Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I suddenly came across this title on my Netgalley list and am so glad I did. The translation is seamless which adds to the pleasure of reading it.
Superintendent Theresa Battaglia, the senior officer is a fascinating character. She is very good at her job but she is not a typical heroine - female, getting on in years, diabetic and with further health problems threatening - she does not suffer fools gladly yet her team are fiercely loyal to her. She has a history that is touched on but not fully explored, she has known heartache and yet she is empathetic and witty. Add to that a new recruit who is the butt of her pithy treatment but who is desperate to impress and learn from her and a new partnership is in the making. If that were not enough, the plot is clever, original and absorbing.
Very well written with original descriptions of the surrounding this is a solid 4 star read for me and I will be looking out for the second book in this series.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Ilaria Tuti/Orion Publishing for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have had this sitting on my "shelf" for quite some time now because I have started the book several times over and failed to get into it. I read a lot of books - literary fiction, general fiction, crime thrillers and mysteries so I'm comfortable that this books falls squarely within the genre of books I typically read. I'm not sure if this is a poor translation of of a clever book or if the book plods along in the same way in Italian but I could not get on board with Police Inspector Teresa Battaglia who was quite simply: rude. Just because she's overweight, has diabetes and is generally in a poor state of health (which presumably are features meant to engender reader sympathy) does not mean I am going to forgive her foibles. Given this book was a bestseller in Italy, it may well be the translation lacks some of the original charm.

I have given the book 2 stars here for the atmosphere - the Italian Alps couldn't save the book for me but the setting was vividly described.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Orion Publishing Group, W&N and Ilaria Tuti for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this, but I don't think it was my sort of book. Unfortunately, I found it a little slow and didn't finish it.

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an eARC copy of this book.

I requested this book a number of months ago thinking it looked like a really good crime and thriller book but I’ve been really struggling with it these past few days whilst trying to read it. Due to this I’ve made the decision to DNF at 20% - I just couldn’t get into it. The plot is honestly so slow and really not gripping; due to this I found it quite hard to follow because I just wasn’t interested at all. The main character Teresa isn’t an engaging character for me; she is meant to be sympathetic I think but she just comes across as rude and abrasive, especially in the way she speaks with her new officer. I just found her irritating and there were just too many side characters for me to keep track of.

Due to this I’m going to rate it 2 stars because it just wasn’t engaging and I couldn’t convince myself to keep reading at all.

I'm always excited to read a debut novel, particularly when it's the start of a planned series. In addition to that, this was the first book I've read set in this particular part of the world.



I'm going to be careful what I say because I really don't want to give anything away.



In the village of Traveni in the Italian Alps, a series of horrific incidents take place, starting with a murder and including the kidnap of a baby boy. Superintendent Teresa Battaglia feels they are all related and tries to pull together an idea of the perpetrator and his motivation. Along the way she discovers a very different but equally horrific crime from decades earlier, and a desperately sad story.



Teresa Battaglia is marvellous. Quite ordinary really, she's in her sixties, a bit overweight and diabetic. She's gruff, independent and strong minded, but can be gentle and has occasional flashes of weakness, of which she is desperately ashamed. But what her fiercely loyal team don't know is that she is starting to have some memory issues, and that terrifies her. It is so refreshing to have a main character who is an older woman, and not a glamorous one either - bravo to the author!



I loved Battaglia's developing relationship with Marini, the new guy in the team. She is pretty merciless with him as he continually attempts to impress her and many of their exchanges provide some much needed light relief. This book is very character driven, and every single one is exquisitely drawn. I really cared about all of them - well most of them anyway. And The four young friends who feature are fabulous.



The scenery also plays an important role, with the mountains and woods appearing as imposing characters. The woodland is particularly significant, under threat as it is from development.



This is a dark tale, told in a dual timeline - the present and the past, beginning in the seventies. The story moves backwards and forwards between the two eras as we discover awful deeds in both times and the links between the two. It wasn't always easy to follow, but some of that was due to the formatting of my review copy, which I'm sure has been corrected.



The crimes featured here are shocking and horrific, and tell a bleak tale. The action is constant and details are teased out. The story is written in a beautiful way with a very human touch. And it shows how important love is to us all. Ilaria Tuti is a fresh new voice in crime fiction and this is an assured debut. I very much look forward to reading more about Teresa Battaglia.

A slow burner to start, but with a compelling story, beautiful setting and excellent characters, this book had me hooked.

