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Commissario De Luca #1
Carte Blanche
"Carlo Lucarelli is the great promise of Italian crime writing."- La Stampa April 1945, Italy. Commissario De Luca is heading up a dangerous investigation into the private lives of the rich and powerful during the frantic final days of the facist regime. The hierarchy has guaranteed De Luca their full cooperation, just so long as he arrests the "right" suspect. The house of cards built by Mussolini in the last months of WWII is collapsing and De Luca faces a world mired in sadistic sex, dirty money, drugs and murder. One of Italy's best-loved crime writers, Carlo Lucarelli has published over a dozen novels and short story collections.
108 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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About the author
Carlo Lucarelli
195 books274 followersCarlo Lucarelli was born at Parma, the son of a physician. He was interested in literature and theatre when he was young, and studied Literature and History. Nowadays he lives in Mordano near Bologna.
Already in his years of study, during his research for his thesis subject he got in touch with the material for his first two books, which take place during the time of fascism and the years immediately after the war. In Italy he became well known quite soon because of these two books, and it was only a matter of time before he quit his academic activities and turned to his career as an author and all other sorts of activities, such as writing plays, film scenarios, radio-plays and, moreover, singing in a Post-Punk-Band called "Progetto K".
He is a frequently invited moderator on an Italian television programme about crime (Blu notte misteri d'Italia). As a journalist he works for several newspapers and magazines, such as il manifesto, Il Messaggero and L'Europeo. He has written more than twenty novels, including Almost Blue, (City Lights, 2001) and numerous short stories. Together with Marcello Fois and Loriano Macchiavelli he founded "Gruppo 13", a collective of crime-writers in the region Emilia-Romagna.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Lu..."
Series:
* Commissario De Luca
* Inspector Collandro
* Inspector Grazia Negro
Already in his years of study, during his research for his thesis subject he got in touch with the material for his first two books, which take place during the time of fascism and the years immediately after the war. In Italy he became well known quite soon because of these two books, and it was only a matter of time before he quit his academic activities and turned to his career as an author and all other sorts of activities, such as writing plays, film scenarios, radio-plays and, moreover, singing in a Post-Punk-Band called "Progetto K".
He is a frequently invited moderator on an Italian television programme about crime (Blu notte misteri d'Italia). As a journalist he works for several newspapers and magazines, such as il manifesto, Il Messaggero and L'Europeo. He has written more than twenty novels, including Almost Blue, (City Lights, 2001) and numerous short stories. Together with Marcello Fois and Loriano Macchiavelli he founded "Gruppo 13", a collective of crime-writers in the region Emilia-Romagna.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Lu..."
Series:
* Commissario De Luca
* Inspector Collandro
* Inspector Grazia Negro
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March 12, 2021
Carte Blanche - Italian Crime Noir set in those tumultuous Mussolini years in Italy between 1943 and 1945 where, as author Carlo Lucarelli recounts in his Preface, in Milan alone there were at least sixteen different police forces, ranging from the "regular" police to the Gestapo, these organizations doing whatever they damn well pleased and sometimes even going so far as to arrest each other.
Carte Blanche, the first of the author's three Commissario De Luca novels based, in part, on his conversations with an actual member of the Italian police force with forty years experience, from 1941 to 1981.
De Luca must walk the political tightrope as he attempts to do his job as policeman and solve a murder. His first step is letting a member of the Mobile Squad, Maresciallo Pugliese, know he is not Comandante but Commissario, that is, he's no longer part of the Brigata Muti (Fascist Black Brigades) but a member of the Bologna Police Force.
Carlo Lucarelli tells his tale from the standpoint of objective third-person, thus giving you, the reader, a sense of standing next to Commissario De Luca every step of the way. And it's a tight, finely wrought tale, told in 100 pages moving at a brisk clip.
It all starts when a bomb explodes during a funeral procession on one of the city's streets. Predictably, it's the funeral for one of the county's political leaders. The National Republican Guard, Black Brigades, Decima Mas and the city police commence shooting at one another. No matter, following the shooting spree, De Luca picks himself off the ground and continues walking down the street to the home of Count Tedesco. Upon entering, De Luca finds the Count dead in a chair, stabbed in the chest and his penis cut off.
One of the reasons Carlo Lucarelli's fiction pops is his crisp portrayals of character - a handful of striking, colorful strokes is all the talented author needs to create a distinctive portrait. By way of example, here are several women and men we meet in Carte Blanche:
Sonia - "With languid, rolling steps that stretched her dress tight over her thighs, she moved away, and when she passed by De Luca, something brushed against his trench coat, at the height of his crotch: a light, fleeting touch that was, however, enough to make him recoil instinctively against the wall." Whoa, sweet honey! With your black hair and strange, soft green eyes, you are irresistible, a shapely babe that can make men's blood race with your slightest touch.
Valeria - an attractive redhead, a clairvoyant who can read people by looking into their eyes. She also has a strong existential streak, telling De Luca his identity is too bound up with his role of policeman. Will the Commissario allow himself to be hypnotized by this luscious lady? When he finds himself in Valeria's bedroom, does he truly have any choice?
Vitali - Fascist party secretary present whenever De Luca meets with his boss, the Chief of Police. Federale Vitali is a small, edgy-looking man with raven hair swept back and plastered down with grease, a loyal fascist who is forever clicking his heals and crying out: 'Saluto al Duce!' With the likes of Vitali, our somewhat introverted Commissario De Luca knows he must forever be on his guard. One false move and he could not only be taken for a fool, but ever worse, he could be dragged off to face a firing squad.
Rassetto - As part of his murder investigation, more inside political information is needed, requiring De Luca to drive out to an old farmhouse to meet with Rassetto, now a Captain for the Brigata Muti. The Captain is forthcoming with tidbits of info but also uses his formidable persuasive skills in an attempt to convince De Luca to rejoin their ranks. Carlo Lucarelli takes this scene as an opportunity to add a bit of local flavor - when De Luca walks out of the office, the author writes: "From downstairs echoed another indistinct, far-off scream." Italy in those years of extreme upheaval - hardly a fun place to live.
