to this the mist which shrouds the mountain at the most inopportune moments and you have a metaphor for the villagers' thinking - they keep their secrets veiled from outsiders.
Nothing much happens so if you want action this is not for you but if you like a slow unravelling through talk with an unusual location thrown in you will probably enjoy this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tracked down this book because I enjoyed the first in the series (RIVER OF SHADOWS) very much, but was prompted to actually start reading THE DARK VALLEY because of another book set in Italy. In that book the setting didn't quite seem to work, and I found myself craving something steeped in the location and culture. Got it in spades.

Commisario Soneri is on vacation in his home village in the Appenines reconnecting with places and memories from his childhood, walking in the forest and most importantly collecting mushrooms. Which is frustrating for him as the crop has been particularly sparse. Finding himself feeling very much an outsider now, his discomfort is made worse when the owner of the local salami factory is murdered and Soneri is torn. The case comes under the jurisdiction of the Carbinieri but he cannot help but ask questions. His disconnection with the locals is both smoothed over slightly and exacerbated in other ways as he finds out the extent to which villagers have lost money because of the salami factory, and how tensions go right back to the Second World War. There's also the distinct possibility that his own father might have been involved in some of the murkier parts of the village's history.

Aside from a beautifully complex and intriguing plot, the thing that is fantastic about both of these books is the sense of a life being lived by Soneri. He's a thinking man who hears and sees a lot of things, quietly processing the information, setting it in the right context. He's also a quiet, driven man who is determined and comfortable a little outside of the general stream of the world. He's brooding but not clichéd, dark but not depressing. The stories, the places and the character of Soneri are all atmospheric and involving. Whilst the crime's are important in these books, a lot of it is about how Soneri reacts to their consequences, sifts through the gossip and hints and braves the uncomfortable truth.

http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stanco e un po' in crisi, il commissario Soneri va in vacanza nel suo paese natio, sui monti che confinano con la Liguria, terra storica di briganti e partigiani, convinto di andare a funghi e ricaricare le pile. Si troverà invece in un autentico ginepraio, con i paesani incazzati come api scacciate dal nido, a causa del fallimento del locale salumificio e della perdita di lavoro e risparmi. A ciò si aggiunge la guerra all'ultimo sangue tra Palmiro, il fondatore del salumificio, e il Macchiaiolo, due vecchi, testardi montanari, rimasti amici nonostante il diverso fronte scelto durante il fascismo, ma ora acerrimi nemici perché dove non poterono fascismo e comunismo, arriva il capitalismo. Per aumentare l'entropia, il commissario scopre in una forra il cadavere di Paride, figlio di Palmiro, del quale la moglie va dicendo in giro che si trova all'estero a cercare soldi per tacitare i creditori.
Nonostante sia in vacanza, per via della sua conoscenza del paese e delle sue dinamiche Soneri si troverà invischiato nell'indagine e ne verrà a capo, ma con tanto e tale disgusto che deciderà di non rimettere mai più piede nei luoghi della sua infanzia.
Come sempre un ottimo noir, intelligente, penetrante e ben scritto, con personaggi che rimangono scolpiti nella mente e tra i quali spicca, gigantesca non solo nelle proporzioni fisiche, la figura tragica del Macchiaiolo.

[comablack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dopo anni dalla lettura del primo capitolo della serie, ho riscoperto piacevolmente questo autore. Questa volta il commissario Soneri si prende una piccola vacanza nella sua terra d'origine, un paesino emiliano sperduto tra le montagne. All'arrivo strane voci circolano in merito alla scomparsa di Paride Rodolfi: chi dice che è scomparso, chi lo ha visto. La famiglia Rodolfi è la più importante del paese perchè conduce un'attività che dà lavoro a molti concittadini. In breve tempo Paride viene dato per disperso mentre il padre si toglie la vita. Il commissario, benchè non voglia impicciarsi, si troverà coinvolto in un mistero che conduce indietro nel tempo, a quando tutti si fidavano dei Rodolfi a tal punto da affidargli i propri risparmi. E quando viene ritrovato il cadavere di Paride il mistero si infittisce ancora di più.
Bel libro, avrei dato volentieri 4 stelle se non fosse che avevo già intuito l'assassino :)

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another of those occasions when I wish I spoke and read Italian. Not suggesting it's a poor translation, but I'm sure the words would be more nuanced in original form. Anyway, it's an insight into life in a dying mountain town and reflects the reluctance of a generation to move on from their old ways of doing things....especially doing business.

