Death in Sardinia

Commissario Bordelli #3

by Marco Vichi

Florence, 1965. A man is found murdered, a pair of scissors stuck through his throat. Only one thing is known about him--he was a loan shark, who ruined and blackmailed the vulnerable men and women who would come to him for help.

Inspector Bordelli prepares to launch a murder investigation. But the case will be a tough one for him, arousing mixed emotions: the desire for justice conflicting with a deep hostility for the victim. And he is missing his young police sidekick, Piras, who is convalescing at his parents' home in Sardinia.

But Piras hasn't been recuperating for long before he, too, has a mysterious death to death with . . .

Genres: Mystery, Italy, Crime, Italian Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook

464 pages, Hardcover

First published May 27, 2004

About the author

Marco Vichi was born in Florence. The author of eleven novels and two collections of short stories, he has also edited crime anthologies, written screenplays, music lyrics and for radio, and collaborated on and directed various projects for humanitarian causes. His novel Death in Florence won the Scerbanenco, Rieti and Camaiore prizes in Italy. Marco Vichi lives in the Chianti region of Tuscany.

Reviews

[Uhtred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually like all of Commissioner Bordelli's books and this one is no exception. The investigative spirit of Bordelli this time must focus on the murder of a despicable usurer, but in the plot of the novel another investigation also develops, that of Piras, forced against his will to a convalescence in Sardinia that will bring him into contact with a mystery that he will be able to cleverly solve, confirming to Bordelli that the young policeman is really talented. In addition, in the 428 pages of the book, there is another small pearl, namely the stories that Bordelli and his closest friends tell each other during the Christmas Eve dinner at the inspector's home. Vichi has already used this ploy to inject into the book some micro-stories that have two purposes: that of making the psychology of certain co-protagonists of the adventures of Bordelli better known and that, certainly not secondary, of making us understand how the author himself thinks about certain topics. So a book that has different levels of reading and that does not stop only at the investigative level: after all Bordelli is a man of a thousand facets and not at all trivial: we will have proof of this at the end of the investigation, which Bordelli will close in his own way , that is, as usual, in a very unorthodox way. Five stars well deserved for a book that leaves something in terms of emotions.

[Alana White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, the third in Italian author Marco Vichi's series set in 1960s Florence, Italy. Wry Inspector Bordelli and his cronies are back in a novel that calls on dark memories of the war and Fascism in Italy. All is leavened with great dollops of droll humor and companionable, lengthy dinners wherein much wine is consumed. (Over Christmas dinner, Bordelli and his pals decide that French cooking rules the world. Yes. French.) Very highly recommended. I can't wait for the next title, "Death in Florence," set in 1966 and focusing on the flood that roared through the city, overwhelming its medieval palazzos and churches, damaging so much precious artwork and taking lives. One quibble. The books are translated from the Italian, and while that must be a daunting task, I wish the translator would NOT refer to the men who populate these books as "blokes." These and other decidedly English terms pepper the book throughout and are distracting.

[Nancy Oakes]

3.5 stars

Just when I thought I'd had it with Inspector Bordelli and his long-winded war reveries, as well as his constant flirtations with giving up smoking, along comes Death in Sardinia to change my mind. This book is much more on task than the previous two, enough so that I've already preordered Vichi's Death in Florence, which I should get in November some time.


It's 1965, Christmas is fast approaching, and Bordelli is called out to investigate the death of a notorious loan shark named Badalamenti, who has ended up with a pair of scissors deep in his neck. Bordelli had once tried to investigate Badalamenti, but was denied; now that he's dead, the inspector has full access. The coroner performing the autopsy pulls an engraved ring out of the dead man's stomach, and he lets Bordelli know a bit of information about the killer to help Bordelli narrow down his search. Going through the loan shark's apartment, Bordelli stumbles upon a hidden space filled with promissory notes, compromising photos of a woman, and a collection of wedding rings. He also finds pictures of a young girl, with the name "Marisa" on the back. Going through all of the names on the notes, and looking at the photos, Bordelli decides that Badalamenti's murderer must be among them, and sets about returning the notes to Badalamenti's customers while sizing up each one as to whether or not he is the killer. In the meantime, his trusty sidekick Piras has gone home to Sardinia to recuperate after being shot while in the line of duty; while there, a family friend shoots himself, causing no end of grief for friends and family, but Piras realizes that something's not right -- and after the funeral it dawns on him: where was the shell from the shot? Both men have their hands full trying to sort things out.

