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Colomba Caselli #1
Dood de vader
Un bambino è scomparso in un parco alla periferia di Roma. Poco lontano dal luogo del suo ultimo avvistamento, la madre è stata trovata morta, decapitata. Gli inquirenti credono che il responsabile sia il marito della donna, che in preda a un raptus avrebbe ucciso anche il figlio nascondendone il corpo. Ma quando Colomba Caselli arriva sul luogo del delitto capisce che nella ricostruzione c'è qualcosa che non va. Colomba ha trent'anni, è bella, atletica, dura. Ma non è più in servizio. Si è presa un congedo dopo un evento tragico cui ha assistito, impotente. Eppure non può smettere di essere ciò che è: una poliziotta, una delle migliori. E il suo vecchio capo lo sa. Per questo le chiede di lavorare, senza dare nell'occhio, al caso e la mette in contatto con Dante Torre, soprannominato "l'uomo del silos", un esperto di persone scomparse e abusi infantili. Di lui si dice che è un genio, ma che le sue incredibili capacità deduttive sono eguagliate solo dalle sue fobie e paranoie. Perché da bambino Dante è stato rapito e, mentre il mondo lo credeva morto, cresceva chiuso dentro un silos, dove veniva educato dal suo unico contatto col mondo, il misterioso individuo che da Dante si faceva chiamare "Il Padre". Adesso la richiesta di Colomba lo costringerà ad affrontare il suo incubo peggiore. Perché dietro la scomparsa del bambino Dante riconosce la mano del "Padre". Ma se è così, perché il suo carceriere ha deciso di tornare a colpire a tanti anni di distanza? E Colomba può fidarsi davvero dell'intuito del suo "alleato", o Dante la sta conducendo a caccia di fantasmi? Dazieri abbandona il noir metropolitano e costruisce un thriller magnifico, che tiene il lettore incollato dalla prima all'ultima pagina in un crescendo costante di tensione e colpi di scena.
Paperback
First published May 27, 2014
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About the author
Sandrone Dazieri
73 books335 followersÈ nato a Cremona nel 1964. Diplomatosi alla scuola alberghiera di San Pellegrino terme, ha svolto numerosi mestieri – dal cuoco al facchino al rappresentante – prima di cominciare l’attività di giornalista freelance per varie testate, tra cui il quotidiano il manifesto.
Militante per anni del movimento dei centri sociali, con i quali ha collezionato botte e denunce sino al 1994, è stato tra gli autori di "Antologia Cyberpunk" (Shake edizioni), e nel 1996 ha pubblicato "Italia Overground" (Castelvecchi), saggio sull’Italia delle controculture. Nel 1999 ha esordito nella fiction con "Attenti al Gorilla" (Piccola Biblioteca Oscar), dove ha fatto la sua prima comparsa l’alter ego dello scrittore, ex leoncavallino che soffre di sdoppiamento della personalità, buttafuori sui generis, costretto dalle circostanze e da un personalissimo senso della giustizia a trasformarsi in detective senza licenza. A questo titolo hanno fatto seguito "La cura del Gorilla" (Einaudi Stile Libero Noir, 2001) e "Gorilla Blues" (Mondatori 2002).
E' presente in varie antologie di noir italiano, tra cui "Italia odia" (Piccola Biblioteca 2001) e "Il giallo e l’impegno" (Micromega 2002).
Ha scritto anche una decina di sceneggiature per fumetti e il romanzo per ragazzi "Ciak si indaga" (Disney 2003).
I suoi libri sono stati pubblicati con successo in Francia e in Germania.
Attualmente è il direttore editoriale dei Gialli Mondatori e della Colorado Noir.
Militante per anni del movimento dei centri sociali, con i quali ha collezionato botte e denunce sino al 1994, è stato tra gli autori di "Antologia Cyberpunk" (Shake edizioni), e nel 1996 ha pubblicato "Italia Overground" (Castelvecchi), saggio sull’Italia delle controculture. Nel 1999 ha esordito nella fiction con "Attenti al Gorilla" (Piccola Biblioteca Oscar), dove ha fatto la sua prima comparsa l’alter ego dello scrittore, ex leoncavallino che soffre di sdoppiamento della personalità, buttafuori sui generis, costretto dalle circostanze e da un personalissimo senso della giustizia a trasformarsi in detective senza licenza. A questo titolo hanno fatto seguito "La cura del Gorilla" (Einaudi Stile Libero Noir, 2001) e "Gorilla Blues" (Mondatori 2002).
E' presente in varie antologie di noir italiano, tra cui "Italia odia" (Piccola Biblioteca 2001) e "Il giallo e l’impegno" (Micromega 2002).
Ha scritto anche una decina di sceneggiature per fumetti e il romanzo per ragazzi "Ciak si indaga" (Disney 2003).
I suoi libri sono stati pubblicati con successo in Francia e in Germania.
Attualmente è il direttore editoriale dei Gialli Mondatori e della Colorado Noir.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 995 reviews
March 11, 2023
Italien: Eine Mutter und ihr kleiner Sohn verschwinden. Der Vater ist verzweifelt, doch die Polizei hält ihn bald für den Täter. Nur Rovere ist überzeugt davon, dass es einen anderen Täter geben muss, und so bittet er inoffiziell Colomba um Hilfe. Colomba ist Polizistin, aber sie ist nach einem traumatischen Erlebnis eigentlich noch beurlaubt. Dennoch nimmt sie sich des Falles an und bekommt Hilfe vom Profiler Dante Torre, der als Kind ebenfalls entführt wurde und elf Jahre lang gefangen gehalten wurde...
**
Mein Leseeindruck:
"In der Finsternis" ist ein unglaublich packender, sehr düsterer und anspruchsvoller Thriller, der mich sofort in seinen Bann ziehen konnte. Die Handlung ist sehr durchdacht und überrascht den Leser mit vielen Wendungen und einem unglaublichen Finale. Vorhersehbarkeit kann man der Geschichte auf keinen Fall vorwerfen! Auch ist die Story wirklich sehr berührend; sie geht unter die Haut und wird mich bestimmt auch jetzt, nachdem ich die letzte Seite gelesen habe, noch lange nicht loslassen.
Doch nicht nur die Handlung an sich verdient Aufmerksamkeit, sondern auch die außergewöhnlichen Protagonisten, allen voran natürlich Colomba und Dante Torre! Die beiden Charaktere sind sehr gut ausgearbeitet und sie nehmen auch viel Raum in der Geschichte ein, was aber gar nicht störend ist - im Gegenteil! Durch das, was Dante Torre als Kind und Jugendlicher selbst erlebt hat, kann er einen großen Teil dazu beitragen, den aktuellen Entführungsfall aufzuklären. Dabei erfährt der Leser auch immer wieder einen Teil von Dantes Vergangenheit, die ihn verständlicherweise sehr geprägt hat, deren Auswirkungen noch heute sehr präsent sind.
Ich habe das Lesen des Buches sehr genossen und konnte den Thriller bald nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Das Buch ist spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite, und ich hoffe sehr, bald mehr von dem Autor lesen zu können!