Dietrich - Head of the Gestapo in the city, a man with "a cold, limp, flabby blue stare." Lieutenant Dietrich embodies the very Gestapo spirit. When De Luca informs the lieutenant that he's conducting a murder investigation and it's critically important he see one Oreste Galimberti, a man the Gestapo is currently holding, Dietrich is most obliging - he points out the window where two SS men are loading the bloodied corpse of the old man onto a truck. Again, from his short, blonde hair down to his slick black boots, Dietrich is Gestapo all the way.
De Luca - Most of all, we come to know the tall, lanky Commissario (the illustration above from the book cover of this Europa Editions perfectly portrays our man standing before a poster of Il Duce). We're given glimpses of the Commissario's thoughts and feeling (he's inclined to doze off during the day since he can't fall asleep at night) but more than anything, it's his words and actions that speak volumes.
Count me in as a new fan! I so much look forward to Carlo Lucarelli's second and third novels forming part of his De Luca trilogy. Also, I'm taken by what is know as Mediterranean Crime Fiction and I see Europa Editions features a number of authors writing in this genre - Massimo Carlotto, Giancarlo De Cataldo, Maurizio de Giovanni, Jean-Claude Izzo. So much great literature to luxuriate in.
Italian author Carlo Lucarelli, born 1960
"In that still silence, punctuated only by the pitter-patter of rain that had started to fall against the panes of a square window just above his head, sleep once again began to overwhelm him, making him waver. He leaned his head back against the cool, white wall and fully emptied his lungs of air. He felt dirty, dusty, in tatters, and he would have liked a bath, to fall asleep in the bathtub, to melt into the water and slip away down the drain." - Carlo Lucarelli, Carte Blanche
June 7, 2024
3 stars
short review for busy readers: Italian murder mystery set in the final days of WW2 in Italy. Systemic chaos, fascists and Mussolini supporters attempting to flee or save their hides, the police in disarray, and then a violent stabbing of a political figure. Kommissar De Luca investigates -- even if he really, really doesn't want to. Well but somewhat vaguely written. Fast read.
in detail:
For some reason, with the exception of Italians, many authors of novels set in WW2 seem to forget that the Allies invaded fascist Italy in sections (starting in the south) and hardly ever mention the chaos, panic and historical anomalies that the knowledge of the coming armies caused in the industrialised north.
For this reason, many non-Italian readers of this series are not going to have the historical knowledge to make sense of the casual, off-handed mention of people, places and events. I know I didn't and had to rely on the 5 page historical essay the German publisher graciously provided to understand a few things.
Added to the assumption of historical knowledge is a vague writing style that only hints at motivations, intentions or actions. Certainly, the police at that time were subject to the Italian branch of the SS and other governmental departments. They had to place political considerations above investigative ones which would lead to a lot of cloak and dagger and innuendo even among officers who could never be sure of alliances.
The style of the mystery reflects that...making following along on the investigation difficult at times for the reader.
Kommissar De Luca himself is a typical fictional investigator: impatient, irritated with authority, a bit violent (slapping or punching), an insomniac with personal troubles and a non-political who joined the fascists for his job's sake. He's also fairly good at overhearing screams coming from the cellar of the 'office'.
In that sense, he's nothing special or interesting as a person and painfully stereotypical Italian male in that he falls for and starts an affair with a beautiful, soulful witness. (Well, she was hot and came onto him...what's a man to do, eh?)
The interesting thing about De Luca is his situation (political turmoil) and how he deals with that (badly).
The mystery itself is pretty well done, leading us first in this direction, then in another.
All-in-all, "Carta Bianca" (Carte Blanche) is going to be a rather confusing read for non-Italians that only comes together at the very end. It offers little in the way of originality, but its solid, historically interesting puzzle makes up for it. 3 stars.
short review for busy readers: Italian murder mystery set in the final days of WW2 in Italy. Systemic chaos, fascists and Mussolini supporters attempting to flee or save their hides, the police in disarray, and then a violent stabbing of a political figure. Kommissar De Luca investigates -- even if he really, really doesn't want to. Well but somewhat vaguely written. Fast read.
in detail:
For some reason, with the exception of Italians, many authors of novels set in WW2 seem to forget that the Allies invaded fascist Italy in sections (starting in the south) and hardly ever mention the chaos, panic and historical anomalies that the knowledge of the coming armies caused in the industrialised north.
For this reason, many non-Italian readers of this series are not going to have the historical knowledge to make sense of the casual, off-handed mention of people, places and events. I know I didn't and had to rely on the 5 page historical essay the German publisher graciously provided to understand a few things.
Added to the assumption of historical knowledge is a vague writing style that only hints at motivations, intentions or actions. Certainly, the police at that time were subject to the Italian branch of the SS and other governmental departments. They had to place political considerations above investigative ones which would lead to a lot of cloak and dagger and innuendo even among officers who could never be sure of alliances.
The style of the mystery reflects that...making following along on the investigation difficult at times for the reader.
Kommissar De Luca himself is a typical fictional investigator: impatient, irritated with authority, a bit violent (slapping or punching), an insomniac with personal troubles and a non-political who joined the fascists for his job's sake. He's also fairly good at overhearing screams coming from the cellar of the 'office'.
In that sense, he's nothing special or interesting as a person and painfully stereotypical Italian male in that he falls for and starts an affair with a beautiful, soulful witness. (Well, she was hot and came onto him...what's a man to do, eh?)
The interesting thing about De Luca is his situation (political turmoil) and how he deals with that (badly).
The mystery itself is pretty well done, leading us first in this direction, then in another.
All-in-all, "Carta Bianca" (Carte Blanche) is going to be a rather confusing read for non-Italians that only comes together at the very end. It offers little in the way of originality, but its solid, historically interesting puzzle makes up for it. 3 stars.