Death in Sardinia tackles not only these crimes, but also gets more fully into Bordelli's character. He realizes that he's not getting any younger, and waxes about aging; he also realizes that although the war that is always on his mind has been over now for two decades, it may be time for him to "stop looking at the world through its prism." Besides, in this day and age, the new generation of young people

"could no longer bear hearing the older people's complaints about the war and having to queue up for bread. The tears to be cried had already been shed. Now it was time to start living again, and having fun. Maybe they were right."


More importantly, Bordelli comes to realize that the letter of the law doesn't cover every situation, and that he must apply principles of fairness and understanding while on the track of justice.

This book moved much more quickly than its two predecessors, and there was more of a clear path from crime to investigation to solution than in the earlier novels. Although there was still the war reminiscing and memories to fill the pages, and although there was quite a bit that could have been taken out to move the book along and make it much tighter, it really is the best of the series so far. As in his other two novels, past and present meaningfully intersect in this story, here maybe more so, a quality I actually like in these books. And while there's a good mystery here, it's not so edgy or gritty, so it's perfect for those who enjoy lighter crime fare.

[Sifra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third book of Inspector Bordelli is not to be read for a good whodunnit. The book treats more the question of right and wrong and the moral answer to that question. Nontheless the picture the writer paints for us of 1965 Italy is perfect! The characters in the book are given depth, and thoughts and doubts that are very recognizeable. The book paints a human picture, which you do not see to often anymore.

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crime novel set in Florence and Sardinia (an Inspector Bordelli mystery…)

A book that starts on the 12th December 1965, and ends on the 31st December 1965 – so an ideal one for me to have read over the Christmas period. And a book with a slightly misleading / abbreviated title… there are actually two murders, one in Florence and one in Sardinia. The murder in Florence is investigated by Inspector Bordelli, and the one in Sardinia by Sergeant Piras – his assistant who is on the island living with his parents whilst recovering from a leg injury sustained in the course of duty. The Florence murder is of a very unpleasant loan shark, and the Sardinian one of a farmer who lived alone and apparently committed suicide.

The structure of the book is intriguing and, perhaps, a little confusing. The chapter titles are the dates and within each chapter both stories are told – switching quite suddenly from Bordelli / Florence to Piras / Sardinia and back again. You have to be on your toes!

Death in Sardinia is not a page turner. It proceeds at a leisurely pace and we are introduced to the prime suspects quite early, and obviously, in each story. It is, though, a brilliant read for TripFiction – very atmospheric in its description of both Florence and Sardinia (and their respective customs) in the period leading up to Christmas. Food and drink are key, and brilliantly described. And it is also strong on geography with fascinating details of both locations (although a couple of maps would have been a useful addition). The reader feels very much involved in each place.

Bordelli is in the mold of many fictional detectives, a man with lots of weaknesses but with a great crime solving record. He tries to give up smoking (on almost every page), and drinks and eats too much. His best friends are work colleagues and an assembly of ex prostitutes and just-out-of-gaol burglars – but all with ‘hearts of gold’. He worries about his age (55) and how out of touch he is becoming with the younger generation. Piras is the son of a man that Bordelli fought with in the anti-fascist brigades in the war – who harbours strong anti-fascist feelings himself. Although he has moved to Florence for work he is, in many ways, a very traditional Sardinian.

Death in Sardinia is a delightful read that offers a great deal of insight into its two locations and its characters. But, as a stand alone mystery, it is probably lacking a little in pace and denouement. It all depends exactly what you are looking for but it is very definitely a book that I enjoyed. It is the first of the Inspector Bordelli mysteries that I have read – and I do not intend for it to be the last.

[Ayleen Julio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Para ser un policial, le falta dinamismo: recién empieza a tomar forma por allá en la página 200, quizá un poco antes; sin contar que hay momentos en que se extiende de manera innecesaria, sin elementos que aporten demasiado a la trama. . No obstante, su protagonista consigue conquistar a los lectores.