**
Mein Leseeindruck:
"In der Finsternis" ist ein unglaublich packender, sehr düsterer und anspruchsvoller Thriller, der mich sofort in seinen Bann ziehen konnte. Die Handlung ist sehr durchdacht und überrascht den Leser mit vielen Wendungen und einem unglaublichen Finale. Vorhersehbarkeit kann man der Geschichte auf keinen Fall vorwerfen! Auch ist die Story wirklich sehr berührend; sie geht unter die Haut und wird mich bestimmt auch jetzt, nachdem ich die letzte Seite gelesen habe, noch lange nicht loslassen.
Doch nicht nur die Handlung an sich verdient Aufmerksamkeit, sondern auch die außergewöhnlichen Protagonisten, allen voran natürlich Colomba und Dante Torre! Die beiden Charaktere sind sehr gut ausgearbeitet und sie nehmen auch viel Raum in der Geschichte ein, was aber gar nicht störend ist - im Gegenteil! Durch das, was Dante Torre als Kind und Jugendlicher selbst erlebt hat, kann er einen großen Teil dazu beitragen, den aktuellen Entführungsfall aufzuklären. Dabei erfährt der Leser auch immer wieder einen Teil von Dantes Vergangenheit, die ihn verständlicherweise sehr geprägt hat, deren Auswirkungen noch heute sehr präsent sind.
Ich habe das Lesen des Buches sehr genossen und konnte den Thriller bald nicht mehr aus der Hand legen. Das Buch ist spannend von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite, und ich hoffe sehr, bald mehr von dem Autor lesen zu können!
March 24, 2017
First in a series, translated from Italian, I have to admit I was enthralled. Not necessarily for the storyline, thought I thought is was well dome with multiple layers and new revelations, the requisite twists and turns that we don't see coming.
It was the characters I found extremely interesting. The young woman detective suffering from anxiety, on leave at present, but brought into the case as a favor to her mentor and friend. Then there ids Dante Torres, kidnapped as a six year old, for eleven years living out of society. Suffering crippling effects from his years of imprisonment, he is nevertheless, capable of pitting things together, noticing things others often don't. Can read the signals and facial ticks, tells that often go unnoticed, he has worked on various cases finding lost children. He is so interesting and unique.
Definitely looking forward to more from this duo, a very good police procedural and much more.
It was the characters I found extremely interesting. The young woman detective suffering from anxiety, on leave at present, but brought into the case as a favor to her mentor and friend. Then there ids Dante Torres, kidnapped as a six year old, for eleven years living out of society. Suffering crippling effects from his years of imprisonment, he is nevertheless, capable of pitting things together, noticing things others often don't. Can read the signals and facial ticks, tells that often go unnoticed, he has worked on various cases finding lost children. He is so interesting and unique.
Definitely looking forward to more from this duo, a very good police procedural and much more.
August 30, 2017
This book was CRAZY!!! Just when I thought I was figuring things out, the plot throws a monkey wrench in my thought process. Fantastic writing, detailed, intricate, and complicated. Wow!!!
March 14, 2019
El principal fallo de esta novela es, a mi modo de ver, no haber acabado cuando los protagonistas recuperan las pruebas que les daban la razón sobre la conspiración que están investigando. Hubiera sido un final creíble y más acorde con la trama. En lugar de eso, y aquí se nota que el autor es guionista de series de televisión en su país, la continua, dándole un supuesto giro inesperado, que la culmina de forma harto increíble. Es esa parte final la que casi me destroza la novela, porque hasta ahí la había leído con interés. Además, el estilo narrativo es fluido, a veces casi brillante. Pero esa vuelta de tuerca final me dejó bastante decepcionado. Aunque reconozco que, como guión para una futura película, es razonable que SD lo haya decidido de esta manera, haciéndola más cinematográfica, pero también menos destacable.
Esperaré hasta haber leído la continuación, “El ángel”, para decidir si incluyo a este autor entre mis lecturas recomendadas.
Esperaré hasta haber leído la continuación, “El ángel”, para decidir si incluyo a este autor entre mis lecturas recomendadas.
December 28, 2016
3.5 stars. Kill the Father is not a book to read in fits and starts as I did over the Christmas holiday. It's a long book with a complex plot, lots of characters and endless twists and turns. Translated from the Italian, Kill the Father is a psychological thriller focused on two parallel child abductions -- one takes place at the opening of the book and the other one takes place 25 years earlier. The main two characters are a female police officer on leave and the victim of the older abduction, who work together to figure out what happened in both cases. What I liked most about Kill the Father are the Italian setting, and the dynamic between the two main characters. I swayed back and forth in my reaction to the plot. It's one of those stories that feels like an action movie that keeps pushing the envelope -- another explosion, another fight, another encounter that seems to have no exit... And it's long -- over 500 pages -- so the twists and turns do feel truly endless. But again I really liked the main characters, and I liked that the motivations behind the child abductions were not your usual fare... This won't be for everyone, but will work for those who have patience and like thrillers in unusual settings. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
June 13, 2022
Τι βιβλίο... Καιρο είχα να περασω τόσο καλα με ήρωες αστυνομικου μυθιστορηματος. Ο Νταντε και η Κολομπα είναι ενα αξεπέραστο δίδυμο. Οι διαλογοι είναι απολαυστικοί και η πλοκή ξεπερνάει και την πιο νοσηρη φαντασια. Ενα κουβαρι γεγονότων που ξετυλίγεται μπροστα στα μάτια μας τόσο ζωντανά και παραστατικά που ένιωσα να μου τελειωνει ο αέρας αρκετες φορες κατα τη διαρκεία της ανάγνωσης. Τουλάχιστον 3 φορες νομισα πως το μαρτυριο έφτασε στο τέλος και ομως είχε παντα ακόμα λίγο, σε σημείο που δοκιμάστηκε η υπομονή μου. Παρά τον ογκο του βιβλίου δεν έκανε καθόλου κοιλια, οι σελίδες γυρνούσαν γρήγορα και έφτανε η αγωνία στο τέρμα. Πραγματικά από τα καλύτερα βιβλία που έπιασα φετος στα χέρια μου.
September 11, 2016
Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli and Dante Torre .... two protagonists that make up this part psychological puzzle, part conspiracy theory, and part police procedural .... characters you will never forget.
Caselli --- recuperating from a bombing, suffering from PTSD, trying to decide whether she wants to continue as a detective.
Torre - a man held captive from the age of 6 to 17 in a one room chamber with no light, no windows, only the voice of his captor ..Father. He escaped only to live his life with claustrophobia that overwhelms him to the point he cannot function.
When a woman is beheaded in a park and her 6-year-old son goes missing, these two people are brought together to investigate. Evidence suggests that Father is back after decades of dormancy.
Once they start following the thin clues, they find that things are much, much darker than anything they could imagine.
This is one of the best mysteries I have read this year. There's not a dull moment, it's like a roller coaster ride that never ends. The characters are so flawed and injured, yet they compliment and complete each other.
There are so many layers to this well-written, well-plotted story. The story line goes this way and then it goes that way and then it goes somewhere else altogether. The twists and turns are constant and keeps your attention and your eyes greedily reading on and on and on.
Many thanks to the author / Scribner / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Caselli --- recuperating from a bombing, suffering from PTSD, trying to decide whether she wants to continue as a detective.
Torre - a man held captive from the age of 6 to 17 in a one room chamber with no light, no windows, only the voice of his captor ..Father. He escaped only to live his life with claustrophobia that overwhelms him to the point he cannot function.