June 7, 2025
I don't know of many Italian crime writers, and hadn't heard of Lucarelli before, but the historical aspect of Carte Blanche, set at the back end of WW2 Italy intrigued me, as WW2 Europe is probably the subject I love reading of more than anything else. Here, the focus is the downfall of the Salò Republic, and the political fight within. As with most detectives they often come with some sort of baggage, whether that drinking problems, marital problems, but here it's chronic insomnia and heartburn. The disillusioned Commissario De Luca, heading the murder investigation of a womanising member of the Fascist Republican Party, with ties to Il Duce himself, was a well thought out character, and Lucarelli never loses sight of the frailties of human nature as he spins his murder mystery. As a hundred page novella I can't help but feel it should have dug deeper and been twice as long; especially due to the political complexities as Italy is pulling itself apart. Lots of important issues were skimmed over and needed to be fleshed out. Still, an enjoyable yarn for what it was. For me, the whodunit plot was secondary to the historical setting which was great.
February 20, 2018
Not having much experience with foreign crime litreature, I was delighted to stumble across Carlo Lucarelli, who is apparently one of Italy's most popular and well thought of crime writers. Likening his character De Luca to Raymond Chandler/Dashiell Hammett, the police detective swaggers through the book, chasing bad guys and rescuing beautiful women. The plot itself is good, but the translation wasn't quite as clear as I had hoped.
August 12, 2012
Carte Blanche is a novella, less than 100 pages long. The narrative is driven along by what the characters say and do, with little thick description of looks or thoughts or back story. However, the characterization does not suffer from such a writing style and De Luca and his colleagues are brought to life in an economical fashion that lets the story rip along. The book might be short, but the story is complex, full and rounded, and my immediate response on finishing was, ‘I need the next book - now!’ On reflection, I’m trying to decide if that’s partially a response to the book being so thin; that I wanted Lucarelli to flesh out Carte Blanche into a full novel – and I certainly think there was scope to do that. I’m not sure - I really enjoyed this book, and it does work as a novella, but I can’t help wondering if the other two parts of the trilogy are simply the last two parts of the same story split into two further books (they are only another 290 pages between them) , or feeling that there was an opportunity lost to produce a real masterpiece.
March 5, 2024
Very nice. The first of a trilogy (since expanded) of noir-ish euro-crime novellas written in the early 1990’s, and set in fascist/post-fascist Italy. Well developed plot and characters despite the its brevity. I preferred this too the later and more convoluted Almost Blue
October 17, 2021
Lucarelli mi è simpatico ma il libro non mi è piaciuto, tutto troppo veloce; d’accordo che era il suo primo ma mi aspettavo qualcosa di più, probabilmente.
August 22, 2017
E' solo un piccolo libriccino, uno dei primi (ed introvabili ormai) gialli di Carlo Lucarelli. Dal punto di vista del genere poliziesco, senza infamia e senza lode. la vicenda è semplice, comprensibile e ben delineata e si chiude presto senza improbabili colpi di scena: buono per passare una serata.
Epperò.
Epperò se leggi questo libro ti ritroverai con la voglia di cercare gli altri due della trilogia: perchè il Commissario De Luca oltre che un cinico ed efficiente polizioto è anche un torturatore della polizia politica; perchè il suo senso di giustizia gli permette giudizi feroci sui patetici e divisi potentati della morente repubblica di Salò ma non gli permette di esitare mentre riporta su una scheda le grida di dolore dei prigionieri che soffrono e muoiono per mano sua; da ultimo, perchè gli occhi di questo assassino ma anche giustiziere ci offrono uno spaccato lucidissimo e spietato del delirante mondo del fascismo, di quel mondo che ancora oggi troppi simpatizzanti della camicia nera si augurano per noi tutti.
Un mondo governato da sedici polizie diverse, un mondo dove si può morire per una parola non detta o semplicemente per un intrigo di cui non si sa nulla, un mondo dove una ragazza per sposare il suo innamorato potrebbe dover fare sesso con il relativo gerarca. Che un piccolo giallo semplice e leggibile riesca a portare avanti un atto d'accusa affilato come un bisturi è un risultato veramente notevole. Bravo Lucarelli.
Epperò.
Epperò se leggi questo libro ti ritroverai con la voglia di cercare gli altri due della trilogia: perchè il Commissario De Luca oltre che un cinico ed efficiente polizioto è anche un torturatore della polizia politica; perchè il suo senso di giustizia gli permette giudizi feroci sui patetici e divisi potentati della morente repubblica di Salò ma non gli permette di esitare mentre riporta su una scheda le grida di dolore dei prigionieri che soffrono e muoiono per mano sua; da ultimo, perchè gli occhi di questo assassino ma anche giustiziere ci offrono uno spaccato lucidissimo e spietato del delirante mondo del fascismo, di quel mondo che ancora oggi troppi simpatizzanti della camicia nera si augurano per noi tutti.
Un mondo governato da sedici polizie diverse, un mondo dove si può morire per una parola non detta o semplicemente per un intrigo di cui non si sa nulla, un mondo dove una ragazza per sposare il suo innamorato potrebbe dover fare sesso con il relativo gerarca. Che un piccolo giallo semplice e leggibile riesca a portare avanti un atto d'accusa affilato come un bisturi è un risultato veramente notevole. Bravo Lucarelli.
July 21, 2014
I read this in a day - it wasn't hard to do; it's quite short. It wasn't hard to do because it's written quite well, in a speedy, relaxed style. Something of the big city about it. An Italian city, of course. We're thrown right into it, no apologies, no explanations... not even a glossary to tell what's what in the convoluted Police State of Mussolini's last days. We're thrown right into it - a grenade goes off, there's shooting. It's chaos because it's a funeral that's been attacked by partisans ... apparently - but we don't know because it's chaos of sorts, and things are coming to pass... soon. Anyway... Commisario De Luca picks himself up, dusts himself down and steps through the doorway to start investigating the murder... and it's a messy murder. Not messy as in blood, but messy as in politics are being played and all De Luca has to do is find the "right" people guilty... and he will, whether he does or doesn't.