[Padmin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non c'è che dire: l'italica provincia addormentata, setacciata nelle sue più riposte pieghe geografico-antropologiche, resta tuttora il fertile terreno d'ispirazione della nostra recente narrativa. Che il giallo si sia involontariamente sostituito al neorealismo è un altro incontestabile dato di fatto, e non sempre i confronti stabiliscono graduatorie di merito destinate ad escludere a priori i fabbricanti di delitti. Tra Vittorini e Sciascia i suddetti meriti vanno perlomeno suddivisi; la Sardegna di Deledda e Dessì trova il suo angolo buio nelle cronache fosche di Fois e Todde; la Torino di Pavese si è globalizzata sui casi risolti da Fruttero e Lucentini... Paragoni non necessariamente antitetici, sintomatici - comunque - di un processo ormai quasi naturale di identificazione dello scrittore con il territorio, riserva di memorie e caratteri che danno all'Italia il profilo di un'arma da taglio che non necessita di devoluzioni politiche per risolvere le questioni nel proprio habitat regionale. Così viene naturale contrapporre la Firenze di Pratolini con quella un po' più imbalsamata di Marco Vichi, ma se di un confronto si tratta, va ricercato unicamente nella letterarietà - e nelle motivazioni socio-politiche - degli intenti. Le mattinate fiorentine del Vasco più famoso d'Italia prima del rocchettaro che riempie gli stadi, erano quelle di un viaggio attraverso gli uomini e la Storia, sul filo di rasoio di una cronaca quotidiana che diventò l'epica del minimalismo più sofferto. Con Marco Vichi e il suo gagliardo commissario Bordelli - al suo terzo caso - siamo invece nei paraggi di un recupero ambientale strumentalizzato in favore di una serialità comunque sempre più oggettiva. Vichi sta gradualmente ricostruendo un'epoca - qui siamo agli sgoccioli del 1965 - attraverso l'umanità semplice di un mondo già proiettato verso gli estremismi della modernizzazione totale, acciuffato al volo negli ultimi palpiti familiari che ancora contraddistinguono l'individuo dal suo alter ego globalizzato. L'impresa è ammirevole, i risultati godibili e rilassanti, anche se - come già abbiamo altrove rilevato - la penetrazione ambientale ed epocale andrebbe maggiormente spolverata sul contesto, anziché condensata - come spesso accade - in un riassunto veloce di nomi, accadimenti e canzoni in apertura di capitolo. Per il resto dobbiamo dire che ci stiamo davvero affezionando a questo orso ormai cinquantacinquenne di Bordelli, che trascorre gli ultimi scampoli del '65 cercando l'assassino di un fetente usuraio trovato morto con un paio di forbici piantate nel groppone. C'è aria di neve e di regali, in una Firenze percorsa in solitudine da Bordelli, a caccia del colpevole ma anche di valide motivazioni per non spegnersi in un isolamento che lo vede, come sempre, alla ricerca di compagnie ancor più sghembe di lui: l'ex prostituta Rosa, il sezionatore di cadaveri Diotivede e altri già conosciuti esemplari di un'umanità che sta creando con garbo il piccolo mondo antico di Vichi. Non c'è vera suspense, semmai un senso diffuso di curiosità, laddove la memoria di guerra sempre presente nella mente di Bordelli va a incrociarsi con un altro caso, assai intrigante, che vede protagonista il suo giovane subalterno Piras, convalescente in Sardegna dopo un conflitto a fuoco. Da Firenze Bordelli segue il suo vivace discepolo nel caso di suicidio apparente di un pastore, che risulta invece l'ultima mossa di un gioco di morte iniziato nei giorni tragici di guerra civile del '44. Entrambi i casi verranno risolti, ma quello di Bordelli rappresenta lo scenario sconvolto di un dolore estremo, e a Natale tutti siamo più buoni, soprattutto il finto burbero Bordelli, che vede oltretutto morire in un letto d'ospedale il suo collega in pensione Barbagli. Tra dialoghi accesi di vivace - o dolente - quotidianità e un lento rincorrersi degli eventi delittuosi, vediamo crescere la sicurezza di Vichi e del suo personaggio, in un'epoca che diventa strumento narrativo, in un terreno che non è solo cronaca, ma che dalla cronaca trae gli spunti essenziali per un recupero seriale della memoria di un'Italia ormai archiviata.
Pent Sergio, Tuttolibri - La Stampa

[Arybo ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bordelli è una garanzia e quando leggo Vichi mi scordo del giallo e mi godo il viaggio.