When a woman is beheaded in a park and her 6-year-old son goes missing, these two people are brought together to investigate. Evidence suggests that Father is back after decades of dormancy.
Once they start following the thin clues, they find that things are much, much darker than anything they could imagine.
This is one of the best mysteries I have read this year. There's not a dull moment, it's like a roller coaster ride that never ends. The characters are so flawed and injured, yet they compliment and complete each other.
There are so many layers to this well-written, well-plotted story. The story line goes this way and then it goes that way and then it goes somewhere else altogether. The twists and turns are constant and keeps your attention and your eyes greedily reading on and on and on.
Many thanks to the author / Scribner / NetGalley who provided a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
February 7, 2017
Pure brilliance. Totally absorbing and also two main protagonists to die for. And a proper sprawling story too that not once loses cohesion or quality. I love a tome, we don't get that many authors these days that write the almost 500 or + pagers I like it when they do and they are this bloody good!
Full review to follow on publication day (9th Feb UK)
Full review to follow on publication day (9th Feb UK)
February 21, 2017
This intricate Italian thriller introduces one of the oddest couples in crime fiction. Neither one is a poster child for mental health and with good reason. The real question lurking behind their present case is not whether they’ll get their man but if they can survive what they discover.
Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli is officially on leave. She was a rising star in Rome’s major crimes unit until “the Disaster”. Now she’s trying to decide whether she still wants to be a cop & her panic attacks might be a sign it’s time for a career change.
Dante Torre is a bit of a train wreck. But after being abducted as a child & squirrelled away in an abandoned silo for 11 years, who can blame him. That would give anyone a few ticks. More than 30 years later, he struggles with social skills & crippling claustrophobia. The experience left him with an uncanny ability to “read” people through their every glance, word, tone & gesture. Now he makes his living as a human lie detector for select clients.
Then another little boy goes missing. Chief Alfredo Rovere hears of the puzzling case & has his doubts about the cop leading the investigation. He contacts Colomba & asks her to discretely look into the death of a woman whose 6 year old son has vanished. There’s just one catch….she must convince Dante to help her.
And they’re off. Right from the start, you crave information about these characters & their pasts. They’re well defined & through the effective use of flashbacks we learn what happened to turn them both into fragile yet resilient people. They’re surrounded by a large cast & it’s clear some have private agendas. At times, we know more than Colomba & Dante & this adds to the rising tension.
The pace picks up considerably in the second half as Colomba & Dante race around Italy trying to stay one step ahead of a shadowy figure known as the Father. The author does a great job of providing a slow drip of clues that reveal & misdirect, leading to some surprising twists. One of my pet peeves is when a major revelation comes out of the blue. It leaves me feeling cheated because I never had a chance to suss it out. That’s not the case here. There are several jaw droppers along the way but the hints were all there & I just missed their significance. Well done, Mr Dazieri.
The literal sprint to the finish leaves you reeling as the pieces all fit together to reveal the horrific scale of everything that’s happened. It’s a compulsive read with an intriguing couple I hope we’ll see again.
Kudos to Antony Shugaar whose translation provides a smooth narrative that allows the characters to shine.
Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli is officially on leave. She was a rising star in Rome’s major crimes unit until “the Disaster”. Now she’s trying to decide whether she still wants to be a cop & her panic attacks might be a sign it’s time for a career change.
Dante Torre is a bit of a train wreck. But after being abducted as a child & squirrelled away in an abandoned silo for 11 years, who can blame him. That would give anyone a few ticks. More than 30 years later, he struggles with social skills & crippling claustrophobia. The experience left him with an uncanny ability to “read” people through their every glance, word, tone & gesture. Now he makes his living as a human lie detector for select clients.
Then another little boy goes missing. Chief Alfredo Rovere hears of the puzzling case & has his doubts about the cop leading the investigation. He contacts Colomba & asks her to discretely look into the death of a woman whose 6 year old son has vanished. There’s just one catch….she must convince Dante to help her.
And they’re off. Right from the start, you crave information about these characters & their pasts. They’re well defined & through the effective use of flashbacks we learn what happened to turn them both into fragile yet resilient people. They’re surrounded by a large cast & it’s clear some have private agendas. At times, we know more than Colomba & Dante & this adds to the rising tension.
The pace picks up considerably in the second half as Colomba & Dante race around Italy trying to stay one step ahead of a shadowy figure known as the Father. The author does a great job of providing a slow drip of clues that reveal & misdirect, leading to some surprising twists. One of my pet peeves is when a major revelation comes out of the blue. It leaves me feeling cheated because I never had a chance to suss it out. That’s not the case here. There are several jaw droppers along the way but the hints were all there & I just missed their significance. Well done, Mr Dazieri.
The literal sprint to the finish leaves you reeling as the pieces all fit together to reveal the horrific scale of everything that’s happened. It’s a compulsive read with an intriguing couple I hope we’ll see again.
Kudos to Antony Shugaar whose translation provides a smooth narrative that allows the characters to shine.
February 28, 2017
4.5 stars!
Kill the Father was an exciting thriller featuring two of the most memorable characters I've come across in years!
Deputy Captain Columba Caselli is recovering from a horrible bombing when her superior requests she look into a kidnapping case, even though she is still officially on leave. Dante Torre is a man still recovering from his boyhood kidnapping and subsequent 11 year incarceration by a man known only as "The Father." That's all I'm going to say about the plot.
These characters were so vividly drawn I can easily picture them right now-Dante with his endless coffee and cigarettes and Columba with her piercing green eyes and often sarcastic attitude. Together they are both damaged, but stronger because of it, and because of each other.
The pacing was mostly fast and there are lots of surprises, twists and turns, but I do feel that the book was just a tad too long. However, I never lost interest and in fact, I read the last 30% in one straight shot, because there was just no good place to stop-I had to see what happened. I was NOT disappointed!
Kill the Father was my first experience with author Sandrone Dazieri, but I hope it will not be my last. I just finished this book and I'm already missing Columba and Dante-so please, Mr. Dazieri, bring them back for another thriller!
Highly recommended for fans of thrillers and mysteries!
Kill the Father is now available here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/150...
*Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
Kill the Father was an exciting thriller featuring two of the most memorable characters I've come across in years!
Deputy Captain Columba Caselli is recovering from a horrible bombing when her superior requests she look into a kidnapping case, even though she is still officially on leave. Dante Torre is a man still recovering from his boyhood kidnapping and subsequent 11 year incarceration by a man known only as "The Father." That's all I'm going to say about the plot.
These characters were so vividly drawn I can easily picture them right now-Dante with his endless coffee and cigarettes and Columba with her piercing green eyes and often sarcastic attitude. Together they are both damaged, but stronger because of it, and because of each other.
The pacing was mostly fast and there are lots of surprises, twists and turns, but I do feel that the book was just a tad too long. However, I never lost interest and in fact, I read the last 30% in one straight shot, because there was just no good place to stop-I had to see what happened. I was NOT disappointed!
Kill the Father was my first experience with author Sandrone Dazieri, but I hope it will not be my last. I just finished this book and I'm already missing Columba and Dante-so please, Mr. Dazieri, bring them back for another thriller!