It just rolls along - it's wonderfully written in a very familiar way, as if someone is telling you the story in a hurry, before they have to get out of town... fast. There are no concessions to your ignorance... of course, you know all these things, and if you don't, where have you been all these years. Never mind, have to go (throw back the wine, coffee, whatever, in a hurry... grab your coat...) bye.
It just rolls along - it's wonderfully written in a very familiar way, as if someone is telling you the story in a hurry, before they have to get out of town... fast. There are no concessions to your ignorance... of course, you know all these things, and if you don't, where have you been all these years. Never mind, have to go (throw back the wine, coffee, whatever, in a hurry... grab your coat...) bye.
June 24, 2018
Welcome to the declining days of Italy's fascist republic, with the invading allies having already occupied half the country. It's not the easiest of times to be a cop, because the partisans want to kill you and the fascist bureaucracy will quite happily throw you to the wolves if they think it gives them the slightest prospect of saving their own skins.
It's a particularly hard time to be a cop if you happen to have integrity -- if you really want to catch criminals rather than solve cases in the way that's most politically convenient, to hell with matters of innocence or guilt.
That's the position Commissario De Luca finds himself in. No wonder he's cursed by insomnia.
Vittorio Rehinard has been murdered -- stabbed through the heart and then gelded. It soon emerges that he's been dealing extensively in morphine, and that his clients include family members of people of great influence. Investigating, De Luca is soon in the midst of political infighting between two of Italy's fascist wings, each hoping to mold the case in the way that best advantages them. But De Luca's determined to persevere until he can arrest the real killer of Rehinard, even if he must risk his own life to do so.
This is a very short book -- in fact, if the other two in Lucarelli's De Luca Trilogy are of similar length (they're on order but haven't arrived yet), the three together would make up a fairly standard-size (at least in today's terms) crime novel. This isn't a complaint: the brevity's refreshing and the tale's a good one. If feeling persnickety, one could fault the novel for the quality of De Luca's ratiocinatory processes -- he doesn't so much deduce the identity of the killer as try on various scenarios for size until he finds one that seems to him to fit -- but to be honest this didn't bother me much as I reveled in the tale.
Michael Reynolds's translation is on the whole very good, although I winced in a couple of places. The book's publisher, Europa, is to be congratulated on bringing us so many splendid works by authors whom we in the States might otherwise never even hear of.
If you enjoy the late Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther novels, you'll likely love Lucarelli's Carte Blanche.
It's a particularly hard time to be a cop if you happen to have integrity -- if you really want to catch criminals rather than solve cases in the way that's most politically convenient, to hell with matters of innocence or guilt.
That's the position Commissario De Luca finds himself in. No wonder he's cursed by insomnia.
Vittorio Rehinard has been murdered -- stabbed through the heart and then gelded. It soon emerges that he's been dealing extensively in morphine, and that his clients include family members of people of great influence. Investigating, De Luca is soon in the midst of political infighting between two of Italy's fascist wings, each hoping to mold the case in the way that best advantages them. But De Luca's determined to persevere until he can arrest the real killer of Rehinard, even if he must risk his own life to do so.
This is a very short book -- in fact, if the other two in Lucarelli's De Luca Trilogy are of similar length (they're on order but haven't arrived yet), the three together would make up a fairly standard-size (at least in today's terms) crime novel. This isn't a complaint: the brevity's refreshing and the tale's a good one. If feeling persnickety, one could fault the novel for the quality of De Luca's ratiocinatory processes -- he doesn't so much deduce the identity of the killer as try on various scenarios for size until he finds one that seems to him to fit -- but to be honest this didn't bother me much as I reveled in the tale.
Michael Reynolds's translation is on the whole very good, although I winced in a couple of places. The book's publisher, Europa, is to be congratulated on bringing us so many splendid works by authors whom we in the States might otherwise never even hear of.
If you enjoy the late Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther novels, you'll likely love Lucarelli's Carte Blanche.
May 2, 2015
I am a fan of the Inspector Montalbano novels by Italian author Andrea Camilleri, and so this book was recommended to me. I was not previously familiar with author Carlo Lucarelli who is, according to the author's notes in the book, "...one of Italy's best-loved crime writers. Perhaps he is, but I found the writing in Carte Blanche to be a bit unrefined. The author uses a pen the way a carpenter uses a hammer. There is little exposition in the story telling, not much description to paint the world of this Italian town in the waning days of the war in Italy. It is understandable, as this story was written originally in Italian for Italians who are presumably require no such scene painting. I, however, would have appreciated more background description of this colorful place and time.
The story itself concerns the murder of a German lothario drug dealer. There is a wide variety of suspects, political machinations and dangers from all sides, as Inspector De Luca struggles to wade through the convoluted mess while not getting himself killed.
The story is a quick and easy read, but it is short in part because the author omits much needed character description as well as plot and background detail. This story could do well with expanding descriptive narration. As it is, it manages to be only moderately entertaining.
The story itself concerns the murder of a German lothario drug dealer. There is a wide variety of suspects, political machinations and dangers from all sides, as Inspector De Luca struggles to wade through the convoluted mess while not getting himself killed.
The story is a quick and easy read, but it is short in part because the author omits much needed character description as well as plot and background detail. This story could do well with expanding descriptive narration. As it is, it manages to be only moderately entertaining.
February 3, 2013
Carte Blanche, at just over 100 pages, is really short. Instead of having the feel of a full blown detective novel, this one read more like an episode in a crime TV show. The premise of having a police officer who tries to enforce the law with drastically changing circumstances is an appealing one. DeLuca has changed the police force he belongs to (and looks like by the end of the novel he will have to again), but his goal is always to bring the criminals to justice. In some ways that is highly admirable, in other is makes it very confusing in a short novel to have such loose and varying allegiances. The good news is that DeLuca is a series detective and there are two more short novels after this one.
Gritty historical noir wasn't at first my thing, but I still want to read the other two in the series to see what happens. It might be that I do really like the main character and that hasn't clicked yet, or that I want to see how an Italian police man reacts to the fall of the Fascists. Either way, this first novel in a series of Mediterranean crime novels has convinced me to read the rest.
