The Dark Heart of Florence

Michele Ferrara #6

by Michele Giuttari

After enduring years at the mercy of an infamous serial killer, the people of Florence are relieved at news of his death - until a senator and his butler are found brutally murdered.

Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara suspects that the case isn't closed and as he becomes trapped in a spiral of vendettas and corruption, a powerful adversary is conspiring against him from the shadows. When he's confronted with dead ends and unreliable theories, discovering the truth is only the beginning for Ferrara and he finds himself face-to-face with something rotten at the heart of the city.....

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

371 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Michele Giuttari is former head of the Florence Police Force (1995-2003), where he was responsible for re-opening the Monster of Florence case and jailing several key Mafia figures. He is now a special advisor to the interior minister in Rome, with a remit to monitor Mafia activity.

Reviews

[Ali Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this author. However, I found this to be the weakest of his books. The descriptions were overly simplistic, the writing was very basic and often spelled out things the reader should figure out for themselves. The plot seemed to amble along slowly, with a lot of references to a character hoping for a breakthrough which seemed to be a superfluous statement, only to come to a very abrupt end.

It was entertaining enough and perhaps the translation is the weakness in what is usually a very engaging series.

I'll continue to read his books but I hope for better next time.

[Rebecca Storr · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars as I quite liked the pace and style. Slightly unusual, maybe because it's an English translation. Just couldn't get past the description of every female character, which included chest size, leg shape, etc. Also, don't think rape/sadism should be gratuitously portrayed for entertainment, even if it is a book about a serial killer. This is part of a series so I didn't know the backstory of the characters and the end just set up the next book rather than tying up loose ends. Overall, an uncomfortable, unsatisfying read.

[Jeane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Giuttari story was really good, strong and I really enjoyed it.

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike the previous books in this series the story is more closely linked to the previous book (which I have not read) and, I suspect because of the unsatisfying ending, to the next episode. I liked the first few books and although this one is ok there was just to much conspiracy theory for me and too much harking back to the monster of Florence.
Giuttari seems to become obsessed with the mason's. Also different storylines just don't seem to be completed at the end.

[Tandy Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

The joy of reading a series in relatively quick succession is not just the maintenance of the continuity but also the sense of immersing yourself in the "world of the books"-in this case Florence which is now high on my list of must visit places! The reading equivalent of a box set binge!

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhere between okay and really liked it, this is really a 2.5 star rating. Billed as the leading Italian crime writer, something was either missing or lost in the translation. Our crime fighting Commissioner seems a dashing fellow but is so sketchily drawn I couldn't get a handle on him. We have touching scenes with his wife at home, drinking red wine and smoking cigars on the patio in the evenings and having his breakfast 'lovingly' prepared for him each morning (are they newlyweds? If not, the 'lovingly' part may well have worn off)... And then we have our main man at work, taking names and dishing out orders. But in between all the action, we don't really get a sense of who he is or what motivates him. He just does stuff.

The other members of law and order are a sketchy bunch too. Some are evil-minded and intentioned, out to get Commissioner Ferrara who, for reasons unexplained, has ruffled more high-ranking feathers than he should have, and now has powerful enemies within the government structure within which he strives. But these nefarious souls are also like ghosts in fog, trying to get a handle on them is challenging.

The crimes are awful, and even though I now know who perpetrated them, it's all still a bit ... hazy. There's a revenge motive, but blink twice and you'd miss it. It's all a bit too convoluted and because I didn't care too much about anybody, I haven't bothered to sit down with some graph paper and a slide rule to try and work it all out. Certainly our perpetrators motives are deep and opaque.

The characterisations were sometimes strange, and I put this down to possibly the translation into English. Perhaps in Italian some of these idiosyncracies made more sense. Why the perpetrator had such a small penis (yes, this was pointed out to us) is one such idiosyncracy. It made for, let's call it, quirky reading.

I normally give my novels away to friends and family once I've read them. This one, I'm not so sure as even by giving away a book you're sort of endorsing it... and this one is difficult to put a stamp of approval on. It's just a little too whimsical and wispy to recommend.

[Alan Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows on from it's predecessor, the Black Rose of Florence, which should explain why there were so many loose ends in that book. I say "should" as there are still plenty of things that happen in both books that really don't make sense or add anything to the story.

Anyone reading this book should note that it is particularly reliant on knowledge of the previous book, and this isn't a great example of call back and explaining to me readers picking this story up as a one off.

The plot is poor, and the author tries to rely on sensationalism, but sadly many of the ideas and plot points are plucked from a creative writing class and have been used far better in many other thrillers.

The author's style is becoming formulaic and predictable, and again it feels as though the lesbianism element is thrown in for me titillation.

