When Hollywood comes to Bologna, La Dolce Vita turns to sweet murder...
A famous Hollywood director arrives in Bologna to remake a cult film and the city's renown cinema archive decides to mark the occasion with a screening of the original, only to discover it has disappeared. After English detective Daniel Leicester follows the trail of Love on a Razorblade to an apparent murder-suicide, he begins to suspect there may be more at stake than missing negatives – could the film contain a clue to one of the city's most enduring mysteries? Together with a star from the forthcoming remake, Daniel moves from the glamour of Venice Lido to the depths of Bologna's secret tunnel system as a sinister network closes in and he learns some people are ready to kill for the ultimate director's cut.
It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for Italian Rules today. Many thanks to Tom Benjamin, Constable and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for sending me a copy of the novel.
I loved Requiem in La Rossa when I read it last year so I was eagerly anticipating the next book in the Daniel Leicester series and thrilled to be treated to another first-rate novel, which confirms Tom Benjamin has become a must-read author for me.
I must confess to not really remembering the Itavia Flight 870 crash and until now I wasn't aware of the controversy which continues to surround it. Although not directly about the tragedy, it does form some of the backdrop for this cleverly crafted mystery. While the lines between fact and fiction are blurred throughout, Tom Benjamin is careful never to exploit the deaths of the 81 people who lost their lives and instead considers some of the accusations which persist to this day.
The novel opens with the final scene from the film which frames the entire plot. Amore su una lama di rasoio or Love on a Razorblade is a giallo-cum-melodrama but as dramatic as the dénouement of the film may have been, events in real-life were even more shocking. Now, past and present collide when the negatives of the director's cut are discovered to have gone missing, shortly before the movie is due to be screened ahead of filming starting on a Hollywood remake. Daniel Leicester is called to investigate the disappearance and while the mystery becomes increasingly twisted, Italian Rules also pay homage to the flickering magic of cinema, with La Dolce Vita, Death in Venice and one of my favourite films, Cinema Paradiso, all given a mention. However, as the novel progresses, the plot is even darker and more tragic than Love on a Razorblade's dramatic storyline.
Bologna is of course, superbly brought to life and Tom Benjamin's descriptions of its porticoes and palazzos captures the vibrancy of the modern university city and its colourful past. He never shies away from his perceptive exploration of Italy as a whole, particularly its complex and sometimes shameful history and the failure perhaps to fully confront it. Meanwhile, the sense of what it means to be Italian features predominantly throughout and is examined with honesty and humour.
The convoluted mystery develops into something far more dangerous than a missing film and there are some seriously tense moments with gripping cliffhanger scenes which demand "just one more chapter." Italian Rules never feels rushed but it's so irresistibly compelling, I still read it in a day. The intriguing plot kept me guessing from start to finish; this is so much more than a straightforward murder-mystery and is complemented by the stellar depiction of all the characters. At its heart, it is – perhaps inevitably given its Italian setting – a book about families and belonging, with the poignant but also warm and witty relationship between Daniel and his extended family taking centre stage.
Suspenseful and surprising, Italian Rules is intelligent, immersive and beautifully observed crime fiction at its very best. This is an absolutely cracking read and one that I very highly recommend.
Italian Rules is published by Constable, purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
About the Author
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Tom Benjamin grew up in the suburbs of north London and began his working life as a journalist before becoming a spokesman for Scotland Yard. He later moved into public health, where he developed Britain’s first national campaign against alcohol abuse, Know Your Limits, and led drugs awareness programme FRANK. He now lives in Bologna.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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