I have to admit to some trepidation when I started Flowers Over The Inferno. Was it going to be just another crime novel? Would the translator get the essence of the characters and the authors narrative? I needn’t have worried, the translation was top notch and the novel absolutely superb.

Why? The characters were more than interesting and absorbing. Lead investigator, Superintendent Teresa Battaglia wasn’t your average detective, she was older, ill with diabetes and hid her past and present circumstances from those around her. It was only the reader that got to know the real Teresa, the one filled with fear and pain. On the outside she was tough, unforgiving, intolerant, only the odd crack in her facade appeared as the relationship between herself and Inspector Massimo Marini developed.

Massimo Marini, the new kid on the block, the outsider was a man to be admired as he persisted in his attempts to impress his new boss. You could tell this would be the start of a very good relationship as somehow they complemented each other, each working to their strengths to solve the murders.

The crimes were horrifying and Tuti was unflinching in her descriptions, which were definitely not for the faint hearted. Don’t be put off as there was more to them than simple violence and that is what was so interesting about the direction this novel took. It wasn’t necessarily about the horrifics of murder, for me, it was more about us as human beings. What makes us who we are? How does our upbringing affect our adult life and would it necessarily turn us into a murderer?

Tuti’s exploration of these themes was absolutely fascinating and at times heartbreaking as she delved deep into past and history of the small ski town of Traveni to answer those questions. The intermingling of past and present was seamless and slowly, before even Teresa and Massimo had worked out and brought all the varying strands together, you knew what happened, who the murderer was. The only question left was how they would learn all the facts, how they got there and would they be in time before more victims turned up amongst the forests of Traveni.

As with all good crime novels it didn’t happen easily and Massimo and Teresa had to use all their skills and a bit of luck to get there. Their journey was fast paced, intense and the latter parts of the novel both dramatic and heartrending. The landscape played an important part, the snow, the deep, dark, dense, forest and the starkness of the quarries and caverns were brilliantly described and intertwined, pitting itself against the police, thwarting them at every turn and provided the perfect camouflage for our perpetrator. The themes of man’s need to develop, to cut back the environment, to protect the tourist industry played a part but remained in the background.

It was this heady mix of the human psyche, the horrors of the past, the environment and the two wonderful characters of Battaglia and Marini that made this novel so good, so immersive and for me just brilliant.

Wow! What a book!

The story is compelling, the setting even more so and I can completely see how people have compared Teresa Battaglia to Ann Cleeve’s Vera Stanhope– both irascible women in their 60’s who bow to no man.

Teresa’s subordinate, Massimo Marini makes a fabulous first impression at the primary murder scene-he introduces himself to the male police officer never once assuming his new boss could be a woman!

The murder scene drips in icy intensity and eerieness, a feeling that only increases as the book progresses. The first victim is found, face down, naked and surrounded by small boobytraps to preserve the scene for maximum impact. Further away , at the edge of the Traveni woods but in view of the corpse is an effigy dressed in the dead man’s clothes.
But where are the victims eyes?

More bodies begin to pile up, as the story switches between now, and the mysterious ‘School’ in the late 1970’s Austria, just on the other side of the Alps ,where sinister experiments are conducted in the ward known as ‘The Hive’.

40 subjects are being observed in The Hive, by nuns who ‘Observe, record, forget’ whatever it is that they do in the room where the subjects live-they are all unexceptinal except for subject 39 who is not responding to the experiment as he should. How the two storylines dovetail is an intriguing and pleasing process to follow.

Gory, mysterious, tense and genuinely chilling,’Flowers Over The Volcano’ is at once both novel of suspense and loveletter to the author’s homeland and the power of women who will not be intimidated.

I look forward to reading more of Teresa Battaglia’s cases through the rest of the trilogy!

I really enjoyed this! I love a crime novel and this exceeded my expectations. I was completely gripped from page one until the end and there are some brilliant twists in it….none of which I expected!

We meet Teresa Battaglia, a strong, independent, older woman who certainly doesn’t suffer fools! She comes across as stand-offish and pretty mean a lot of the time but is highly respected and loved by her colleagues. When Marini comes along, starting his first day on the job with her, she is unbelievable! I’m pretty sure I would have run away crying! But as Marini gets to know her, so do we and actually she has had a lot of issues herself to deal with…..things that make her the strong woman that she is. She does have a vulnerable side though, but not one that anyone other than the reader learns about.

The storyline is brilliant! It’s pretty grim in places and there are probably quite a few upsetting aspects to readers but it really does add to the story. The town like to hide their secrets, which leaves us guessing about what has actually happened there, and what they are hiding. The children in the story are loveable and I just wanted to hug them and help them!