Gritty historical noir wasn't at first my thing, but I still want to read the other two in the series to see what happens. It might be that I do really like the main character and that hasn't clicked yet, or that I want to see how an Italian police man reacts to the fall of the Fascists. Either way, this first novel in a series of Mediterranean crime novels has convinced me to read the rest.
March 5, 2011
The first book in the De Luca trilogy set in 1945 during the final days of the Fascist Republic. I picked this up because I am fascinated by crime stories that take place during wartime and while this is a very short book (only a little over 100 pages) I did think it was well worth reading and will continue on with the trilogy.
January 17, 2023
A bare-bones crime novella.
It is April 1945. Italy. The final days of the Fascist Republic. A man has been murdered. The investigation falls to Commissario De Luca, recently an army investigator, now assigned to the police. He is a man of principle. Wants to find the truth behind the killing. But competing power bases within the regime have their own goals, and want to influence the investigation's outcome. De Luca struggles to follow his own path, even as his room for maneuver narrows due to partisan guerilla attacks and the advancing Anglo-American forces.
The setting amidst the crumbling Fascist state with competing groups striving to safeguard their futures could have been the basis for a great crime novel. However, Carte Blanche never lives up to its potential. De Luca and the other characters are barely developed. This is apparently the first of a "De Luca Trilogy", but we never learn if the Commissario is married, where he lives, what his background was in the army, why he was moved to the police force, or any other aspects of his life that would lead us to care for his prospects.
This was a quick and pleasantly diverting read (at little more than 90 pages), but doesn't leave me wanting to read the rest of the trilogy.
It is April 1945. Italy. The final days of the Fascist Republic. A man has been murdered. The investigation falls to Commissario De Luca, recently an army investigator, now assigned to the police. He is a man of principle. Wants to find the truth behind the killing. But competing power bases within the regime have their own goals, and want to influence the investigation's outcome. De Luca struggles to follow his own path, even as his room for maneuver narrows due to partisan guerilla attacks and the advancing Anglo-American forces.
The setting amidst the crumbling Fascist state with competing groups striving to safeguard their futures could have been the basis for a great crime novel. However, Carte Blanche never lives up to its potential. De Luca and the other characters are barely developed. This is apparently the first of a "De Luca Trilogy", but we never learn if the Commissario is married, where he lives, what his background was in the army, why he was moved to the police force, or any other aspects of his life that would lead us to care for his prospects.
This was a quick and pleasantly diverting read (at little more than 90 pages), but doesn't leave me wanting to read the rest of the trilogy.
August 7, 2008
CARTE BLANCHE (Pol. Proc-Comm. De Luca-Italy-1945) - VG Lucarelli, Carlo – 1st in De Luca trilogy
Europa editions, 2006, US Trade paperback – ISBN: 193337215X
First Sentence: The bomb exploded suddenly, with a ferocious blast, right as the funeral procession was crossing the street.
It is April 1945, the final days before the Allies move into Italy. Those in power are desperately trying to find a way to survive the coming days.
In the midst of this, Commissario De Luca has been given “carte blanche” in his investigation of the murder and castration of Rehinard Vittorio, a member of the Fascist Republican Party. With a mix of female suspects, drugs, witchcraft and more bodies, De Luca is a policeman trying to solve a crime.
This was a fast, and absolutely captivating, book. Lucarelli’s creation of time and place provided a sense of the confusion and conflicting forces at play during this time when the primary concern was trying to survive.
Into that he brings the character of De Luca who, in spite of insomnia, dyspepsia, and political forces, is dedicated to being a policeman, solving the crime and bringing justice. De Luca’s emotions are so well conveyed, as is the danger and frustration. The story is well-plotted and the characters alive.
There is good suspense and surprisingly ironic twist at the end. The mystery is solved, the murderer identified but you are left wanted to know what happens next to Comm. De Luca. Happily, Parts II and III of the trilogy await me.
Europa editions, 2006, US Trade paperback – ISBN: 193337215X
First Sentence: The bomb exploded suddenly, with a ferocious blast, right as the funeral procession was crossing the street.
It is April 1945, the final days before the Allies move into Italy. Those in power are desperately trying to find a way to survive the coming days.
In the midst of this, Commissario De Luca has been given “carte blanche” in his investigation of the murder and castration of Rehinard Vittorio, a member of the Fascist Republican Party. With a mix of female suspects, drugs, witchcraft and more bodies, De Luca is a policeman trying to solve a crime.
This was a fast, and absolutely captivating, book. Lucarelli’s creation of time and place provided a sense of the confusion and conflicting forces at play during this time when the primary concern was trying to survive.
Into that he brings the character of De Luca who, in spite of insomnia, dyspepsia, and political forces, is dedicated to being a policeman, solving the crime and bringing justice. De Luca’s emotions are so well conveyed, as is the danger and frustration. The story is well-plotted and the characters alive.
There is good suspense and surprisingly ironic twist at the end. The mystery is solved, the murderer identified but you are left wanted to know what happens next to Comm. De Luca. Happily, Parts II and III of the trilogy await me.
June 29, 2013
This is a short crime novel set in 1945, in the last days of Mussolini's puppet regime in the north of Italy. The protagonist is a detective who has had himself transferred from the political police to the more normal police. He finds himself investigating the murder of a man with considerable political connections, with prominent political figures trying to pin the crime on each other.
I am not a big reader of crime fiction and to some extent this reminded me why that is. Crime fiction is fundamentally formulaic and many of the usual crime cliches are here - a driven but troubled detective, bosses playing politics, witnesses who keep being murdered, shady ladies, and so on. What makes this is the setting - a country on the brink of collapse where all the major characters know there is a good chance of their being put up against a wall and shot once the allies and partisans arrive. The political machinations have the air of the poker games played as the Titanic started sinking - something that seems important but does not really amount to anything. This is brought home to the reader with a thud at the end of the book, when the detective is bringing the murderer to the police station and he meets his colleagues pegging it out of town.