[Antonella Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dicembre 1965 - Il commissario Bordelli deve risolvere il caso di omicidio del “nuovo venuto” un usurario, che aveva non pochi nemici. Contemporaneamente il convalescente ispettore Piras in Sardegna scopre che un conoscente non si è tolto la vita.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book, on several levels. It is set in Florence and Sardinia in the weeks before and after Christmas, 1965. Piras, Bordelli's young colleague and the son of inspector Bordelli's war comrade Gavino, is in Sardinia with his parents, recovering from serious injuries. Bordelli is in Florence, investigating the murder of a vicious loan shark that Bordelli had been keeping his eye on for some time.

While Piras is in Sardinia an old friend of the family apparently commits suicide. Piras soon realizes, however, that something is fishy: the gunshell is missing.

So the two stories are told in parallel. Bordelli, for his part, is faced with a moral dilemma. To bring the loan shark's killer to "justice" would be no justice at all. Nonetheless, he follows his instincts and scraps of evidence and finds the killer. Piras has little to go on in his case, but makes the most of what he has, and through good luck and observation also identifies the murderer of his friend.

The story is full of the memories of those who lived and fought in Italy in the closing two years of WWII. Bordelli returns again and again to that awful time; the friends and comrades lost; the terrible suffering; the disgrace of Nazi occupation and fascist collaboration. Vichi does a great job of highlighting the contrast between the memories and experience of those who lived in the fascist period and the young caught up in the new world of the 1960s. Bordelli (and, we suspect, Vichi) feels the full weight of his 55 years, unable to fully understand the changes that are taking place around him. He's by no means a dinosaur, though he is treated as one by the twenty year olds that he meets during his investigation. But neither can he embrace, let alone be part of, the changes that are unfolding.

Vichi does a really smart thing in the middle of the novel. Bordelli gives a Christmas eve dinner party for three of his friends, plus his old friend, the thief Botta. After dinner Bordelli suggests that everyone should tell a story, which they do. They are uniformly sad stories about their experiences in the war and afterward. This sets the stage for a Christmas day story told at the Piras' parents' home, which puts Piras on the trail of the murderer. Besides moving the plot forward, this device of the storytelling adds depth to each of the characters, and gives us a much better sense of the time.

Bordelli is full of regret and longing, mostly for the women who have left him. He daydreams constantly about his lost loves, as well as about his years as a partisan fighter. His main pleasure in life seems to be eating with his friend, Totó, the cook at a local restaurant, and spending time with Rosa, an ex-prostitute. He mostly lives for his work, which he seems to mostly enjoy, despite the terrible things he has seen as a murder investigator. He wonders from time to time what purpose life, or his life, serves, but mostly he just lives his life like the rest of us.

The translation by the ever dependable Stephen Sartarelli is excellent. The story would stand on its own, but the top-notch translation really helped it come alive.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the third book in the Inspector Bordelli series. Set in Florence in the 1960s, the book is plump with a rich mood, both of time and place. Many of the characters who peopled the first book are here – Botta, Bordelli’s lock-picking thief pal who is also a genius cook, Dr. Diotivede, the punctilious pathologist, Toto, the chef who opens his kitchen to Bordelli every lunchtime, Dante the eccentric inventor, and Rose the prostitute, a great chum of Bordelli’s – who in this book shows many facets – including this time introducing him to his first joint.

One person is present but a long way away... Bordelli’s sidekick Piras has been sent home to Sardinia after being wounded in a shooting – he has been told to go home and recuperate with his family, and there he must stay until he gets better. This turns out to be no penalty, for instead of one murder to be solved we get two. One with Bordelli in Florence and one with Piras in Sardinia, even on crutches - his investigative instincts are running high.

It all sounds quite promising, but I wasn’t grabbed. Instead I was irritated by various nit-picky aspects of Inspector Bordelli that began to drive me a little nuts. Most of all I hated the endless descriptions of his relationship with cigarettes. The ones he lit and inhaled four times, or three times, or five times. The ones he put in his mouth unlit. The ones he deferred having. The ones he tried to defer having but gave into anyway. Grrrrrrr! I don’t care if this man chain-smoked his way from the first to last page – I just didn’t want to know about it. He also fantasised a lot about his war experiences, and I found these fantasies boring.... Obviously they are part of the shaping of his character, and featured a lot in the first book too, but I found them distracting rather than enlightening. For me they didn't bring bounty to the character.