There is so much I want to say about this but I can’t because I’ll give important aspects away! This book takes you through a huge range of emotions…..anger, disbelief, despair, hope, worry and relief! You will definitely experience an emotional rollercoaster with this book!

The only thing I would say was that the story does jump about quite a bit and at times I suddenly realised that I was in a different place, reading about something else. However, I think this was more to do with the kindle copy rather than the story and it certainly didn’t put me off!

I would highly recommend reading this, especially if you love a good crime novel! This is the first in the Teresa Battaglia trilogy and I can’t wait to read more!

This was one of the most brilliant books I have read in a long time. I adored the setting and the older female character. there were so many unique thing to love about this book.
Perfect for Karin Slaughter fans. I have recommend this to all of my book club pals!!
I am desperate to read the second in the series. Is it out yet?? I need it!

This book was an extremely pleasant surprise. I’ve not read many books by Italian authors- not even Elena Ferrante, believe it or not- so I approached the translation of Flowers Over the Inferno with a fair amount of interest.

What I got back was an intriguing twist on the police procedural novel, featuring lost children, tangled family relationships and, even better, a badass female police officer with Alzheimer’s.

Tuti’s book is set in the Dolomites, the mountains that span Italy and connect it to Austria. It’s a dominating presence- almost a character in itself- and her love for the region breathes through on every page you read, shaping the people in the book, making them as tough and rugged as the landscape… and adding a fair dollop of menace and isolation to the action.

Into this steps Superintendent Teresa Battaglia, a woman with a tortured past and who is heading into late middle age. She’s also got early-onset Alzheimer’s, which makes for an intriguing dynamic in and of itself. You don’t see many protagonists with dementia, and Tuti handles the case without compromising any of Battaglia’s fighting spirit and initiative: the scenes are infused with quiet pathos and sympathy, which adds heart and soul to the book in addition to the scenes with Massimo, the new officer on the scene. Their relationship is love-hate, but watching the sparks fly and their distrust thaw over the course of the book is a reward in itself, and definitely kept me turning the pages.

Then there’s the mystery itself, as Teresa and Massimo face off against a brutal killer. I’ll be honest: the deaths aren’t most interesting thing about this book, but the effect that it has on the people of the town and the families of the victims is, as well as the question of motive.

And that’s exactly what this one does: we get to hear all about the dirty secrets, shady pasts and ulterior motives of the people living in the town around them, as well as a secret that’s stayed buried for a long time. It’s ultimately a tragic story- and one that definitely didn’t unfold the way I expected it to. By the end, I felt really guilty for assuming the killer needed to be brought to justice… which is all I’m going to say about that!

Smart, twisty and as savage as the mountains in which it’s set, this book makes for a refreshing change from the police procedural. Now excuse me while I book a flight to Italy…

Okay, I think I’m going to have rein in my exuberance, passion and generally ‘gee-that-blew-me-away-ness’ that this book aroused in me. Having already staked a claim for a spot in my Top Ten of the year, I will endeavour to do justice to this frankly incredible book. Bear with me…

The first absolute stand out feature of this book is the character of Teresa Battaglia herself, an older woman battling the twin issues of ageing and physical deterioration. Tuti paints a moving and incredibly touching portrait of this indomitable woman who caught up in an exceptionally distressing and seeming unsolvable case, is battling with her increasing concerns over her mental aptitude, recording her thoughts day by day feeling that they could slip away from her at any time, “what am I if not my thoughts, my memories, my dreams, my hopes for the future? What am I without these feelings, without my dignity?” These sections of the book where Battaglia unloads her consciousness into the written word are incredibly moving, brimming with a self-awareness, and a fluttering sense of mental fortitude that enthrals the reader, and says much about every person’s fear of losing their sense of self.

Partly because of this, she over compensates in the tough exterior she is known for, not suffering fools gladly, and proving a hard taskmaster for her investigating team. The scenes that focus on her repartee with one of the newer members of her squad, who experiences no easy ride from his new boss are particularly barbed, but cut through with wit and a slowly developing sense of acceptance in a play on the pupil and mentor roles. She is, however, bestowed with a remarkable empathy for both victims and the killer saying at one point that “before crossing the point of no return, even a serial killer is a human being in pain. Often abused. Always lonely” which is incredibly prescient as the plot plays out. Tuti cleverly manipulates both Battaglia’s and the readers’ perception of the killer throughout, blurring the lines of moral responsibility, and with a real sense of there but for the grace of God.