There are apparently two sequels to this, with the first one following the main character as he is on the run from the partisans before being tasked by them to deal with a troubling criminal case. That appeals to me as a further portrait of a society in transition.
I am not a big reader of crime fiction and to some extent this reminded me why that is. Crime fiction is fundamentally formulaic and many of the usual crime cliches are here - a driven but troubled detective, bosses playing politics, witnesses who keep being murdered, shady ladies, and so on. What makes this is the setting - a country on the brink of collapse where all the major characters know there is a good chance of their being put up against a wall and shot once the allies and partisans arrive. The political machinations have the air of the poker games played as the Titanic started sinking - something that seems important but does not really amount to anything. This is brought home to the reader with a thud at the end of the book, when the detective is bringing the murderer to the police station and he meets his colleagues pegging it out of town.
There are apparently two sequels to this, with the first one following the main character as he is on the run from the partisans before being tasked by them to deal with a troubling criminal case. That appeals to me as a further portrait of a society in transition.
January 24, 2010
When it comes to most books and movies, I tend to think that everything is too long. Whether a matter of reading taste or a belief that writing is about clear communication that redundancy only muddles, I don't know.
So it surprises even me to find a book that is too short. I wouldn't even call this a novella, it's much closer to a long short story. While I enjoyed the simple police procedural, it is set in such a rich historical time and place that the surface was only scratched of its potential.
The writing (and translation) are good and the story moves (it has to), but the brevity of the read left me wanting more substance in the pages.
So it surprises even me to find a book that is too short. I wouldn't even call this a novella, it's much closer to a long short story. While I enjoyed the simple police procedural, it is set in such a rich historical time and place that the surface was only scratched of its potential.
The writing (and translation) are good and the story moves (it has to), but the brevity of the read left me wanting more substance in the pages.
November 14, 2025
Il primo romanzo pubblicato da Lucarelli è ancora oggi una delle sue prove migliori. Sarà che l'ambientazione nell'Italia della Seconda Guerra Mondiale maschera certe ingenuità che sono invece più avvertibili in opere posteriori (e di maggior successo) come 'Almost Blue', sarà che il Commissario De Luca ha un'umanità quasi Scerbanenchiana... Fatto sta che ci ritorno ogni due o tre anni e lo trovo sempre piacevole.
March 27, 2024
An investigation of a murder in Mussolini’s Italy. The detective is told that he has carte blanche to follow any lead to solve the crime even if it includes Germans, fascists, or separatists. Not true. The more he understands, the more politically compromised the situation becomes until the detective himself is forced to flee.
January 27, 2014
Ancora il mio preferito Il miglior Lucarelli. Giudizio rafforzato dall'ambientazione e dal periodo: Italia del Nord, fasi finali della seconda guerra mondiale. Difficilissimo, indagare quando non sei la sola polizia su un omicidio mentre di morti se ne producono industrialmente.
November 18, 2021
Breve ma molto intrigante, si legge in due orette
August 27, 2019
Aprile 1945. Gli eserciti alleati sono ormai nei pressi della pianura padana; per le gerarchie e gli esponenti della Repubblica di Salò, e per tutti coloro che hanno tratto vantaggio dall’adesione al Partito Nazionale Fascista, è il momento della fuga o di organizzarsi per il “dopo”, per “riciclarsi” o mantenere posizioni prestigiose sotto altre bandiere. Appena trasferito da una sezione speciale della Polizia Politica alla questura di una città dell’Italia settentrionale, il commissario De Luca riceve l’incarico di indagare sull’omicidio di un faccendiere legato ad alte sfere del Partito e a famiglie facoltose. De Luca ha la sensazione che la matassa di testimonianze e reticenze nasconda una serie di regolamenti di conti in ambienti altolocati e legati al regime e, soprattutto, che i suoi superiori premano per indirizzarlo verso un comodo capro espiatorio.
Provato da frequenti nausee e da un’inguaribile insonnia, sempre con lo stomaco a pezzi, accanto alle difficoltà dell’indagine De Luca sente crescere dentro di sé la paura: il suo nome figura infatti in una lista di persone ricercate dal Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale. L’eco delle parole del suo ex capo («Credevi di esserne fuori soltanto perché qui facevi il lavoro di testa? O perché ti sei fatto trasferire?» … «non farti illusioni, non credere di esserti rifatto una verginità perché adesso dai la caccia ai rubagalline.») e la promessa scritta in vernice rossa sul muro dell’edificio che ospita gli uffici della Polizia Politica (“Preparatevi, assassini”) aumentano l’angoscia.
Primo romanzo di Carlo Lucarelli, “Carta bianca” segna anche l’esordio del commissario De Luca. Fra i trenta e quarant’anni d’età, salute un po’ precaria e insonnia cronica, dedito al lavoro con senso del dovere, alieno da avventure galanti (ma da qualche parte c’è sempre una donna decisa a prenderselo con le buone o con le cattive…), De Luca rimane un personaggio un po’ sfuggente e indefinito; quando afferma di aver voluto fare soltanto il poliziotto e di non aver mai torturato né visto torturare qualcuno («Io facevo soltanto il mio mestiere, il poliziotto, e basta!») è sincero, ma le grida dei prigionieri le sente ancora salire dagli scantinati; e del resto era già commissario al momento dell’emanazione delle leggi razziali, ha certamente assistito a schedature, saputo di rastrellamenti e internamenti in campi di lavoro.
La scrittura è scarna e incolore, ma ha il pregio di rendere le scene vivide come dettagliate immagini fotografiche: uno stile quasi “cinematografico”. Lo sfondo – il nebuloso quadro storico di una nazione collassata, di una società precaria e in totale balìa degli eventi – aggiunge fascino a una storia semplice.