The biggest problem I have is that I can not get emotionally invested into any of the characters. They are very robotic, one dimensional and lacking in depth and relatability. The dialogue is poor, and can't be put down to the translation. There's just nothing believable when you start reading the discussions between characters.

Let's see if things improve in the final book.

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well now... cautionary note to all readers. The Dark Heart of Florence is very definitely part of a series, and it was my great good fortune that I picked up the right one (The Black Rose of Florence) first.

This story involves sinister plots, secret societies and the return of a lot of characters from the previous novel. Someone dies, and Commissario Ferrara has to find out what's going on while at the same time pick his way through the labyrinthine structure of the competing Italian police forces.

I could write more, but I think I'd either be giving away too much of this book or the previous one – or else I'd say nothing at all. So I'll settle for saying that at times Ferrara wasn't the only one who struggled to follow what was going on.

Of course I'll read the next one. But approval of this depends on how it plays out. Get the order right here, for goodness' sake.

[Judith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish we could do 4.5 stars. For me, a little too much centering on sexual predators and sadism. I understand that these books are focusing on the renegade Freemason sub-group "the Black Rose", but are all of them focussed on sexual predation and sadism? There are other crimes. At least Giuttari does not detail all of the sadistic acts; some mysteries do and these I will not continue reading. In this one we do know the perpetrator; the tension is how will he be caught and how much damage to lives will he do.

What I find interesting in mysteries written in other countries is the point of view of crime and/or police. Example: Nordic mysteries vs. British vs. Italian (really only the alternate countries whose mysteries I have read). Has anyone written a comparative analysis?

[Chris Noonan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Half way through this novel I gave up reading it. The writing feels like its still at an early stage in the creative process and should have been kicked back by the editor for more work. The plot wasn't interesting enough but that might be because I haven't read the other books. The location of Florence prompted me to pick the book up but I didn't feel the magic of the city in the writing. Maybe some things are lost in translation and there were pressures to rush it. Quite simply it wasn't very good.

[Nigel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor writing, awful translation, what seems like, (he’s supposedly an ex superintendent) a limited knowledge of police procedure, including chain of command, absolutely no understanding of hostage situations and an unsatisfactory and unfinished ending, probably a clumsy attempt to get you to purchase the next piece of drivel in this collection of nonsense. One star for actually getting this published and a second for at least trying to give it some semblance of excitement.

[Rachelle Seymore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crime novels are not usually my first choice, but I read this book because of its setting, being Florence. I enjoyed it! Michele Giuttari was a former head of the Florence police force and his knowledge of how they operate is evident in his writing, which is clear and to the point.

[Evander · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5? These books are a shameless self-insert and somewhat formulaic but I know what to expect now, haha, and enjoy them for what they are. However, secret evil twin is so hackneyed.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

The details have the ring of authenticity, but the writing doesn't work. Perhaps it suffered in translation, but the style was clunky, the characters were cliche and didn't feel real and the various plot threads did not build coherently.

[Wendy Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good detective novel based in Florence. As it is part of a series I would have enjoyed it more if I'd known more of the back story. The Italian setting was unusual and fascinating with hints of mafia intrigue. A few too many characters for me to keep track of though.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best of the series. Only three stars because of cliched predictability.

[Helen Ruth Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Step by step policing

What a jumble the Italian police system seems to be! Guitar creates a character it's easy to have deep respect for. Can't wait for the next one.

[Peter Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review added in error!

Sorry,
Peter

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readable but very clunky dialogue. Could be the translation or the original writing but quite wooden in parts and not as good as his others.

[Miss J C Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still waiting to see who the real baddies are!

[Bill Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

As ever, a taughtly plotted and intricate story. Excellent depiction of complex characters.

My only gripe is with the translation, which produces some clunky prose, awash at times with tautology.

[Chris McGarrry · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant book

[Janet · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish this one; found I was 'forcing myself' to read it...slow plot, dull characters... Why bother?

[Stuart · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's not very often I give up on a book but I could not get involved with the characters or the plot.

[Alexandra Gates · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Some of the translation seemed a bit off but overall this was another intriguing episode with Michele Ferrara and his team!

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read
Recommend it

[Claire W · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor writing, confusing, though the premise seems interesting. But I gave up....decided my time was more valuable.

[Deirdre Buck]

Florence, Italy

[Sara Aye Moung · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read. Definitely feels like you’re in Florence and the police procedure unsurprisingly is well recounted

[Jane Crampton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I've read all of the series and have enjoyed them all. Michele Giuttari's knowledge and experience shine through in all his novels and brings depth to his characters.