He Sees Dead People
As a fan of Colin Cotterill’s Dr. Siri mystery series, I’m naturally drawn to this ongoing story set in 1930’s Fascist Italy. Like Dr. Siri, Commissario Ricciardi sees the dead. The Commissa’ sees the ghosts of those who died tragically and hears their final thoughts. In this installment, Ricciardi uses the final thoughts of the most famous prostitute in all of Naples, Viper, as a launching point for his investigation into her murder. “Little whip, little whip. My little whip.” This book has an unusual feel to it. Most of the story is written in the manner anticipated for a murder mystery. But other chapters are written in second person and it’s unclear who the speaker is. Not that it really matters, though. These chapters are poetic in their delivery and lend a literary quality to what would otherwise be a straight-forward murder mystery. They also give us a snapshot of where each of the characters currently stands in the story – their thoughts, emotions, and actions. What was problematic for me in this book was the way the book shifts focus from trying to solve the murder of Viper to trying to rescue the outspoken Dr. Modo from being shipped off into internal exile. The investigation of the murder of Viper is almost completely absent for stretches at a time. It is only suddenly that we are pulled back to Viper’s murder and the conclusion plays out in a very Holmesian and unsatisfactory way. This story also has lots of gentle explorations of nearly non-existent characters, like Enrica, a quiet neighbor of Ricciardi’s who loves him and is trying to learn from his elderly housekeeper how to win his love through cooking. My heart breaks for Enrica because Ricciardi self-admittedly has no heart to give to anyone, or does he? Grover Gardner provides his usual excellent narration. I’m looking forward to more of this series when it becomes available.