[Wilde Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

A police officer, who is on holiday, ends up being dragged into the investigation into a number of deaths.

I found this book lacked sparkle / pace and the writing / characters were all a bit clunky. The central crimes also seemed a bit too unbelievable. As I read this piece I did wonder how accurate the translation was.

Overall rating 2.5

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 6th in the series but only the 2nd Commissario Soneri novel seamlessly translated into English by Joseph Farrell, captures something vital about large swathes of the Italian peninsular since the war: the extraordinary pull & drag of the venomous Fascist era on post-war relationships in the economic transformation of Italy in the 1950s & 60s. All the most human strengths & weaknesses are exposed in this morbid tale of a mountainous area with its contiguous towns and villages, which just happens to be where the experienced policeman grew up, only to leave for the 'big city' & more worldly advancement. Murder is not as simple as the plain folk who people this area (standing in for all of Italy?); long-existing private, financial & emotional complications have dangerous, public consequences for everyone including our reluctant hero who suffers his own soulful disillusionments too.
An excellent & absorbing dissection of the Italian psyche in the modern era of Fiat 500s, gaudy television & mobile phones, far removed from the past rural idyll of simple pleasures & low expectations! Varesi has created a character who reflects his country's real personality as far deeper than the popular stereotype of happy-go-lucky charmers! There is real depth there if you care to look behind the classic but cliched facade.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Citelle, Babelio
Soneri, personnage récurrent de l'auteur, vient soigner sa déprime dans le village de son enfance. C'est un coin perdu de la montagne italienne, avec ses brouillards et le froid qui arrive.
Il ne retrouvera pas les souvenirs espérés, et sera presque un étranger pour les habitants qu'il a pourtant connus jadis.
Il sera confronté à un meurtre qui révèlera non seulement une escroquerie qui va ruiner les habitants du village, mais il va être amené à se poser des questions sur le passé trouble de son père.

L'intrigue avance doucement, l'intérêt du roman réside surtout dans la description réussie des magnifiques paysages et des promenades contemplatives du héros, mais aussi dans l'atmosphère délétère du village qui voit son mode de vie disparaître peu à peu.

Un roman qui ne me laissera pas un souvenir impérissable, un peu perdue par la multiplicité des personnages secondaires.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Commissario Soneri returns to his home village in the Appenines, to forage for mushrooms and have a break from city life. Outwardly, not much has changed, but underneath the rustic calm, all is not well - the major employer in the area is in trouble, the owner and his son are absent and Soneri quickly finds out that villagers have been lending money to the business owner.

Varesi, with unerring clarity, captures a dying rural culture, as it comes to terms with betrayal, both contemporary and historical. The village turns in on itself and also against 'intruders' from the outside world; meanwhile, the backdrop of an apparently unchanging mountain and woodland setting, is itself threatening and full of hidden secrets, both old and new.

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soneri takes a vacation - mushroom hunting - in his tiny home town in the mountains and finds himself in the middle of a community crisis as the main local industry - a prosciutto and salame factory - is about to collapse, especially when the patriarch of the firm and his son turn up dead. Not so much a police story as an atmospheric study of a traditional town under threat both within (the factory closing, it’s owners fraud) and without (illegal immigrants, drugs, big city lights). Soneri also has to face his own family’s history in the town. Quite good although I hope the carabinieri is not as tactically stupid in actuality. I think the carabinieri fills the function in Italian police novels (Montalbano et al) of being the dangerous but stupid buffoons of the police world.

[Kizzylu · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sure there's a lot of great things in this book and how things, people and places are described. But it was utterly boring and my eyes couldn't stay focused for long. Nothing happened in the nearly 60 pages I've managed to read through besides a hunch that the villagers know more than they let on... Which has been repeated over and over again until it was no longer intriguing but rather dull and annoying. I've skipped through to the end, but even knowing what the mystery was and how and why it was done gives me no satisfaction and I simply don't care about any part of it.

Not sure if in Italian it's a vastly different book with a different feeling or if the issues are only from the translation but overall, at least in English for me, I sadly couldn't get on with it.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second of the four Commissarrio Soneri novels currently translated into English.

I must say I really enjoyed this one, it was a fun and easy going read, seemed to flow better than the first, probably because there was less Angela. I sort of worked out the the whodunnit by the middle of the book, but it was nice to have everything wrapped up and the closure at the end.

I am looking forward to reading the next one which seems very interesting. I would like to re-read the first as well to see if I was a bit harsh with giving it 3/5.