Provato da frequenti nausee e da un’inguaribile insonnia, sempre con lo stomaco a pezzi, accanto alle difficoltà dell’indagine De Luca sente crescere dentro di sé la paura: il suo nome figura infatti in una lista di persone ricercate dal Comitato di Liberazione Nazionale. L’eco delle parole del suo ex capo («Credevi di esserne fuori soltanto perché qui facevi il lavoro di testa? O perché ti sei fatto trasferire?» … «non farti illusioni, non credere di esserti rifatto una verginità perché adesso dai la caccia ai rubagalline.») e la promessa scritta in vernice rossa sul muro dell’edificio che ospita gli uffici della Polizia Politica (“Preparatevi, assassini”) aumentano l’angoscia.
Primo romanzo di Carlo Lucarelli, “Carta bianca” segna anche l’esordio del commissario De Luca. Fra i trenta e quarant’anni d’età, salute un po’ precaria e insonnia cronica, dedito al lavoro con senso del dovere, alieno da avventure galanti (ma da qualche parte c’è sempre una donna decisa a prenderselo con le buone o con le cattive…), De Luca rimane un personaggio un po’ sfuggente e indefinito; quando afferma di aver voluto fare soltanto il poliziotto e di non aver mai torturato né visto torturare qualcuno («Io facevo soltanto il mio mestiere, il poliziotto, e basta!») è sincero, ma le grida dei prigionieri le sente ancora salire dagli scantinati; e del resto era già commissario al momento dell’emanazione delle leggi razziali, ha certamente assistito a schedature, saputo di rastrellamenti e internamenti in campi di lavoro.
La scrittura è scarna e incolore, ma ha il pregio di rendere le scene vivide come dettagliate immagini fotografiche: uno stile quasi “cinematografico”. Lo sfondo – il nebuloso quadro storico di una nazione collassata, di una società precaria e in totale balìa degli eventi – aggiunge fascino a una storia semplice.
December 28, 2020
Non male.
Trama gialla semplice ma serrata, molti dialoghi, tanto movimento, contesto storico ben delineato.
Il commissario De Luca non mi è dispiaciuto: un personaggio controverso, con una bella carica di cinismo, diretto e rabbioso, ma allo stesso tempo fragile, malmesso fisicamente, insonne, pieno di paura, un po’ ossessionato dal suo ruolo, sensibile al fascino femminile.
Il periodo storico in cui si muove non è dei più rosei; siamo negli ultimi giorni della Repubblica di Salò, tra un attentato e l’altro, i fascisti ancora dominano, la Gestapo non ha dismesso i propri uffici, le SS tedesche e italiane dettano ancora legge e regole, gli intrighi e la corruzione imperano, ma all’improvviso il panorama cambia: la Liberazione è alle porte, se ne sente il fiato, fa fibrillare gli animi, tutti i capi in testa si preparano a partire, a defilarsi, a fuggire, a sparire: se venissero presi, sarebbero tutti, indiscriminatamente, non importa i ruoli, messi al muro e fucilati.
Questo il clima: figurarsi se a venire ucciso - proprio in quel momento - è un personaggio di spicco, un nobile legato per vari motivi agli ambienti altolocati, ai quartieri alti, politici e militari, di questo sistema prossimo allo sfascio.
Ma il movente è assai più semplice, più... umano, e con questi potenti c’entra ben poco. A capirlo subito si sarebbero evitate molte altre vittime...
E proprio sul più bello, caso chiuso e colpevole in manette, nella confusione più totale, il commissario è costretto ad una scelta...
Caro De Luca, alla fine sei fuggito anche tu, messo alle strette da un sistema che non ti piace neanche un po’, anche se ti dà da lavorare, ma stai sicuro che ti seguirò... ma con le migliori intenzioni del mondo!
3,5/5
P.S.: Mi piacerebbe vedere la serie TV con Alessandro Preziosi nel ruolo di De Luca.
🌏 LdM - Mini sfida Asia: 9 Corea del Nord 🇰🇵
✍️ C.L.
Trama gialla semplice ma serrata, molti dialoghi, tanto movimento, contesto storico ben delineato.
Il commissario De Luca non mi è dispiaciuto: un personaggio controverso, con una bella carica di cinismo, diretto e rabbioso, ma allo stesso tempo fragile, malmesso fisicamente, insonne, pieno di paura, un po’ ossessionato dal suo ruolo, sensibile al fascino femminile.
Il periodo storico in cui si muove non è dei più rosei; siamo negli ultimi giorni della Repubblica di Salò, tra un attentato e l’altro, i fascisti ancora dominano, la Gestapo non ha dismesso i propri uffici, le SS tedesche e italiane dettano ancora legge e regole, gli intrighi e la corruzione imperano, ma all’improvviso il panorama cambia: la Liberazione è alle porte, se ne sente il fiato, fa fibrillare gli animi, tutti i capi in testa si preparano a partire, a defilarsi, a fuggire, a sparire: se venissero presi, sarebbero tutti, indiscriminatamente, non importa i ruoli, messi al muro e fucilati.
Questo il clima: figurarsi se a venire ucciso - proprio in quel momento - è un personaggio di spicco, un nobile legato per vari motivi agli ambienti altolocati, ai quartieri alti, politici e militari, di questo sistema prossimo allo sfascio.
Ma il movente è assai più semplice, più... umano, e con questi potenti c’entra ben poco. A capirlo subito si sarebbero evitate molte altre vittime...
E proprio sul più bello, caso chiuso e colpevole in manette, nella confusione più totale, il commissario è costretto ad una scelta...
Caro De Luca, alla fine sei fuggito anche tu, messo alle strette da un sistema che non ti piace neanche un po’, anche se ti dà da lavorare, ma stai sicuro che ti seguirò... ma con le migliori intenzioni del mondo!
3,5/5
P.S.: Mi piacerebbe vedere la serie TV con Alessandro Preziosi nel ruolo di De Luca.
🌏 LdM - Mini sfida Asia: 9 Corea del Nord 🇰🇵
✍️ C.L.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2020
Se questo è il romanzo di esordio di Carlo Lucarelli, non dirò niente che non sia WOW!
