Persona Non Grata

Commissario Trotti #3

by Timothy Williams

Northern Italy, 1985: Commissario Piero Trotti is on the verge of retirement from the police force. He is 56 years old, and though he is widely respected for his integrity and work ethic, he is not widely liked. The junior detectives he works with transfer because he’s too hard on them; his fellow commissioner is trying to force him out. Even his family has walked out of his life: his adult daughter has moved to Bologna, and his wife has left him for New York. All signs are telling Trotti that he needs to make a change.

Instead, he digs in his heels. The city is in an uproar after a young girl is attacked in her bed by an intruder. Aided by the one junior officer who still listens to him—a dogged, unflinching female brigadier named Ciuffi—Trotti sets to work, trying to figure out the truth.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Genres: Crime

290 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Timothy Williams was born in Walthamstow, England in 1946. He went to Chigwell School, Essex and the Universities of St. Andrews and Manchester. He has taught at various schools and the universities of Poitiers, Bari and Pavia. He now lives and teaches in Guadeloupe.

Reviews

[Cathy Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes it's just not meant to be. Have you ever tried multiple books written by the same author and had none of them "grab" you? That's what's happened to me with Timothy Williams. This is the second book he's written that I've read (from two different series), and both just fell flat.

In Persona Non Grata, the reason for my disinterest lies almost entirely in the lap of Commissario Piero Trotti. He is a thoroughly unlikable person. The only character that I did like was Ciuffi. She's good at her job, she works hard, and she's sick and tired of being treated like a fourth-class citizen by the men in her department. She has some very valid complaints which she brings to Trotti's attention from time to time. She admires and respects him for the quality of his work and would love to have him as her mentor, but Trotti very plainly has no intention of listening to anything she has to say unless it directly relates to the case they're investigating-- and sometimes not even then.

As always, your mileage may certainly vary-- and I hope it does-- but for me, I think I've learned my lesson. I'll refrain from reading any more of this author's books. He undoubtedly enjoys so-so reviews just as much as I (don't) enjoy writing them.

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

finished this evening, the 10th of january 2019, a thursday...good read three stars, three point five maybe, i liked it kindle library loaner. a bit of a hoot, how many questions are posed in this story one character to another, some questions more than once, and not a one answered directly. heh! and it isn't just between two characters this happens, but possibly all of them. has someone parodied that? personal experience, dealing with the law, if you happen to ask a question you fall immediately under suspicion and a question if posed to you. i wonder if williams-timothy was trying for that effect? maybe not. but still...it happened so often that i began to wonder if it something to do with the italian temperament. anyway. first from this writer for me, saw it at the library, on a page with several other titles, i chose this one.

the other curiosity is the manner the story unfolds (does not) after the death of the policewoman. you'd expect a convergence of people upon the scene. doesn't happen. story continues down another avenue (scene). to return in bits and pieces. anyway.

[Desiree · Rating 3 out of 5]

Commissario Trotti is not getting more likable when you get to know him better after a couple of books. His private life is in a shambles and he is constantly complaining about his age. Nearing retirement (which at that time was at 60 in Italy) he is constantly thinking about moving to the mountains. In the meantime he is constantly eating sweets and drinking wine and grappa, that is, when he's not being shot at.
The plots are interesting but sometimes difficult to follow because there are multiple storylines that intertwine.

[David C Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Betrayal and manipulation, both during the war and among families. The war time betrayals and conflicts which shadows Italian history connect with the present of course. A more personal view of Trotti and maybe just a little too melodramatic with the emphasis on the private lives of several characters all of whom are intertwined it turns out.

[June Finnigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional rollercoaster for inspector Trotti

Trotti is feeling his age and an old friend and priest from his childhood village, asks him to solve four murders committed over twenty years. The first killing was just after the Second World War and the victims were all partisans. A fascinating plot.
June Finnigan - Writer

[Mikee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the previous Williams books, but still too convoluted. I will read another one.

[Larry Schwartz]

i really should be reading something more substantial . . .

[Kate]

This book was a gift; given to me because, at the time, I drove a white Audi 5000. It was far too long ago for me to rate this book.