As regular readers of my reviews know, landscape is all important in my assessment and enjoyment of the books I read, and this small village overshadowed by forest and mountains in the Alpine region, works completely in harmony with the story. It’s an enclosed community, rife with secrets, and permeated with suspicion and folklore, producing a creepy and chilling backdrop to this murderous tale, “it was like the village had for many years been infected by a dark, tainted humour which had slipped beneath its surface, and festered there, out of sight.” The darkness, density and danger of the surrounding terrain, provides a place of both safety and threat for a group of children with difficult home lives, lending the story a touch of Stephen King who often employs children as a conduit for evil. It’s very effectively done, and really heightens the creeping sense of unease that permeates the book, and with the portrayal of the St Nicholas’ Day torch-lit procession evoking the evil figure of the Krampus, Tuti builds further on this theme of darkness and threat lurking in the shadows of this claustrophobic community.

I think it’s fair to say that this book left a real impression in its wake on this reader, being not only a perfectly formed murder mystery, but also a book that is layered with a supreme awareness of the frailties and strengths of the human condition, through the investigators, the inhabitants of the village and the killer too. I found this a really intense and emotional reading experience, and felt utterly bound up in the lives of the characters, and the travails they experience. Absolutely highly recommended.

4☆ A Unique Crime Thriller

FLOWERS OVER THE INFERNO is a crime mystery/thriller that is a compelling and twisty read.

First of all I want to start by saying how eye catching and stunning is this book cover. It draws you right in.

When I read the blurb for FLOWERS OVER THE INFERNO I was intrigued by the detective. One she's of the older generation and secondly she's diabetic which I can relate to.

I adored Detective Teresa Battaligia.
Not only is she not your typical go get em detective, she's in her sixties, has health conditions, slightly unfit, but can still get the job done and kick ass, with her experience, wealth of knowledge and no nonsense, witty approach.
Knowledge over Brawn, made a nice change.

I also really liked the interactions and relationship between Teresa and her new recruit Inspector Massimo Marini.
Their love hate relationship, and their old vs new approach to investigating was certainly entertaining and endearing.

There is so much to this book, not only is there a serial killer on the lose that is committing horrific gruesome murders, but there is also a dark and heart breaking back story that draws you in.

It's a slower paced, tense story full of secrets, unease, superstitions, a tight knit community, gruesome murders, mystery, suspense and a kick ass detective team.

FLOWERS OVER THE INFERNO is a taut, compelling and atmospheric read.
The Characters are complex, flawed, but strong and unique.
The plot flowed beautifully between past and present as the story progresses and the heartbreak and truth unfolds, I found it to be thought provoking.
This truly is a unique crime thriller that I look forward to reading the next instalment.


Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours and Orion Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Flowers Over The Inferno is the first book in an exciting new series featuring Detective Superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Teresa and her team are called to the village of Traveni, on the Italian Austrian boarder after the body of a man s found in the mountains. The modus operandi is strange and Teresa and her team find themselves looking for a serial killer who is hiding in the mountains. The narration of this book moves between Teresa and the murder investigation and four children who live in the village, Mathias, Lucia, Diego and Oliver. There are also atmospheric and mysterious chapters about a palatial building on a rock in the Alps that is referred to as The School that are set in 1978. Put all this together and you have an atmospheric and tense crime thriller.

The translation from Italian to English of Flowers Over The Inferno works well, both characters and plot converted seamlessly. The Italians are well known for their passionate and expressive language and this certainly comes across in this book. At the beginning of some of the chapters Ilaria Tuti sets the scene with some wonderfully descriptive prose, with impeccable attention to detail; it reminded me of the settings of the scene at the beginning of the acts in plays. She also captures the atmosphere and village mentality of Traveni; a place where outsiders are looked at with suspicion as is any change. Not only is it secluded in its location in the Alps but, also in its mentality, it is a closed community where they will protect one of their own and turn a blind eye to any problems. This setting is perfect for a crime thriller; a secretive atmosphere, the wild landscape of the Alps, and the closed community of Traveni. I also found it refreshing that it wasn’t set in one of the more well known cities or the more picturesque towns or villages that are well known.

The lead character of Detective Superintendent Teresa Battaglia is also refreshing. She is an older character, diabetic, having memory problems and struggling to physically keep up with her younger colleagues. Mentally, she may have problems with memory, but she is still the best profiler and strategist who gets results. The relationship with her male team is one of respect for her ability, but they also care about her and are like family. Inspector Massimo Marini is new to her team, and I loved their relationship as he made mistakes, questioned decisions and tried a bit too hard to gain approval; it gave some humour and wit to the book.

