THESE DARK THINGS by Jan Merete Weiss
This whodunit plunges the reader into present-day Naples, a city steeped in both sunshine and superstition. The setting is rivetingly authentic, the characters are
relatable, and the complexity and clues are first class.
I’ve been to Naples and didn’t like the narrow streets, loud traffic, and sharp elbows. I’ve lived in a European city during a garbage strike when mountains of trash lined the streets. I’ve been to an ossuary full of bones in
catacombs under an ancient church. As an intelligence officer, I was well acquainted with Italian organized crime.
Why my personal details in a book review? Because such striking elements drive this mystery.
Captain Natalia Monte is one of the first female officers in the Italian federal police, known as the Carabinieri. Natalia is a native of Naples. Still close to her childhood friends, she grew up knowing the city is
ruled by the Camorra crime syndicate. The Camorra has a hand in every profit-making activity in Naples, from prostitution and drugs to collecting donations left at religious shrines in return for a portion of the money.
A young woman is found stabbed to death in an ancient ossuary
under a church. The victim is a German student who was researching religious shrines in Naples, studying under the same professor who ruined Natalia’s academic career 15 years ago. Student and professor were having an affair, giving the professor a motive, but as the investigation widens, a monk on the run becomes the prime suspect.
At the same time, the European Union has closed available dumps and garbage is piling up. The Camorra owns the city’s trash truck concession and isn’t negotiating. Basically, the mob is holding Naples hostage with walls of trash.
The investigation brings Natalia into conflict with the head of the Camorra in Naples when she discovers that the student was working for him, collecting donations from shrines in a certain sector of the city. But why would a lowly foreign student come to the don’s attention and be given such a plum job?
In addition to the usual methods of solving a murder investigation, Natalia get tips from a friend who is married to a Camorra henchman, causing her to walk a very fine line. What’s even more dangerous are the seedy neighborhoods were no one works, many are Camorra informants, and her Carabinieri uniform garners no respect.
I can’t emphasize just how wonderfully authentic this book is and I’m amazed that it isn’t better rated on Amazon. The writing is not as smooth as might be optimal, which is likely due to translation, but the story, pacing, and grimly realistic atmosphere are excellent.
All the strings come together at the end but the happily-ever-after is uniquely Neapolitan. I’ve already downloaded the second book in the 2-book series.
Highly
recommended.
