Synopsis: Yancy Gallagher, a young American artist is invited to be a lecturer at the Italian university where he got his degree. Shortly after his arrival, he hears a radio broadcast about a bizarre murder and begins to suspect that the as-yet unidentified victim is the man he fell in love with during his student days. The realization that his ex has come to an untimely end, brings back a flood of memories from his first stay to Italy, the friendships he made and the bittersweet romance from which he has never fully recovered. Enlisting the help of his ex’s mother and a sympathetic, small-town detective, he endeavours to prove the dead man’s identity and apprehend his killer. The closer he gets to the truth, the more dangerous his search becomes.
First publication: 27th May 2020
Publisher: Blazing Heart Publishing
I thought it would be easy to review this book because I enjoyed it so much. But now, as I’m trying to write a deserving review, I realize that to tell someone how much you’ve enjoyed a book without releasing any spoiler is really complicated, especially with all the plot twists this story contains–and with that ending! I’d love to be able to talk about the ending without ruining the whole book. But since I can’t this review is turning into a real nightmare for me. That’s why I’ve lasted so many days until I’ve posted it, because I didn’t know how to write it without ruining the whole story.
So, the plot goes like this: the main character, Yancy, a 29-year-old American flies back to Italy to work at the university where he studied when he was 19. But he comes back to find out that the love of his teen years has been murdered–such a Shakespeare-worthy tragedy, if you think about it deeply. The story revolves around Yancy’s life, jumping from 1983 to 1993, from when he met him to how he helps in his ex’s murder investigation.
Honestly, the first pages seemed a bit slow to me but still necessary to understand the story, because without them you wouldn’t be introduced to some characters that appear through the book and who are important to the development of the main character. But in the end, Richard Natale with his writing style, gets to explain every part of the story without forgetting anything and tying up all the loose ends while describing every little detail very precisely. Altogether in less than 300 pages, which is great, because it doesn’t let the book become too long and stodgy, as the action is constant.
“Beware of cheap sentiment, it’s mighty intoxicating. One sip and you’re off your head.”
What I found really interesting was how the main character evolves through the story, how his social and personal life is built around what happened with his ex-boyfriend, how that changed him and the way he treats and trusts other people and his partners, making it difficult to him to get truly attached to someone, to trust them completely, which leads him to jump from one partner to another, making him emotionally unstable. That’s what I’d call a natural and real reaction to a traumatic breakup. For me, that’s the basis to make a story be trusted. And Richard Natale gets it.
Maybe the development of the crime's investigation is not enough explained. But after all, the story is centred in Yancy and he's not a detective nor a policeman, so it makes sense that the "research" is not that much explained. Even so, you can mainly follow the investigation through detective Lancellotti's chats with Yancy, so you stay constantly updated and never lose the thread of the investigation.
“When we're together, we speak in a language that is only our own.”
Finally, the way this book gives me warm Italy vibes is indescribable, although most of the story develops during winter times. I just have no complaints, this book is perfect and you should read it.
Thank you, Richard for sending me your book in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: thriller, romance, lgbt+.
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