The murders were quite interesting. There was a twist to the one in Florence – I didn’t expect the way the ending of it worked out, and the one in Sardinia, although a bit implausible, was rather wonderfully satisfying.

Even so I am only giving this book two stars. There was just way too much smoking. When I was half way through I strongly thought of giving the book up, but having got so far I thought I might as well finish it. And that is no great recommendation :(

[Honor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marco Vichi is such a talented writer, but I don't find the actual main plot line mysteries that intriguing. It's the stories of the war, and of his associates' pasts, that are interwoven with scenes of work and family that I find so evocative and haunting. Bordelli is a haunted man, and its in that blurred border between his everyday reality and his remembered past where the real action is. Certain scenes are so well done and powerful - Botta's dinner at Bordelli's, where each man tells seemingly unrelated stories from their pasts and a Christmas Eve scene in Sardinia with Piras's family are two that come immediately to mind - because the stories these characters are telling draw the reader in like she's sitting at the table with them all, listening and observing and drinking and getting fuzzy headed with the smoke and candlelight. It's magic, this kind of writing. I'm not a huge mystery reader and maybe these are satisfying to me because the mystery is just the bare framework for the rest of it. In a way, the semi clunky plot contrivances are the ideal foil for the ephemeral stories of the past - Vichi's brilliance is highlighted by his weakness. I can't find much about these books in terms of reviews (in the States), so I'm feeling alone in my deep and slightly obsessive appreciation! I've started reading one of his earlier Bordelli books which shows glimpses of his best qualities as a writer but isn't quite up to the standard of Sardinia. But in a way, it just makes me appreciate the good stuff more. It's rare that I experience a writer in this way! Anyways, I loved this book for reasons that seem so specific to me, yet I'm sure that is actually part of its universal charm.

[Antonella Imperiali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quando ho tra le mani un libro di Vichi il tempo e le pagine scorrono scorrono scorrono...
Tra indagini e ricordi si arriva alla fine del romanzo e poco importa la storia (buona, tra l'altro); il bello sta nell'aver affiancato, per il tempo di una lettura, personaggi o meglio, persone, come Bordelli e Piras o anche, per assurdo, un delinquente come il Botta.
I ricordi che diventano aneddoti, brevi storie, sono come vicoli di un piccolo paese in cui perdersi, ammirando con calma il tempo impresso su ogni singola pietra.
Bella l'atmosfera che si respira: una Firenze sotto l'acqua (quasi neve), umida, fredda, ma riscaldata dal Natale, dalle luci, dalla gente e, cosa non da poco, da tanta, tantissima umanità e una sorta di giustizia che dà corpo e peso a giornate e decisioni, perché "un poliziotto prima di tutto deve essere giusto". E la giustizia sta anche nel cuore.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although rather a lot of emphasis on drinking coffee and trying to give up smoking, I enjoyed reading this book. Some of the dubious references to prostitutes are of their time (the 1960s) and this and other seeming anomalies have to be taken into account. I could certainly identify with the era and the way we younger people had no idea (thankfully) of what our parents had lived through during the Second World War. Even worse in occupied countries, and the descriptions of the outrages committed by the Italian fascists and the Nazis are horrific. I thought the two contemporary investigations were interesting, with one being dealt with in typical Bordelli-type justice fashion.

[Filippo Bossolino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terzo episodio del Commissario Bordelli. Interessante il fatto che ci siano due indagini parallele, quella del Commissario impegnato con l'assassinio di un usuraio e quella del brigadiere Piras, in Sardegna in convalescenza, alle prese con il suicidio di un parente che tanto suicidio non sembra.

Sempre presente l'Italia degli anni sessanta, dei primi programmi in televisione, delle contestazioni politiche e tutti i personaggi già incontrati nei primi due romanzi, Diotivede, Botta, Rosa, Dante ecc...

Non resta altro che proseguire con i successivi

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find that many foreign novels fail to translate well. The cultural nuances that make the difference between a fair book & a great one are often lost. And the pace of many European novels can be too slow for my tastes. But this was a very good book--full of complex characters, & a reaves long slice of post war history in Italy.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strangely meandering yet still quite engrossing novel. Set in the 60s in Florence, the author languidly involves us in two murders, one in Florence and one in Sardinia. Ever present are Inspector Bordelli's often overwhelming memories, of lost loves and of the horrific consequences of war.