Highly recommended for fans of thrillers and mysteries!
Kill the Father is now available here. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/150...
*Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
May 24, 2021
Este libro pasa a formar parte de mi lista de favoritos.
La trama está bien pensada. Tiene un ritmo muy dinámico que te atrapa.
Los personajes están muy bien perfilados. Dante Torre es el protagonista masculino que más me ha gustado e impactado en la vida, tierno, seco, simpático, roto, fuerte traumatizado, luchador...Me dejó fascinada.
Recomendable no, lo siguiente.
La trama está bien pensada. Tiene un ritmo muy dinámico que te atrapa.
Los personajes están muy bien perfilados. Dante Torre es el protagonista masculino que más me ha gustado e impactado en la vida, tierno, seco, simpático, roto, fuerte traumatizado, luchador...Me dejó fascinada.
Recomendable no, lo siguiente.
February 9, 2017
Two people who are shattered by their past team up to solve a series of killings and abductions.
When a woman is beheaded in a park her 6 year old son goes missing. The police unit investigating arrest the woman's husband. The Chief of Rome's Major Crime Unit has his doubts that things are not normally as simple as the case appears to be. Will Colomba Caselli and Dante Torre be able to get to the bottom of it all?
This book certainly keeps your interest all the way through. Nicely written.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner and the author Sandrone Dazieri for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
When a woman is beheaded in a park her 6 year old son goes missing. The police unit investigating arrest the woman's husband. The Chief of Rome's Major Crime Unit has his doubts that things are not normally as simple as the case appears to be. Will Colomba Caselli and Dante Torre be able to get to the bottom of it all?
This book certainly keeps your interest all the way through. Nicely written.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Scribner and the author Sandrone Dazieri for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2017
A six-year-old boy and his mother have gone missing from a family picnic. The boy's father is immediately under suspicion, even more so when evidence emerges that suggests he was abusive towards his wife, and when that wife is found beheaded. So the police unit assigned to the case arrest him and await a confession. But Rovere, the Chief of Rome's Major Crimes unit, doubts that things are so simple. Rovere is aware of the consequences of investigating the case formally, especially given his mistrust of the officer in charge of the investigation, and the vulnerability of his own position after a recent catastrophe involving one of his most highly trusted officers, Deputy Captain Columba Caselli. Columba is still on leave when she receives Rovere's call. And the man whom Rovere advises her to work with is an even more unorthodox choice: Dante Torre, who spent his childhood locked inside a concrete silo after being kidnapped by a man he only knows as the Father. Working together, they soon discover that the Father has returned to what he does best.
The thriller genre is often one that is criticised for being over-hyped and disappointingly repetitive. Those critics should read this book. Columba and Dante are perhaps the most fascinating and unusual partners I have ever encountered in fiction, and I am utterly besotted with them. Dazieri has created a fantastic thriller, as intelligent as it is page-turning, and he has told it in a distinctly unique voice. If you ever get tired of reading the same thrillers over and again, this is the book for you. (Even if you don't, and you're still in love with the genre, this is still the book for you.) Prepare to lose some sleep over this book. Highly recommended.
The thriller genre is often one that is criticised for being over-hyped and disappointingly repetitive. Those critics should read this book. Columba and Dante are perhaps the most fascinating and unusual partners I have ever encountered in fiction, and I am utterly besotted with them. Dazieri has created a fantastic thriller, as intelligent as it is page-turning, and he has told it in a distinctly unique voice. If you ever get tired of reading the same thrillers over and again, this is the book for you. (Even if you don't, and you're still in love with the genre, this is still the book for you.) Prepare to lose some sleep over this book. Highly recommended.
June 14, 2018
Ενδιαφέρουσα αστυνομική ιστορία, καλογραμμένη με εξαιρετικά δομημένους χαρακτήρες που εύκολα θα ταυτιστείς μαζί τους, ωραία ατμόσφαιρα, αρκετά πρωτότυπη πλοκή. Μια καλή προσπάθεια. Αγάπησα την κεντρική ηρωίδα. Δε βρίσκω κάτι πολύ άσχημο για να προσάψω εκτός του ότι θα το ήθελα λίγο μικρότερο. Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει και καλοκαιρινή ραστώνη αλλά υπήρξαν στιγμές που ένιωσα να χάνομαι στις σελίδες του.
November 10, 2016
2 stars--it was okay.
I think this was a case of wrong reader. There's nothing really wrong with this book. If you like thrillers, this has all the exciting thriller elements of explosions, high-tech hacking, and police intrigue. There's a big twist in the killer's identity, and lots of action.
For me personally, I thought the translation was pretty dull. There was a lack of sentence variety and clunky dialogue. Also, I had a bit of a hard time suspending my disbelief regarding how much the police let a civilian be involved in the investigation. (But this is a common trope of the genre, really.)
So, not for me, but if you like thrillers, your mileage may vary!
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
I think this was a case of wrong reader. There's nothing really wrong with this book. If you like thrillers, this has all the exciting thriller elements of explosions, high-tech hacking, and police intrigue. There's a big twist in the killer's identity, and lots of action.
For me personally, I thought the translation was pretty dull. There was a lack of sentence variety and clunky dialogue. Also, I had a bit of a hard time suspending my disbelief regarding how much the police let a civilian be involved in the investigation. (But this is a common trope of the genre, really.)
So, not for me, but if you like thrillers, your mileage may vary!
I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!
September 8, 2016
This intricate Italian thriller introduces one of the oddest couples in crime fiction. Neither one is a poster child for mental health and with good reason. The real question lurking behind their present case is not whether they’ll get their man but if they can survive what they discover.
Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli is officially on leave. She was a rising star in Rome’s major crimes unit until “the Disaster”. Now she’s trying to decide whether she still wants to be a cop & her panic attacks might be a sign it’s time for a career change.
Dante Torre is a bit of a train wreck. But after being abducted as a child & squirrelled away in an abandoned silo for 11 years, who can blame him. That would give anyone a few ticks. More than 30 years later, he struggles with social skills & crippling claustrophobia. The experience left him with an uncanny ability to “read” people through their every glance, word, tone & gesture. Now he makes his living as a human lie detector for select clients.
Then another little boy goes missing. Chief Alfredo Rovere hears of the puzzling case & has his doubts about the cop leading the investigation. He contacts Colomba & asks her to discretely look into the death of a woman whose 6 year old son has vanished. There’s just one catch….she must convince Dante to help her.
And they’re off. Right from the start, you crave information about these characters & their pasts. They’re well defined & through the effective use of flashbacks we learn what happened to turn them both into fragile yet resilient people. They’re surrounded by a large cast & it’s clear some have private agendas. At times, we know more than Colomba & Dante & this adds to the rising tension.
The pace picks up considerably in the second half as Colomba & Dante race around Italy trying to stay one step ahead of a shadowy figure known as the Father. The author does a great job of providing a slow drip of clues that reveal & misdirect, leading to some surprising twists. One of my pet peeves is when a major revelation comes out of the blue. It leaves me feeling cheated because I never had a chance to suss it out. That’s not the case here. There are several jaw droppers along the way but the hints were all there & I just missed their significance. Well done, Mr Dazieri.
