Flowers over the Inferno
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4.2 • 46 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this thrilling series debut set in the Italian Alps, an instinct-driven detective won't let her aging body and mind prevent her from tracking a brutal killer.
Superintendent Teresa Battaglia has fought for nearly four decades to earn rank and respect on a testosterone-heavy Italian police force. When she’s called to investigate a gruesome murder near a mountainside town, she’s paired with a young male inspector she’s not sure she trusts. But she has no choice—in this remote town full of secrets, eerie folktales and primal instincts, the killer seems drawn to a group of local children, who may be in grave danger.
As Teresa inches closer to the truth, she must confront the possibility that her faculties, no longer what they once were, may fail her before the chase is over.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in Northern Italy, Tuti's exhilarating debut and series launch introduces Supt. Teresa Battaglia, a tough, solitary woman in her 60s who has earned her place as the head of an all-male homicide team and is keeping her battle with declining health secret from her colleagues. When a middle-aged man's naked body with its eyes gouged out is found in the densely wooded Dolomite Mountains near the Austrian border, Teresa takes charge of the investigation. An effigy made out of the victim's bloodied clothing close to the body prompts Teresa to observe, "The effigy is a representation of the killer. He stood here contemplating his work, and wanted us to know..." Other victims follow who are left alive but mutilated. The kidnapping of a baby raises the stakes. Interspersed with the present-day action are horrific chapters set in an Austrian orphanage in 1978 that shed light on the killer's psychology. Teresa, who must deal with casual and constant sexism in her position of authority, is an unforgettable character readers will want to see a lot more of.
Customer Reviews
A compelling read…
Loved Teresa… her brilliant mind cajoling her faltering health. She is fearless and feared, reluctantly respected and envied. She is nimble and insightful, yet weighted with sadness and loss. Teresa takes all her messy humanity and takes us along for an amazing ride in solving this complex murder mystery. Just could not put this one down.
Psyco-Babble
Most people like this book but I found the endless Freudian gibberish annoying.