La prosa asciutta e ricca di dialoghi mi ha ricordato molto la serie dedicata al commissario Maigret di Simenon. Il ritmo serrato e l'indagine catturano subito l'attenzione e si arriva all'ultima pagina in un batter d'occhi, colpa anche, ahimè, della brevità del libro.
Mi piace questo commissario De Luca, cinico ed efficiente quanto basta, credo proprio che andrò avanti con la serie.
La prosa asciutta e ricca di dialoghi mi ha ricordato molto la serie dedicata al commissario Maigret di Simenon. Il ritmo serrato e l'indagine catturano subito l'attenzione e si arriva all'ultima pagina in un batter d'occhi, colpa anche, ahimè, della brevità del libro.
Mi piace questo commissario De Luca, cinico ed efficiente quanto basta, credo proprio che andrò avanti con la serie.
August 23, 2019
Fun Italian noir set in the final days of fascist Italy
February 22, 2021
Storia interessante, ben scritta ma l'ho trovata troppo affrettata
June 14, 2023
Ho comprato questo libro alla stazione di Firenze, mentre tornavo a Torino.
Superata Bologna ero a metà, prima di Milano avevo terminato.
Il libro ti permette di immergerti nella mente del commissario de Luca e nell'Italia del 1945.
Consigliato.
Superata Bologna ero a metà, prima di Milano avevo terminato.
Il libro ti permette di immergerti nella mente del commissario de Luca e nell'Italia del 1945.
Consigliato.
October 22, 2022
Spannend und Zeitgeschichte die ich bisher noch nicht so wahrgenommen hatte
September 11, 2013
I'm reading through a list of contemporary Italian mystery writers and my daughter recommended Carte Blanche, which she read in Italian -- Carta Bianca. I ordered all three books in Carlo Lucarelli's Commissario De Luca series and couldn't wait to dive in. The most intriguing thing about this book -- and the entire series -- is its setting: Italy at the end of World War II and soon after its end. My favorite mysteries are historical, my favorite country Italy, so this series is perfect for me.
Carte Blanche is set in April 1945. De Luca was a policeman before the war who moved into the military/political police force and then back into civilian life. When this book opens De Luca has just made the transition from Commandante to Commissario, but everyone keeps mixing up his titles. The exact city location is unclear, but it's in the north, maybe Bologna. Everyone knows that the end of the war is near, the Americans are on their way. People are changing sides -- from Fascist to partisan -- and fleeing the country if worried that changing sides is no option; their next stop is likely to be the firing squad. So Carte Blanche reads in equal parts political thriller and police procedural.
So what actually happens in Carte Blanche? Fascist playboy and drug dealer Rehinard Vittorio has been stabbed to death and castrated, probably with a letter opener. He also seems to have slept with a wide array of people, creating a large list of suspects. Although Vittorio is well-connected and the police expect interference in the investigation, they are instead given "carte blanche" to bring all of the resources of the police force to bear on the case and to uncover the identity of the murderer. But it soon becomes clear that the situation is actually the opposite and De Luca is pressured to arrest an "innocent" young woman for the crime. Innocent of the crime, but not exactly innocent. Bodies turn up right and left and it's difficult to tell whether their deaths are connected to the crime or the deteriorating political situation.
In the end De Luca learns the identity of the murderer but the Americans will soon enter the city, and the detective has other, more pressing problems...
I found this book to be a little confusing in the beginning. Lots going on, many characters who all blend into one another. However, Lucarelli beautifully captures the chaotic feel of a city as a long war moves rapidly toward closure. In the meantime, people are still going about their daily lives in the midst of bombing raids. This book's style and atmosphere reminded me of Alan Furst's work. There's a scene where De Luca is being stalked by persons unknown that had my heart pounding. And he's the detective, not the hunted.
On to Book 2: The Damned Season.
Carte Blanche is set in April 1945. De Luca was a policeman before the war who moved into the military/political police force and then back into civilian life. When this book opens De Luca has just made the transition from Commandante to Commissario, but everyone keeps mixing up his titles. The exact city location is unclear, but it's in the north, maybe Bologna. Everyone knows that the end of the war is near, the Americans are on their way. People are changing sides -- from Fascist to partisan -- and fleeing the country if worried that changing sides is no option; their next stop is likely to be the firing squad. So Carte Blanche reads in equal parts political thriller and police procedural.
So what actually happens in Carte Blanche? Fascist playboy and drug dealer Rehinard Vittorio has been stabbed to death and castrated, probably with a letter opener. He also seems to have slept with a wide array of people, creating a large list of suspects. Although Vittorio is well-connected and the police expect interference in the investigation, they are instead given "carte blanche" to bring all of the resources of the police force to bear on the case and to uncover the identity of the murderer. But it soon becomes clear that the situation is actually the opposite and De Luca is pressured to arrest an "innocent" young woman for the crime. Innocent of the crime, but not exactly innocent. Bodies turn up right and left and it's difficult to tell whether their deaths are connected to the crime or the deteriorating political situation.
In the end De Luca learns the identity of the murderer but the Americans will soon enter the city, and the detective has other, more pressing problems...
I found this book to be a little confusing in the beginning. Lots going on, many characters who all blend into one another. However, Lucarelli beautifully captures the chaotic feel of a city as a long war moves rapidly toward closure. In the meantime, people are still going about their daily lives in the midst of bombing raids. This book's style and atmosphere reminded me of Alan Furst's work. There's a scene where De Luca is being stalked by persons unknown that had my heart pounding. And he's the detective, not the hunted.
On to Book 2: The Damned Season.
December 6, 2021
I've often complained of books being over-written and in need of the editor's red pen. Not this one. It's so stripped back, it's almost skeletal. Set in Italy with the second world war turning against the Italians, local areas are frequently under the "policing" of up to 16 differing groups with the ever-present threat of the Yankees taking over. And in the middle of this a gruesome murder which our hero is charged with solving. With such a stripped-back text, it is inevitably very plot-driven - too much so in my opinion. This is my first taste of Italian-noir and will I fear be my last.
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