The literal sprint to the finish leaves you reeling as the pieces all fit together to reveal the horrific scale of everything that’s happened. It’s a compulsive read with an intriguing couple I hope we’ll see again. Kudos to Antony Shugaar whose translation provides a smooth narrative that allows the characters to shine.
Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli is officially on leave. She was a rising star in Rome’s major crimes unit until “the Disaster”. Now she’s trying to decide whether she still wants to be a cop & her panic attacks might be a sign it’s time for a career change.
Dante Torre is a bit of a train wreck. But after being abducted as a child & squirrelled away in an abandoned silo for 11 years, who can blame him. That would give anyone a few ticks. More than 30 years later, he struggles with social skills & crippling claustrophobia. The experience left him with an uncanny ability to “read” people through their every glance, word, tone & gesture. Now he makes his living as a human lie detector for select clients.
Then another little boy goes missing. Chief Alfredo Rovere hears of the puzzling case & has his doubts about the cop leading the investigation. He contacts Colomba & asks her to discretely look into the death of a woman whose 6 year old son has vanished. There’s just one catch….she must convince Dante to help her.
And they’re off. Right from the start, you crave information about these characters & their pasts. They’re well defined & through the effective use of flashbacks we learn what happened to turn them both into fragile yet resilient people. They’re surrounded by a large cast & it’s clear some have private agendas. At times, we know more than Colomba & Dante & this adds to the rising tension.
The pace picks up considerably in the second half as Colomba & Dante race around Italy trying to stay one step ahead of a shadowy figure known as the Father. The author does a great job of providing a slow drip of clues that reveal & misdirect, leading to some surprising twists. One of my pet peeves is when a major revelation comes out of the blue. It leaves me feeling cheated because I never had a chance to suss it out. That’s not the case here. There are several jaw droppers along the way but the hints were all there & I just missed their significance. Well done, Mr Dazieri.
The literal sprint to the finish leaves you reeling as the pieces all fit together to reveal the horrific scale of everything that’s happened. It’s a compulsive read with an intriguing couple I hope we’ll see again. Kudos to Antony Shugaar whose translation provides a smooth narrative that allows the characters to shine.
January 6, 2018
1/100, 5 stars *****
Can't recommend enough!
I LOVED this book!! Loved the main characters, Caselli & Torre, they are a pair who the reader is actually interested in learning all about. I loved the excellent, compulsive, fast-paced writing of this big book that was in no way slow or laborious at any point. It made me stay up that bit later at night and in the bath that bit longer (try til the water was cold!), just so I could read 'just one more chapter'! Oh, and I had NO idea who the Father was until the actual reveal ;) I was pretty miffed about that one, I admit, but that was my own fault for missing the subtle clues dropped here and there throughout the book.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedure, part crime thriller, this was a marvelous intro for me to a great author and I'm off to find out what Dazieri did next :D
Can't recommend enough!
I LOVED this book!! Loved the main characters, Caselli & Torre, they are a pair who the reader is actually interested in learning all about. I loved the excellent, compulsive, fast-paced writing of this big book that was in no way slow or laborious at any point. It made me stay up that bit later at night and in the bath that bit longer (try til the water was cold!), just so I could read 'just one more chapter'! Oh, and I had NO idea who the Father was until the actual reveal ;) I was pretty miffed about that one, I admit, but that was my own fault for missing the subtle clues dropped here and there throughout the book.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedure, part crime thriller, this was a marvelous intro for me to a great author and I'm off to find out what Dazieri did next :D
July 23, 2019
Ενώ οι Σουηδοί συγγραφείς αστυνομικών μυθιστορημάτων επιδίδονται σε κόντρες μεταξύ τους, ποιος θα γράψει την πιο αιματηρή σκηνή, διατηρώντας το πλέον αποστειρωμένο και συνάμα αγαπησιάρικο περιβάλλον. Έστω και σε γκρίζες αποχρώσεις, που να ενισχύονται από πολύπλοκους συναισθηματικά μη διαθέσιμους χαρακτήρες, ακόμη κι όταν έχουν οικογένεια κι οι Άγγλοι απ’ την άλλη μοιάζουν σαν να τους ακολουθούν με mtb, ενώ οι πρώτοι τρέχουν με road, οι Ιταλοί με ευγενέστερο τρόπο κοντράρονται μεταξύ τους σε επίπεδο φινέτσας και ‘’καθαρού’’ τοπίου. Ίσως, βέβαια ο συγκεκριμένος συγγραφέας, κατά κάποιο τρόπο, είναι πιο μπρουτάλ, πιο καθαρόαιμος αστυνομικός συγγραφέας, αλλά και πάλι, η υφολογική καταχνιά, απουσιάζει. Και προσωπικά, νομίζω πως το προτιμώ, το μπλοκμπαστεράκι του ΣΚ, να είναι χαλαρό.
Στα πρώτα θετικά, η πολύ ευνοϊκή εντύπωση που δημιουργεί η χρήση της ‘’συλλογικής μνήμης’’. Ανοίγει πολλά ενδεχόμενα κι εξιτάρει τη σκέψη, ασχέτως αν είναι ένα χαρτί που δεν εκμεταλλεύεται επαρκώς. Το επόμενο, είναι ένα τρικ που χρησιμοποιεί ο συγγραφέας. Με ένα ήπιο ύφος, που θυμίζει εγκυκλοπαίδεια αρχίζει να δίνει πληροφορίες για το C4 και ομολογώ πως ξεφεύγουν απ’ τις συνήθεις επαναλήψεις. Εγώ πρώτη φορά διάβασα πως στο Βιετνάμ οι στρατιώτες μάσαγαν μπαλάκια C4 για να ασθενήσουν και να βγουν ελεύθεροι υπηρεσίας. Και όπως είχα χαλαρώσει και ξέχασα τι διάβαζα, η σκηνή που ακολουθεί, υποβάλλει έντονα. Γενικά, σε όσες σκηνές περιλαμβάνονται καταστροφές καταφέρνει να επιβληθεί στον αναγνώστη.
Το σενάριο είναι σφιχτοδεμένο και ενδιαφέρον, χωρίς ανόητη υπερπληροφόρηση και το πρωταγωνιστικό ντουέτο βγάζει συμπάθεια γιατί η συναισθηματική δυσκολία και των δύο, πείθει. Είναι ανάλογη των καταστάσεων που έχουν προηγηθεί, χωρίς να γίνεται υπερβολική. Η εμβάθυνση πάντως διαρκώς μοιάζει να ξεφεύγει απ’ το συγγραφέα, ή να την αποφεύγει. Κι οι διάλογοι πάντως έχουν σε γενικές γραμμέ�� φυσικότητα και ροή.