I do find myself drawn to Italian and French translated novels, they seem to have something different about them but I think it is the style of writing. Flowers Over The Inferno lived up to my expectation of an Italian crime thriller with its atmospheric setting, tense plot line, wonderful characters and attention to detail. The historical chapters of The School left a chill and sense of unease and the investigation had a dark, creepy and compelling plot with a sense of foreboding throughout. I thought Flowers Over The Inferno a brilliant and refreshing crime thriller and I can’t wait for the next in the Teresa Battaglia series; an inspirational and original heroine, and a gripping plot line makes this a fabulous read.

Ooh this was a very interesting, atmospheric crime novel that manages to be different in a popular genre.

Firstly I loved the wonderful team of Teresa and Massimo who seemed very well suited to each other. Teresa is more old school with lots of knowledge and experience to bring to the case which is normally given in an amusingly abrupt way. Massimo is young and keen to learn so although they originally grate on each other they eventually manage to work together really well. It was so nice to see this relationship development and to see the two of them start to become a team.

The story goes back and forth spanning quite a few timelines and is told from a few points of view which was initially a bit confusing until I got used to it. I felt this helped to add to the tension and intrigue in the story as things are slowly revealed. The isolated setting also helped add to the menace as you get a sense of the villagers living by their own rules.

The murder investigation is very intriguing and I enjoyed watching the detectives try to solve the case. The descriptions of the murders are quite graphic and gory at times which might not be to everyone’s case thought I found I was too interested in the story to care about this. The story brings up a few interesting topics that I found quite thought provoking and ensured that I continued thinking about the book long after I’d finished reading it.

This is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future. I hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Teresa as thought she was a fabulous main character, very different from normal police detectives. This book would also make a great book for a book club or reading group as I feel there would be lots to discuss.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Gigi Croft from W&N publishers for my copy of this book which I received in exchange for an honest review.

I loved everything about Flowers Over The Inferno. First the setting, I read quite a bit of European fiction but this is the first that I have read that is set in this part of the world, the Italian/ Austrian border. It sounded magical, the tiny village that needed tourism to survive but was aware of the damage that it could also cause to the land. But the reason I loved the book so much was because of the characters, especially Superintendent Teresa Battaglia and her new recruit Massimo Marini. I was cringing at their first encounter when he wrongly assumed that his new boss was male.

I read a lot of crime fiction and a lead character that is a loner, drinker, has emotional baggage etc etc is the norm. But Teresa is a little different. Yes she is a loner, but she is also a lot older, has health issues, and she makes Ann Cleeve’s Vera look like a pussycat. All of her team love, respect and fear her in equal measures.

Marini is determined to break down her barriers despite her rudeness and he does but she isn’t prepared to make it easy for him. Or let him now that she is impressed by his efforts.

Stand out moments were the way she was with the children, she made them relaxed and broke down the barriers that could exist between child and adult, especially if that adult was a stranger and a police officer. But also the way she made me feel sympathy for the culprit and this was mainly down to Teresa insisting that there was more happening than random violence. She made me look at the reasons why and understand what they were going through.

I want to read more about these two, I see a fantastic relationship in the future.

This is the debut novel by Ilaria Tuti, and the first novel featuring Detective Teresa Battaglia, and I have to say it is impressive to see such a strong and unique novel coming from the pen of a brand new author. Everything about this book is accomplished and confident, you would be forgiven for believing that this is a writer who has been doing this for years.

There is so much to enjoy about this book if you are a fan of the Euro-crime genre. Firstly, and probably the strongest aspect of this book, are the main detective duo. Teresa Battaglia is a really refreshing change to the standard grumpy male or feisty, young, ambitious female detectives you find carrying these stories. A woman of middle years, not beautiful, not thrusting, not particularly stand out in any way except through her intellect, her dedication to her job and the devotion she inspires in her team. I absolutely loved her, and was willing to follow her through whatever ups and downs she might face throughout the novel. She is brutal and forthright in her opinions, no nonsense, dedicated. She has personal issues, health issues, issues with relationships, but battles all these quietly and with dignity to get the job done.

She also does not suffer fools gladly, which appears to be a problem when she gets a new, young, male wet-behind-the-ears inspector to add to her team. To begin with there is the usual chalk and cheese friction between the two, but this has the makings of a great partnership for future books and the two will find that their differences can be an asset, as they have lots to learn from each other.