[Val Heed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in French. I adore this writer"s description of Montlupo, its scenery and the village life with his "dark" history.
Where did Rodolfi get his money from to build such a big "charcuterie" factory?
What effect has this had on the villagers?
What are the mysterious shots heard in the forest?
Commissaire Soneri returns to his childhood village for a holiday- to relax and hunt for mushrooms.
Unfortunately Rodolfi has disappeared, then somebody commits suicide and against his will Soneri gets drawn into the investigation.
Highly recommend it

[Aiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valério Varesi nous emporte sur les hauteurs de Montelupo, sur les sentiers brumeux où le commissaire Soneri profite de ses congés pour partir à la chasse aux champignons.
Mais dans son village natal, le père Rodolfi se suicide mystérieusement, le fils est retrouvé mort et le commissaire se retrouve à mener l'enquête sans le vouloir... D'autant plus que son passé ressurgit à chaque tournant.

[Mirrordance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro lento, cupo e introverso come il commissario Soneri.
Una vacanza nella terra natia che non sembra esattamente una vacanza, un po' per gli umori cupi che risveglia nel commissario il sentirsi tanto estraneo nella terra in cui è nato e un po' perchè due morti improvvise nel paese lo costringono ad indagare al finaco dei carabinieri....
Interessanti le atmosfere ma un giallo di poco pathos e poca azione.

[Juan Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buen libro, buena historia

Muy bien escrito y con suspenso. Es una historia sobre el acontecer de la vida . Narrada a través de un crimen y un misterio , escribe sobre la historia de un pueblo, sus habitantes y sus debilidades. Describe muy bien el paisaje y sus habitantes.

[Simona Moschini · Rating 3 out of 5]

V. "Il fiume delle nebbie". Là ci si godeva - appunto - la foschia della pianura... qui le nebbioline dell'appennino parmense e il rimpianto del bel mondo arcaico contadino, leitmotiv dell'Autore. La trama è poco più che un pretesto.

[Charles Kerns · Rating 4 out of 5]

cop on vacation story. cop back in hometown story. crazy Italian mountain people story. Another it goes back to the Fascist days story. With a nice dog thrown in.

[Sara Aye Moung · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very atmospheric, dark and unsettling. An interesting protagonist. I shall read more in this series. I have a feeling that this would read better in the original Italian though.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little depressing in parts, it dragged on, a little

[Airly · Rating 5 out of 5]

ottimo Varesi, triste impietosa immagine dell'impatto tra economia rampante e piccole sane realtà

[Callum Osment · Rating 4 out of 5]

efficient storytelling

[Pamela Gleeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually quite enjoyed this book.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, my second, Soneri book. He is fast becoming a favourite Comisario of mine.

[Ruby Singh · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off well, but soon became confusing and dull.
Given this is so highly rated by the Italians I can only assume it was the translation.
I liked the map at the front of the book and the explanation about the different police services in Italy, that was really helpful.
What I didn't like though was how masculine this book turned out to be, all the shooting and adventures in the woods and valley ... it didn't feel like crime novel at times but a 'men fighting the woods' caper.
It seemed like most of the female characters were deeply flawed in some way, which didn't help the overbalanced masculine vibe.
The other annoying thing was the way names and titles were used interchangeably throughout ... it didn't add interest to the book, just confusion and annoyance.
So, Soneri was also commissario and the Woodsman was Gualerizi. I also didn't understand why commissario wasn't capitalised but Woodsman was.
All in all a book I kind of endured ... getting to the end was a relief.

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know people prefer short reviews, so for a longer, more in-depth review, click on through.

The Dark Valley is book number two in the Commissario Soneri mystery series and Varesi's second book to be translated into English. This book captured and held my interest throughout the story, not only because of the mystery and crime components, but because of Varesi's mastery of atmosphere and the way he captures a generation of people in a small village so perfectly. And kudos to whoever created the cover -- rarely does the outside of a book so perfectly capture the spirit of what's inside the novel.

Commissario Soneri has reached peak stress level due to certain changes at his work, and by November, his partner Angela convinces him that he must get away. His choice is to return to the village of his childhood, a small place in the Appenines. While there he plans to hike into the woods on the slopes of Montelupo and hunt for mushrooms , an activity that he and his father used to share when he was a boy. He also hopes for some "peace and stability" there, thinking back to times when he would be with his father, "gathering chestnuts, firewood or mushrooms" and "the perfect understanding achieved between them with glances or gestures." But the idyllic setting soon becomes a hotbed of activity after he arrives. Someone has been putting up posters that say that a missing man has been located, a fact Soneri reports to Angela during a phone call. Although the man, Paride Rodolfi is apparently back home safe and sound, no one has really seen him since his return. Angela suggests that Soneri should investigate; he only wants to get up to the mountain woods and look for mushrooms. But it isn't long before Paride's body is found in those woods after having been shot; shortly afterwards his father Pamiro is found hanging from a noose, an apparent suicide, committed after he'd shot his dog. Paride's death was no suicide -- so who killed him?