<< Έλυσε τη γραβάτα του και πάντα με τα μάτια κλειστά κατέβασε το φερμουάρ του παντελονιού του και ούρησε πάνω της, χωρίς καν να φύγει απ’ το πλήθος, που απομακρύνθηκε κατά κύματα αηδιασμένο. Τύλιξε τη βρεγμένη γραβάτα γύρω απ’ το στόμα και τη μύτη του, άναψε το φακό του κινητού του και μπήκε. Για ένα δευτερόλεπτο δεν έβλεπε τίποτα. Μετά ο καπνός αραίωσε… >>
Μεγάλο φάουλ, η αναφορά στη φυλή των Ντόμπερμαν, αρκετά έχουν ήδη στοχοποιηθεί, όπως επίσης και η υπόνοια των κομμένων αυτιών. Παρεπιπτόντως, ο σκύλος δεν έκανε επίθεση, αμυνόταν. Τον τρόπο που αφοπλίστηκε ο σκύλος, δε θα τον σχολιάσω. Αλλά ανάλογου βεληνεκούς είναι και το τέχνασμα με το λουκέτο συνδυασμών που ανοίγει σε μισή ωρίτσα, παρότι είναι μάλλον απίθανο να γίνει μ�� το ένα χέρι και ευτυχώς που υπάρχει το βιντεάκι της ομάδας Mad Science Hacks, αλλιώς μπορεί να πήγαινα νυχτιάτικα να αγοράσω κανένα λουκέτο. Αλλά αυτό που θέλω να πω είναι ότι γενικά σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις δίνεται μια εντύπωση πως οι πληροφορίες ή οι συλλογισμοί προέρχονται από ξεφύλλισμα και συρραφές του ίντερνετ. Άλλωστε και στο επιλογικό σημείωμα ο ίδιος ο συγγραφέας παραπέμπει σε διάφορες ιστοσελίδες.
Για ‘μενα, η πραγματική βαθμολογία του βιβλίου είναι 2,5. Και δηλώνει πως το βιβλίο έχει εξαιρετική πλοκή, που από μόνη της δεν αρκεί. Η έλλειψη εμβάθυνσης, το να μην αντιμετωπίζονται οι ανθρώπινες σχέσεις ανεμικά, όπως κι η διάσταση των χαρακτήρων που είναι επιλεκτική και ανώριμη, ανήκουν σε αυτά που δεν εκτιμώ. Η φινέτσα και η κουλτούρα από μόνες τους δε δηλώνουν και πολλά. Όταν όλα αυτά που σε ερεθίζουν και θαυμάζεις, αποτελούν μόνο δομικά στοιχεία της υπόθεσης και κινείσαι σε μια πανέμορφη χώρα, την οποία δε βλέπεις, σα να κρύβεις ποιος είσαι, σα να γράφεις απ’ το Γιβραλτάρ, ή το Άργος, ή οπουδήποτε, ακόμα και απ’ το δωμάτιο ενός ξενοδοχείου, όταν απουσιάζουν τα πάντα σα να βρίσκεσαι μέσα σε ένα στούντιο, κέρδισες το στοίχημα σου κι έχασες την ουσία. Αρκετά καλό για να συνοδέψει την πίτσα του Σαββατόβραδου, ή μια σεράνο, όταν τελειώνει όμως ούτε που το ξανασκέφτεσαι.
2,5
Στα πρώτα θετικά, η πολύ ευνοϊκή εντύπωση που δημιουργεί η χρήση της ‘’συλλογικής μνήμης’’. Ανοίγει πολλά ενδεχόμενα κι εξιτάρει τη σκέψη, ασχέτως αν είναι ένα χαρτί που δεν εκμεταλλεύεται επαρκώς. Το επόμενο, είναι ένα τρικ που χρησιμοποιεί ο συγγραφέας. Με ένα ήπιο ύφος, που θυμίζει εγκυκλοπαίδεια αρχίζει να δίνει πληροφορίες για το C4 και ομολογώ πως ξεφεύγουν απ’ τις συνήθεις επαναλήψεις. Εγώ πρώτη φορά διάβασα πως στο Βιετνάμ οι στρατιώτες μάσαγαν μπαλάκια C4 για να ασθενήσουν και να βγουν ελεύθεροι υπηρεσίας. Και όπως είχα χαλαρώσει και ξέχασα τι διάβαζα, η σκηνή που ακολουθεί, υποβάλλει έντονα. Γενικά, σε όσες σκηνές περιλαμβάνονται καταστροφές καταφέρνει να επιβληθεί στον αναγνώστη.
Το σενάριο είναι σφιχτοδεμένο και ενδιαφέρον, χωρίς ανόητη υπερπληροφόρηση και το πρωταγωνιστικό ντουέτο βγάζει συμπάθεια γιατί η συναισθηματική δυσκολία και των δύο, πείθει. Είναι ανάλογη των καταστάσεων που έχουν προηγηθεί, χωρίς να γίνεται υπερβολική. Η εμβάθυνση πάντως διαρκώς μοιάζει να ξεφεύγει απ’ το συγγραφέα, ή να την αποφεύγει. Κι οι διάλογοι πάντως έχουν σε γενικές γραμμέ�� φυσικότητα και ροή.
<< Έλυσε τη γραβάτα του και πάντα με τα μάτια κλειστά κατέβασε το φερμουάρ του παντελονιού του και ούρησε πάνω της, χωρίς καν να φύγει απ’ το πλήθος, που απομακρύνθηκε κατά κύματα αηδιασμένο. Τύλιξε τη βρεγμένη γραβάτα γύρω απ’ το στόμα και τη μύτη του, άναψε το φακό του κινητού του και μπήκε. Για ένα δευτερόλεπτο δεν έβλεπε τίποτα. Μετά ο καπνός αραίωσε… >>
Μεγάλο φάουλ, η αναφορά στη φυλή των Ντόμπερμαν, αρκετά έχουν ήδη στοχοποιηθεί, όπως επίσης και η υπόνοια των κομμένων αυτιών. Παρεπιπτόντως, ο σκύλος δεν έκανε επίθεση, αμυνόταν. Τον τρόπο που αφοπλίστηκε ο σκύλος, δε θα τον σχολιάσω. Αλλά ανάλογου βεληνεκούς είναι και το τέχνασμα με το λουκέτο συνδυασμών που ανοίγει σε μισή ωρίτσα, παρότι είναι μάλλον απίθανο να γίνει μ�� το ένα χέρι και ευτυχώς που υπάρχει το βιντεάκι της ομάδας Mad Science Hacks, αλλιώς μπορεί να πήγαινα νυχτιάτικα να αγοράσω κανένα λουκέτο. Αλλά αυτό που θέλω να πω είναι ότι γενικά σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις δίνεται μια εντύπωση πως οι πληροφορίες ή οι συλλογισμοί προέρχονται από ξεφύλλισμα και συρραφές του ίντερνετ. Άλλωστε και στο επιλογικό σημείωμα ο ίδιος ο συγγραφέας παραπέμπει σε διάφορες ιστοσελίδες.
Για ‘μενα, η πραγματική βαθμολογία του βιβλίου είναι 2,5. Και δηλώνει πως το βιβλίο έχει εξαιρετική πλοκή, που από μόνη της δεν αρκεί. Η έλλειψη εμβάθυνσης, το να μην αντιμετωπίζονται οι ανθρώπινες σχέσεις ανεμικά, όπως κι η διάσταση των χαρακτήρων που είναι επιλεκτική και ανώριμη, ανήκουν σε αυτά που δεν εκτιμώ. Η φινέτσα και η κουλτούρα από μόνες τους δε δηλώνουν και πολλά. Όταν όλα αυτά που σε ερεθίζουν και θαυμάζεις, αποτελούν μόνο δομικά στοιχεία της υπόθεσης και κινείσαι σε μια πανέμορφη χώρα, την οποία δε βλέπεις, σα να κρύβεις ποιος είσαι, σα να γράφεις απ’ το Γιβραλτάρ, ή το Άργος, ή οπουδήποτε, ακόμα και απ’ το δωμάτιο ενός ξενοδοχείου, όταν απουσιάζουν τα πάντα σα να βρίσκεσαι μέσα σε ένα στούντιο, κέρδισες το στοίχημα σου κι έχασες την ουσία. Αρκετά καλό για να συνοδέψει την πίτσα του Σαββατόβραδου, ή μια σεράνο, όταν τελειώνει όμως ούτε που το ξανασκέφτεσαι.