There is a great supporting cast for this book, but these two carry the book, along with the third standout star of the novel, which is the setting. Forget Scandi-noir, here we have Italy as a back drop for the drama, but not the picturesque coastal towns of Amalfi or Sorrento or Portofino; not the glamorous cities of Rome or Venice or Florence; not the rural beauty of Tuscany or the Italian Lakes. This is the remote, forgotten, mountainous area on the Italian-Austrian border which very rarely has the literary spotlight shone upon it. This author, however, obviously has a great fondness for the region, she brings it vividly to life throughout the book, illuminating the forests, gorges, peaks, rivers and isolated villages making the landscape an integral part of the story, a character in its own right.

The setting of this book is what gives it its atmosphere, and that atmosphere is deeply claustrophobic and unsettling. This is a place cut off from the outside world to a large degree. They are insular, superstitious and extremely suspicious of outsiders. Protective of their community and any perceived external threat, they close ranks and shut out interlopers, protecting their secrets, even if that means protecting a serial killer from the police. This makes the investigation more complicated, and the diplomatic skills of Teresa Battaglia vital to crack the case. The area is sparsely populated, mountainous, heavily wooded, large areas unexplored or long forgotten. The intrusion of the modern world into this ancient wilderness, upsetting the dynamics unchanged for centuries, is one of the fascinating themes of the book and adds to the air of menace and threat.

The case itself is gruesome and deeply disturbing. It is hard to say too much about it without including any spoilers in the review, but there are links to unpleasant echoes of a unedifying era of the area’s past. Some aspects of the book are quite graphic and upsetting, but the plot is completely gripping from start to finish and the reader will find it very hard to break away from the story without finding out what happens. I am still thinking about the plot, even now the book is finished and I have moved on to my next read. There are some moral questions raised in the book that will get you thinking more deeply than is often the case in a standard crime novel, a deeper dimension to the narrative.

The book is written from a few different perspectives, in a variety of time periods, and through different mediums, such as diary entries. As it hops around quite a lot, I did find it tricky to keep up in places. Some of this was due to the way my review copy was formatted on my Kindle I think, but I do believe that this is one of those odd books that would be more easily and enjoyably read in physical format, rather than on an e-reader. Fortuitously, this is also a book where I would suggest that the story is worth the investment in an actual book. This was something new and different and interesting din would highly recommend it. A brave new voice in the crime genre.

A gothic crime novel with a different setting, I enjoyed reading this although the start was a bit slow, and translation was also good. I would recommend for people who liked Chesnut Man

Well, this is a novel experience. After all the Scandi-Noir that’s flooding onto the crime fiction market, Flowers Over The Inferno leaves Scandinavia far behind and takes us south. To Italy, as a matter of fact. Although, the setting is in the Alps so you know, it’s still cold and there’s still snow. But still.

There we meet Detective Teresa Battaligia. If you’re a wee tired of the stereotypical detective in your crime fiction, you’ll absolutely love Teresa. She’s not your average spring chicken being as she’s in her sixties, slightly overweight, definitely a diabetic and also struggling with some other health issues she’s not yet quite ready to face when we first meet her. But Teresa has decades of experience, knows a thing or two about profiling, and is an indomitable force to be reckoned with.

A naked man is found dead in the forest with his eyes gouged out. Teresa’s instincts immediately tell her this is no ordinary case but can she catch the killer before they strike again? A young city inspector, Marini, is assigned to her team to help out but Teresa isn’t sure about him. Despite Marini’s various attempts to win over his new boss, she seems to think he’s the most incompetent person ever.

Most of the action plays itself out in the present day but we also get glimpses into events from the past that are rather harrowing from the get-go. I don’t want to say anything else about that but suffice to say someone’s dark and tragic past will heavily influence the present. These bits of information are fed to the reader throughout the story, always immensely enticing but not giving away too much information so I was trying insanely hard to pick up clues somewhere along the way and true to form, failing miserably. It’s not the easiest of topics and in a somewhat odd way, I was left to sympathise with the wrong characters.

Flowers over the Inferno is intense, gripping and incredibly addictive. It’s easy to see why this introduction to Teresa Battaglia was the biggest debut of last year in Italy. It’s not only the investigation into the murder that keeps the reader’s attention, it’s also the fabulous character that is Teresa herself. While her health may make her vulnerable, she refuses to give in, which makes her someone to be admired and someone you root for.

This is the first instalment in a trilogy and I absolutely can’t wait for the next book and an opportunity to catch up with Teresa again.