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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Art of Killing Well by Marco Malvaldi and Howard Curtis (translator) (view source)
Revision as of 09:25, 21 September 2020
, 09:25, 21 September 2020no edit summary
I was going to read the latest [[:Category:Andrea Camilleri|Andrea Camilleri]] and I only picked this book up because I was inquisitive. I'm a long-time fan of the Italian crime genre, but the name of Marco Malvaldi was new to me - in fact I was more aware of Pellegrino Artusi, the nineteenth century businessman and writer, who self-published ''The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well'' when he was in his seventies. Malvaldi has done an excellent job of bringing Artusi to life, albeit in a situation which he would possibly not have recognised.
So, what kept me reading when I was promised to one of my favourite authors? Well, the writing is witty - gloriously so. On several occasions , I reread pages just for the ''pleasure'' of the words and the smile I felt creeping across my face. It's a tribute not only to the author but to the translation by Howard Curtis too - he manages to keep a sense of mischief in the story without ever losing sight of the fact that a murder has been committed. But it's not a light-hearted crime novel - at the centre of this book is a well-plotted mystery which kept me guessing right to the end.
It's not just Artusi who comes off the page fully clothed - you'll love the old maids, one of whom is convinced that the Barone has invited him as a possible suitor for her. Less endearing are the Barone's sons, but you'll smirk at the poet. My favourite though was the Barone's mother - who misses nothing and never has. I might not have heard of Marco Malvaldi before - but I'll certainly be on the lookout for more of his books.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
You'll find some more historical Italian crime in [[Judges by Andrea Camilleri, Carlo Lucarelli and Giancarlo De Cataldo]]and [[The Silence of the Wave by Gianrico Carafiglio]], although we had our reservations about the latter.
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