2,5
July 7, 2023
He quedado totalmente enganchada a la pareja formada por Colombo y Dante, personajes complejos, muy inteligentes y bien creados. La historia es muy buena, engancha, la trama engancha desde el minuto uno y los personajes secundarios también tienen su miga en definitiva, seguiré pronto con la serie aunque , por ah solo haya tres libros publicados.
February 22, 2017
An ARC of Kill The Father by Sandrone Dazieri was provided to be by Simon and Schuster Canada in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my rating in any way.
--
First of all, I’d like to quickly give myself a little pat on the back for even finishing this novel. My attention span is actually pathetic, so big books tend to make me feel slightly intimidated. 500 pages may not be a lot for some people, but for me it’s quite the achievement! I’m so glad I stuck with it as Kill The Father turned out to be the thriller I didn’t know I needed.
--
What I Liked
The mystery and suspense. Typically, when one picks up a thriller, they except a great deal of mystery and suspense…and Kill The Father did not disappoint. This book had me hooked right from the start. The suspense started early and it did not let up until literally the final chapter. Oh my god, and that ending…there’s going to be a second book right? RIGHT?!
Dante. I absolutely loved the character of Dante Torre. He is a character with a terrible past and just knowing what he had to overcome to be able to even slightly function socially makes him a complex and well thought out character. Learning about his past was probably the most intriguing part of this novel as it plays a huge part in the story. A lot of the characters within Kill The Father were completely unlikable (even Colomba Caselli bothered me slightly and I’m still not too sure why) and it was really hard to trust anyone completely, except for Dante. There was something about him that felt pure and I’m so excited to read more about him…because there will be a second book, RIGHT?!
The flashbacks. There were a few chapters at the beginning of the novel that felt out of place at first. I was a little confused as these chapters didn’t seem to fit with the story that I was reading. Finally, it hit me that these were little vignettes of the past. Each of these little vignettes revealed more about Colomba Caselli’s past which eventually all made sense. One of these chapters was so vivid in gruesome detail that it felt like a scene from a Quentin Tarantino film. Needless to say, I loved it.
The connections. Moments that you didn’t think would connect ended up connecting. Characters that you thought had nothing to do with one another ended up connecting. Everything in this novel was a connection to something else. At times, this was completely mind-blowing!
--
What I Didn’t Like
A little too complex. I will admit, there were a few moments where the book lost me. There were so many things happening and so many characters and it was all so fast paced that I missed key details here and there. There were moments that I had to go back and re-read the paragraph that I had just finished to figure out what the heck I had just missed. There was a lot going on and as I mentioned there were a lot of connections, but sometimes I missed HOW they were connected.
--
Overall, Kill The Father was intense and one hell of a thrill. I hadn’t read a good suspenseful novel in a quite a while and Kill The Father has restored my love for the genre! So, there will be a second book, RIGHT?!?!?!?!
--
Initial post reading thoughts:
First of all, I'd like to just take a second to pat myself on the back for finishing this one. My attention span is pathetic and large books intimidate me, so I thought for sure I would struggle to make it through this novel.
Kill The Father hooked me in right from the beginning! Although there were moments that dragged out a little, and other moments that confused me slightly, Kill The Father was entertaining and engaging.
June 7, 2020
Colomba y Dante son una pareja singular unida por sus traumas del pasado, a los que deberán hacer frente a lo largo de la investigación. Dos compañeros que al final terminarán convirtiéndose en amigos.
El autor utilizará como base un secuestro para adentrarnos en una trama mucho más compleja, llena de acción y con algún que otro giro inesperado, que nos mantendrá en suspense hasta el final. Un buen comienzo de saga, con un epílogo final que te dejará a la espera de la siguiente entrega.
Si quieres disfrutar de una buena novela negra ésta es una buena opción.
El autor utilizará como base un secuestro para adentrarnos en una trama mucho más compleja, llena de acción y con algún que otro giro inesperado, que nos mantendrá en suspense hasta el final. Un buen comienzo de saga, con un epílogo final que te dejará a la espera de la siguiente entrega.
Si quieres disfrutar de una buena novela negra ésta es una buena opción.
May 5, 2018
In Kill The Father
Horror began at five in the afternoon on a Saturday in early September. Stefano Maugeri waves at a police car to stop. Stefano had lost his wife and his six-year-old son. The family were having a picnic and he had fallen asleep. When he had woken up, his wife and son were gone. When his wife was found she had been decapitated. The police see the easy solution and arrest the husband and wait for his confession. But the question is was the police right to arrest the husband? Or should they be looking at clues to see if another vicious monster could have beheaded the woman in a park outside Rome?
The author changed a few abbreviations of the Italian law enforcement and armed forces agencies in order to afford the author greater freedom in the description of the way they operate.
Horror began at five in the afternoon on a Saturday in early September. Stefano Maugeri waves at a police car to stop. Stefano had lost his wife and his six-year-old son. The family were having a picnic and he had fallen asleep. When he had woken up, his wife and son were gone. When his wife was found she had been decapitated. The police see the easy solution and arrest the husband and wait for his confession. But the question is was the police right to arrest the husband? Or should they be looking at clues to see if another vicious monster could have beheaded the woman in a park outside Rome?
The author changed a few abbreviations of the Italian law enforcement and armed forces agencies in order to afford the author greater freedom in the description of the way they operate.
April 1, 2022
Colomba Caselli is a policewoman on sick leave and her boss wants her back and on a case, but not officially because she is best under the radar because her boss wants her working together with a consultant Dante Torre.
Dante Torre is a survivor of a kidnap that left him 11 years as a prisoner and after he got free he has had a different kind of life and he specializes in assisting in child abuse and kidnappings due to his experience in the field. He works with a lawyer and the police if they want him. While for the police his case is closed Dante is quite sure that his kidnapper/keeper Father is still alive.
Colomba & Dante get set on the trail of a child abductor, for whom the police have already chosen a perpetrator and put him in jail, who decapitated the mother. They soon find themselves on the tracks of a ruthless man who has too much connections in the police. Soon the hunters become the hunted and even among the police there are two camps who want either to imprison or see the evidence. It becomes a race and a match between strong characters and the society they seek to protect.
This is a very smart thriller with two very original and well created characters and the universe around them does the story a great service. There are quite a few plot twists and the book ends on some sort of cliff-hanger.
This is undoubtedly one of the better modern thrillers I have read which also gives a nice insight in the Italian society and judicial world. This book should be read by anybody who likes to read an original and strong thriller, and then be ready to be amazed and pulled into an original thriller.
Well worth your time if you enjoy reading outside the box stories.