[LauraT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ora e sempre Resistenza ....

[Giovanna Barbieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

È il secondo romanzo di Vichi che leggo e devo confessare che sono innamorata del commissario Bordelli, un vecchio partigiano della II guerra, con la mente zeppa di ricordi piacevoli e spiacevoli degli compagni partigiani, di donne che ha amato o abbandonato. Mi piacciono molto le descrizioni di Firenze negli anni 60, tra benessere e povertà. Come Moltalbano, anche Bordelli ama la buona tavola, le donne giovani e attraenti, ha un occhio di riguardo per le prostitute e i ladri, di rado arrestati. Se può, aiuta sempre i meno fortunati e organizza cene per le grandi feste religiose. Anche i personaggi di contorno mi piacciono, come Piras, il suo assistente più intelligente, Dante, un vecchio inventore, Diotivede, il medico patologo, Ennio, un ex ladro che ha imparato a cucinare, benissimo, nelle prigioni di mezza Europa.
In questo romanzo, Vichi ha creato due omicidi paralleli, uno che avviene in Sardegna, risolto da Piras, e uno risolto da lui a Firenze. Mi piacciono i suoi gialli anche perché gli assassini sono persone normali, spesso con un passato equivoco, mai serial killer (anche perché sarebbero stati anacronistici negli anni 60, in Italia)

[John Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m definitely warming to these Inspector Bordelli books!! My initial thoughts after the first couple of books was that they were a poor man’s “Inspector Montalbano”. However, the books/story lines have got better and better with intriguing character sketches. The travels back to Bordelli’s WW2 adventures are also interesting and thought-provoking.

[Chiaralletti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Facciamo così, diciamo che mi piacciono i comprimari più che i personaggi in generale...il commissario proprio non lo abbozzo! Fastidioso proprio!

Trama facile, prevedibile, che va avanti coi colpi di fortuna...però si legge davvero bene, quando l'alternativa è studiare!

[MASH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. It had more meat than most mysteries. I haven't read the first two in the series. Highly recommended.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bordelli really is one of my favorite detectives. The setting is nice, he is sympathetic and I love the way he treats his unusual friends.