I liked Varesi's earlier book, River of Shadows, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed this second book of the series. Varesi's forte is definitely setting and atmosphere and both books convey his talent in this area, but he's also managed to create a lead character in Soneri that here more fully establishes him as a person. Crime fiction readers who prefer a good mystery, intelligent writing and atmosphere in their reading will definitely like this one. If you're looking for a thriller-type novel, this isn't it, move along. I look forward to more of Varesi's books in translation -- after all, not all of the good crime fiction these days comes just from Scandinavia.

[Andy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this, in spite of the lonely, melancholy tone (captured perfectly by the cover art) and the occasional moments of sometimes rather boring introspection.

The writing is fresh and, dare I say it, naive, possibly due to the translation from Italian, and odd words or turns of phrase pop out of the text here and there; weird words that an English writer wouldn't use and yet, are the "correct" word in their context.

There's a slow, simple, unpretentious quality to Varesi's work that seems to breath life into the characters and scenery. I felt as if I was there, wandering in the mists of the mountain forest and through damp streets of the moribund village. I could taste the food, feel the chill, hear the footsteps crunching in the leaves. Maybe because I have romantic memories of Italian mountain villages, maybe because Varesi's prose expertly evoked and enhanced said memories.

True, the book's no classic, and in my mind the whodunnit takes a back seat to the changes the crime brings to the community. Nor did I understand Soresi's preoccupation with his father's past - maybe the explanation began in an earlier book or one of those lengthy passages of introspection I skim read - but it didn't seem to matter, Soresi cared and so did I. I also had little idea as to who was responsible for what, but since none of the characters seem to care either, and things seemed to just solve themselves as the plot plodded on, I didn't feel the need to question. In any case, the book is resolved on the last page in a James Bondesque display of exposition as two of Varesi's characters explain everything the reader needs to know.

All in all, I didn't care a hoot about who did what, I was content to follow Soresi's ambles across the slopes of Montelupo and listen in on his conversations with the mountain men.

One of those books where not much goes on, yet you don't want it to end...

[Alex-Mot-à-Mots · Rating 4 out of 5]

Troisième enquête du commissaire Soneri, qui est en vacances dans son village natal.

Même si il connait tout le monde, il ne s’y sent plus vraiment chez lui, l’atmosphère a changé.

C’est l’automne, et au milieu des bois où il ramasse des champignons, il découvre un corps. C’est celui du fils de l’industriel du village. Malheureusement, son père s’est suicidé quelques jours plus tôt.

Entre coup de feu dans les bois, brume opaque qui couvre la montagne et ses forêts, les ombres du passé sont également présentes. Ainsi, Soneri va devoir faire face aux actes de son propre père décédé.

Un roman à l’atmosphère automnale qui prend le temps d’installer les villageois dans son cadre. Les silences installent un peu plus de mystères.

Le roman nous parle également des silhouettes qui peuplent la montagne : par le passé, c’étaient des braconneurs ; ce sont maintenant des étrangers qui trafiquent près de la frontière.

Triste constat que dresse l’auteur sur les villages qui se meurent à cause des banques mais aussi de l’appât du gain.

Un roman et son commissaire qui prennent leur temps.

L’image que je retiendrai :

Celle des trompettes-de-la-mort que récolte Soneri, et qui sont sensés porter malheur. Pourtant, il n’y a que ces champignons qui poussent cette année-là.

https://alexmotamots.fr/les-ombres-de...

[Martina Sartor · Rating 4 out of 5]

E' il primo libro che leggo di Varesi e della serie televisiva ho solo un vago ricordo. Scopro un commissario dal carattere introverso e dall'indole malinconica, che si trova suo malgrado ad indagare nel suo paese d'origine. E' un paese dell'Appennino emiliano, molto simile per certi versi ai nostri piccoli paesini pedemontani, dove il mondo di una volta è già sparito da tempo, le case si sono svuotate e gente sconosciuta arriva ad abitarle.
Oltre l'interesse per l'indagine, alla fine la malinconia di Soneri, che chiude col suo passato per sempre, è anche la mia, quando torno al mio paese e non ritrovo più la mia dimensione.