Dante Torre is a survivor of a kidnap that left him 11 years as a prisoner and after he got free he has had a different kind of life and he specializes in assisting in child abuse and kidnappings due to his experience in the field. He works with a lawyer and the police if they want him. While for the police his case is closed Dante is quite sure that his kidnapper/keeper Father is still alive.
Colomba & Dante get set on the trail of a child abductor, for whom the police have already chosen a perpetrator and put him in jail, who decapitated the mother. They soon find themselves on the tracks of a ruthless man who has too much connections in the police. Soon the hunters become the hunted and even among the police there are two camps who want either to imprison or see the evidence. It becomes a race and a match between strong characters and the society they seek to protect.
This is a very smart thriller with two very original and well created characters and the universe around them does the story a great service. There are quite a few plot twists and the book ends on some sort of cliff-hanger.
This is undoubtedly one of the better modern thrillers I have read which also gives a nice insight in the Italian society and judicial world. This book should be read by anybody who likes to read an original and strong thriller, and then be ready to be amazed and pulled into an original thriller.
Well worth your time if you enjoy reading outside the box stories.
August 18, 2016
I'm not a huge fan of long books, this one took some effort to pick up (no pun intended, all ebooks weigh the same), but from that point on the only effort was putting it down. Seriously. This book is awesome. It's all the things I like in a mystery thriller. Exciting, loaded with suspense and twists, well written, great characters, genuinely thrilling sort of thriller, genuinely mysterious sort of mystery. I'm partial to quirky detectives or even informal detectives as the case may be here and Dante Torre is a terrific, albeit reluctant crime solver, terrific character in general. Somehow he managed to come through after spending all of his formative years trapped in a silo and tortured and become a functioning intelligent,charismatic even, adult. Functioning may not be a precise term, Dante is cripplingly claustrophobic among other things, but he doesn't let any of it stand in a way of trying to find justice 25 years later when a similar case triggers his mind. He teams up with a police detective who has a baggage of her own and together through claustrophobic and panic attacks the investigate, detect and pursue. This is obviously a set up for a series and, though I prefer stand alones, I have to concede a duo that dysfunctionally dynamic would be a shame to retire after only one adventure. Utterly engaging, perfectly paced, great read all around. Italian setting is just a cheery on top. So much fun. Enthusiastically recommended.
December 18, 2016
Abducted as a child and held during his formative years Dante Torre escapes years later. Not able to get past what happened to him he has tried to make a world for himself and can sense things others cannot. He has taught himself all the he has missed thru his abduction. Held by the Father it seems he is now back and Dante will stop at nothing to find him but he is thwarted at every turn by the police. Can he overcome his fear and catch the Father. I cannot wait to read the next Dante Torre story. Great read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read t his ARC.
July 20, 2020
Ο Νταντε και η Κολομπα είναι ένα αξεπέραστο δίδυμο με μόνο κοινό τους σημείο την ευφυΐα τους. Καλούνται να ασχοληθούν με μία υπόθεση παιδικής κακοποίησης μετά από παρότρυνση του παλιού αφεντικού της Κολόμπα. Αυτός κλειστοφοβικός, εκείνη σε αναρρωτική άδεια. Πεπεισμένος ότι πρόκειται για τον Πατέρα πρέπει να ξεπεράσει τους δαίμονές του προκειμένου να σώσουν το παιδί. Οι ήρωες γίνονται τόσο συμπαθείς, με αποτέλεσμα να συμπάσχει μαζί τους και ο ίδιος ο αναγνώστης, που αδημονεί για ένα αίσιο φινάλε. Οι ανατροπές διαδέχονται η μία την άλλη με αποτέλεσμα να παρακολουθείς με κομμένη την ανάσα και να ανυπομονείς για το παρακάτω.
November 17, 2017
Ένα πολύ καλό , δυνατό και γεμάτο βιβλίο. Ο συγγραφέας δημιούργησε δυο χαρακτήρες ιδιαίτερους , με τα δικά του προβλήματα ο καθένας , τους οποίους αμέσως συμπαθεί ο αναγνώστης. Ένα βιβλίο με αρκετή δράση , ανατροπές, που θεωρώ ότι αξίζει να διαβαστεί από τους φαν του είδους. Είναι από εκείνα τα βιβλία όπου οι σελίδες φεύγουν πολύ εύκολα. Προσωπικά μόνο στο τέλος λίγο με χάλασε , που περίμενα κατιτίς παραπάνω. Αλλά και πάλι το βιβλίο το θεωρώ πολύ καλό.
ΥΓ. Όσο αφορά την τιμή του (19,90 χωρίς την έκπτωση) την βρίσκω λίγο τσιμπημένη.
ΥΓ. Όσο αφορά την τιμή του (19,90 χωρίς την έκπτωση) την βρίσκω λίγο τσιμπημένη.
February 6, 2017
A woman is found beheaded and her 6 yr old son is missing - all signs seem to point to the woman's husband, who is arrested while law enforcement wait for his confession. The Chief of Rome's Major Crimes Unit goes around the typical procedures and brings in Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli and Dante Torre. Colomba has been off duty after surviving a bombing while on duty and is struggling with her PTSD. Dante Torre is the only known survivor of a kidnapping, in which he spent most of his childhood trapped in a concrete silo at the hands of "The Father". He also deals with his own PTSD issues, claustrophobia and OCD tendencies. They work together to solve this puzzle and end up finding out more than they had expected.
I can't remember the last time I've read a thriller where I didn't start trying to figure out what was going to happen, how it was going to happen and who committed the crime. I was so involved in the characters of Colomba and Dante that I just let the story roll through my head without any expectation or anticipations. The author did a fantastic job with their story lines and growth in their relationship as they worked together through the main plot of the story. He really brought everything together in such a seamless manner. I was surprised a few times and even when I thought it was over, there was another slap in the face that had me gasping.
Please, do NOT sleep on this one. I was hooked from the very beginning and did NOT want to put it down. You won't either.
Big thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Scribner for this advanced copy.
I can't remember the last time I've read a thriller where I didn't start trying to figure out what was going to happen, how it was going to happen and who committed the crime. I was so involved in the characters of Colomba and Dante that I just let the story roll through my head without any expectation or anticipations. The author did a fantastic job with their story lines and growth in their relationship as they worked together through the main plot of the story. He really brought everything together in such a seamless manner. I was surprised a few times and even when I thought it was over, there was another slap in the face that had me gasping.
Please, do NOT sleep on this one. I was hooked from the very beginning and did NOT want to put it down. You won't either.
Big thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Scribner for this advanced copy.
November 23, 2015
Ce thriller est une claque monumentale !
L'auteur est un maître dans l'art de la manipulation, il aime perdre son lecteur, pousser son imagination au maximum de ses capacités, insinuer le doute partout... Personne n'est à l'abri, le danger est partout, le coupable peut être n'importe qui.
Accrochez-vous, vous serez copieusement servi !
Ma chronique : http://unjour-unlivre.fr/2015/11/tu-t...
L'auteur est un maître dans l'art de la manipulation, il aime perdre son lecteur, pousser son imagination au maximum de ses capacités, insinuer le doute partout... Personne n'est à l'abri, le danger est partout, le coupable peut être n'importe qui.
Accrochez-vous, vous serez copieusement servi !
Ma chronique : http://unjour-unlivre.fr/2015/11/tu-t...
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