[Alessia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una Firenze degli anni '60 con le sue atmosfere, le sue contraddizioni e i suoi cambiamenti è protagonista come e quanto gli investigatori di questo romanzo con due vittime e due indagini parallele. La prima quella fiorentina di Bordelli dove la vittima è un usurario e la seconda quella sarda di Piras, convalescente, dove il morto è un anziano proprietario parente del vicino di casa.
La guerra è finita vent'anni or sono, nessuno ha più intenzione di ricordare e di ripensare, tutti sono animati dalla voglia di cambiamento e dal desiderio di andare avanti. I ricordi sono vecchi, come coloro che li hanno, i bisogni odierni rincorrono il nuovo senza più attingere dal passato, una corsa al futuro in cui nessuno vuole rimanere indietro. La comunicazione cambia, la musica si rinnova si fa portatrice di messaggi di ribellione, arrivano i Rolling Stones ad animare le case dei giovani fiorentini e non solo, nascono nuove mode: le gonne delle signorine si accorciano e i capelli dei loro spasimanti si allungano. L'eterno conflitto tra giovani e vecchi, l'insoddisfazione dei primi e l'incapacità di ambientarsi dei secondi segnano questo romanzo e creano l'ambientazione e le scene su cui viene sviluppato il giallo.
Vichi tratteggia la figura del commissario scavandone in profondità gli aspetti psicologici. Bordelli incarna le inquietudini e le ansie di tutta una generazione, quella che aveva vissuto il fascismo e la guerra, che assiste ai mutamenti sociali e di costume di un paese ormai avviato verso la modernità, seppur con tutte le sue contraddizioni.
Le indagini si intrecceranno via via con altre storie e fatti di cronaca nera, componendo così un affresco, talvolta anche complesso, della Firenze degli anni sessanta.
Come sempre la narrazione poliziesca è semplicistica, lacunosa a tratti forzata, durante lo sviluppo della trama o nella ricerca della soluzione sono molti i punti in cui si resta interdetti, perplessi si rimugina sulla piega che hanno preso le indagini. I doppi casi sono frettolosi, raccontati senza approfondimenti con modi e metodi d'indagine che rasentano la magia e l'occultismo, le soluzioni arrivano come conigli dal cilindro di un prestigiatore.
Lo stesso Bordelli conduce le investigazioni con sentimento contrastato: il desiderio di individuare il responsabile di un omicidio, per consegnarlo alla giustizia, confligge con il disprezzo per un individuo che in vita è stato vile e ha approfittato delle disgrazie altrui per arricchirsi. Al punto che, a tratti, l’inquirente sembra quasi parteggiare per l’omicida: il super-ego del commissario deve calmierare la naturale simpatia verso chi probabilmente ha commesso un reato perché era in preda alla disperazione.
Vichi tratteggia la figura del commissario scavandone in profondità gli aspetti psicologici. Bordelli incarna le inquietudini e le ansie di tutta una generazione, quella che aveva vissuto il fascismo e la guerra, che assiste ai mutamenti sociali e di costume di un paese ormai avviato verso la modernità, seppur con tutte le sue contraddizioni.
Le indagini si intrecceranno via via con altre storie e fatti di cronaca nera, componendo così un affresco, talvolta anche complesso, della Firenze degli anni sessanta. Non è il giallo il motivo per cui va letto il romanzo, ma per le vicende di Bordelli per le sue relazioni umane con Rosa, il Botta, Diotivede e gli altri che come lui si sentono un po' dei dinosauri in questa nuova Firenze che si va delineando, di cui non riconoscono più neppure le vie e le piazze, rinominate dopo la creazione della Repubblica italiana. Molto più interessanti del giallo sono i racconti di vita che interrompono spesso le indagini riportando i colori e i sapori di una guerra che ha lasciato segni profondi nell'animo di chi l'ha vissuta.
Un'analisi dell'uomo in un'epoca di cambiamento, un'indagine sulle contrapposizioni, enormemente marcate, tra i giovani degli anni '60 nati dopo a guerra e coloro che la guerra l'avevano fatta e “non riuscivano più a lavarsi via l'odore”.
Un giallo classico tratteggiato dall'alternarsi di racconti nostalgici, crudeli, commoventi che si incastonano benissimo col filo centrale della storia.

[Elisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questo terzo Bordelli si è rivelato migliore dei primi due, l’autore ha migliorato sé stesso. L’ambientazione fiorentina con i primi accenni che porteranno i giovani al ’68, i personaggi più caratterizzati e lo stesso Bordelli che, almeno nella prima metà del libro, vediamo finalmente lavorare. La scrittura dell’autore continua ad essere brillante e consente di immergersi nelle varie vicende con una potenza invidiabile.
Ma veniamo ai punti che ancora non tornano. In primis, non può essere un giallo. Lo è un poco la storia secondaria di Piras, anche se di facile soluzione, ed il modo in cui il sardo ne trova le prove mi lascia molte perplessità. Il caso di Bordelli, invece, è risolto in quattro e quattr’otto. Dopo una bella partenza con Bordelli che finalmente indaga, perquisisce, si passa presto ad una lungaggine senza colpi di scena (quelli che ci sono, sono prevedibilissimi) ed in cui l’unico dubbio che rimane è su cosa farà il commissario. A questo punto riprende a passare le sue giornate tra Totò, il soffitto del suo ufficio, il divano di Rosa, il sedile del maggiolino ed il letto, naturalmente tutto farcito da numerosissimi ricordi di guerra. Questi a mio parere, sono veramente troppi, uno o due van bene, ma poi, basta. Ciò che porta a finire il libro è la scrittura ben fatta e la speranza che alla fine possa succedere qualcosa che non ci si aspetta. Ed invece niente: il giallista rimane a bocca asciutta ed anche amara. Insomma l’ho trovato più curato e convincente, ma non abbastanza da meritare più di tre stelle.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in Italian, slowly as usual. It's a good novel for intermediate readers, with two plodding police procedurals moving in parallel, insightful characterization and dilemmas. Lots of good idiomatic conversation. More psychology than action. In lingua fiorentina, much easier to read than Camillieri's Sicilian. The protagonist is a senior detective, melancholic and introspective, haunted by memories of wartime and loss but loving, upright and with a circle of old friends that includes a jailbird who learned to cook while doing hard time in France. The atmosphere is gloomy; it's midwinter in Florence and almost always raining or about to rain. Good picture, in contrast, of Sardinian small town family life.
Describes shockingly sloppy handling of evidence (set in 1960s); hope it's better these days! Ends with some inviting recipes for the meals described with relish though the book, mostly at Toto's trattoria.
I might well try another but hope it does not waste as many sentences as this book does detailing the Commissioner getting in and out of his car or handling cigarettes. Perhaps because I tried to parse everything word for word instead of skipping the filler lines I found these details and the weather reports mildly annoying, causing the loss of one star. I do like this book.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite good but long winded and hard to get into. Lots of names beginning B and ending I, long sprawling sentences and different plots going on.
Main plot is Inspector Bordelli solving the murder of loan shark Badalimenti and sub plot is Sergeant Gavino Piras investigating his friend Benigno's supposed suicide. Bordelli quickly filters it down to two men and early on feels that it was Odoardo, and the plot gently carries the reader to that conclusion.
Piras gets his plot a bit further down the line, when we discover the architect Pintus buying Benigno's land was a fascist who had tried to kill him in the past and subsequently finished the job! Great evidence of the bullet shell being found stuck in his boots.
I had to put a lot of effort into reading it but it did get better. Definitely didn't have many quick snappy sentences to keep you hooked and it was a lot more of a detailed, rambly style - but that kind of matched Bordelli's policing/investigation style!
I did quite enjoy the historical aspect of Italy and how they dealt with the Nazis/Fascism - it's not an area I've really read about before.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marco Vichi ci regala un’altra avventura del suo inimitabile commissario Bordelli. Siamo a dicembre del 1965 è un usuraio viene trovato ucciso nel suo appartamento.
Bordelli comincia ad indagare sul losco personaggio e scopre storie di ricatti, foto compromettenti, uomini e donne in gravi difficoltà economiche che si rivolgono a questi e che rimangono impantanati nell’usura.
Nel frattempo Piras, il fedele secondo del commissario, si trova in convalescenza in Sardegna con i genitori, ma anche lì nella tranquilla campagna sarda il male si annida…
Perfetto giallo poliziesco, scritto benissimo, l’atmosfera del passato si respira in ogni pagina e contribuisce a rendere ogni romanzo di Vichi unico.
I personaggi che conosciamo ormai, ci sono tutti: C’è Rosa, l’amica naïf di Bordelli, il Botta, che prepara il pranzo di Natale, il malinconico Diotivede, oramai prossimo alla pensione e poi c’è lui, il più umano poliziotto dei romanzi che lo scrittore disegna così bene da renderlo uno di famiglia.
Difficile smettere di leggere.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the best I've read of the Inspector Bordelli series so far. I'm just spellbound by these books, and I can't wait to read the next one.

The story is actually two murder mysteries in one: one that Bordelli aims to solve of a loan shark in Florence with a complex, troubling back story and the other his right-hand man Piras hunts down of a supposed suicide of a friend in his home of Sardinia. Both are pieced together over Christmas 1965, and both contain the residue of World War II. The story still has the requisite dinner party with both law enforcers and law breakers as well as his touching friendship with Rosa and memories of his lost loves.

Death in Sardinia is almost twice as many pages as the other books in the series I've read, but Marco Vichi makes it worthwhile. This is a terrific series worthy for any fan of murder mysteries, especially if you also have a love of Italy.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two detectives, two murders, two cities, two very different outcomes - one more satisfying than the other for me.
The settings in place and in time bind this police procedural to more traditional methods of detection. They can, manually, match fingerprints and can use other forensic evidence, but no DNA & no mobile phones, searching records can take days and plenty of witnesses and suspects can only be interviewed in person.
The murder location in the title, Sardinia, receives far better descriptions than the traditional home of Inspector Bordelli, Florence which is largely a series of street names. These only make sense if you're familiar with the city.
Perhaps the strength of this book is the moral dilemma facing a policeman trying to carry out his duties when, by all accounts, the murder victim had it coming. Like all good fictional detectives, the mystery is solved, but of course what makes this enjoyable is finding out how and why.