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.

Oddly compelling .. and thank bg goodness the grounded-ness of a dog and its loyalty, in midst of all madness .. using Fahey v tache/myth to spook us too .. funding out what happened to her mother kicks it all nk off but Synilke vh is never pruned moved .. a novelist with devoted dog is, and begins it a pernicious book with b its own powers .. weird and wonderful but not straightforward crime...

I think this is a great read it held me on the edge of my seat and although a crime novel it has elements of horror, occultism, and it makes the book atmospheric... i could almost sense the tension in the air of a strong sense of dread

This is one to read and one to leave the light on if you do
I am saying no more but give it a try you wont be disappointed

A haunting thriller drawing on myths, legends and fairy tales, set in a mysterious Italian valley. I really enjoyed this book. It was hard to put down as it drew me in immediately and before I knew it I was in the middle of the book!

Good for people who like: strange settings with insular communities, creepy disappearances and murders, mysteries based on folktales.

The Wanderer is an atmospheric Italian mystery-thriller which draws on a mixture of myths and fairytales to create a haunting read.

Tony is out walking his St Bernard when he is unexpectedly slapped in the face by a girl who he has never met before, but whose face is familiar. Twenty years earlier, Tony was photographed smiling over the body of Sybille’s drowned mother, and Sybille wants to know why. The death was reported as suicide, but when Tony and Sybille start investigating what happened, vicious warnings from the powerful Perkman family suggest that there is a darker and more dangerous truth. Sybille is not the only young woman found dead in unusual circumstances near the town of Kreuzwirt, and there are stories of an ancient evil: a figure called the Wanderer who lurks between this world and the next.

Chapters alternate between Sybille and Tony, whose character dynamics and interactions with Freddy the St Bernard add a little humour to the otherwise dark tale. The setting is remote, and people are loyal to the sinister Perkman family. This gives the book a claustrophobic feel, and builds pressure as Tony and Sybille's investigation gets more dangerous. This is a slower paced thriller, but the occult elements, themes of jealousy, madness and power, and layers of legend and secrets make this a tense and menacing read.

Scary and stylish, with supernatural undertones, this book leans toward the more literary end of the crime thriller genre. A town riddled with corruption, a rare antique book that seems to control its readers, and a strange symbol called the Hummingbird Smile found tattooed and scrawled close to those found dead, make this a multilayered mystery perfect for dark winter nights.

This book was reviewed by Cathy.

With thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Shelves: General Fiction (Adult); Mystery & Thrillers; January 2022

The wanderer by Luca D'Andrea.
Out walking his St Bernard, Tony Carcano is confronted by a girl on a motorbike who shows him a photograph from his past. Of him posing with the body of a young woman. Smiling.
A very good read with good characters. Great story and characters. 4*.

My thanks to Quercus Books MacLehose Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Wanderer’ by Luca D'Andrea in exchange for an honest review. It was originally published in Italy in 2019 and translated from the Italian by Katherine Gregor.

The novel opens with Tony Carcano out walking his St. Bernard, Freddy, in the countryside. Tony is a bestselling author, described by some as “Sophie Kinsella in lederhosen”. As Tony remarks: “a description dripping with that succulent brand of venom the literary world reserves for scribblers blessed with success.” I instantly liked him.

He and Freddy are confronted by a young woman on a motorbike who shows him a photograph of his younger self posing with the body of a woman. Smiling. She curtly asks: “Why were you laughing?" Then slaps him.

The motorcyclist is Sybille Knapp and the photo is of her mother, Erika, who had drowned herself in Kreuzwirt lake in 1999. Well that was the official verdict. Sybille is unconvinced. Before long, she and Tony team up to discover what really happened. Yet Kreuzwirt is an insular community, loyal to the powerful Perkman family, who will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

To this point ‘The Wanderer’ could be a straightforward crime thriller yet it soon takes a dark turn as there are stories of an ancient evil at work in the valley and whispers of a figure, the Wanderer, who stands between the worlds. Add into the mix a mysterious rare book that exerts a strange influence over its readers, the Tarot, and a sinister symbol known as the Hummingbird Smile.

Part of the mystery links to Erika Knapp, a daydreamer and outsider who said she could tell the future. This led to her being nicknamed Spooky Erika.

The novel was peppered with references to various books and even a few nods to H.P. Lovecraft. It also had moments of humour, such as Sybille referring to her impulsive side as Sibby Longstocking and Freddy’s doggy antics.

I will admit that initially I found it somewhat hard to engage with the narrative. It was frustrating as I had enjoyed his previous novel, ‘Sanctuary’ and the hybrid elements of ‘The Wanderer’, mixing crime with the occult, folklore, and fairy tales appealed to me. However, after setting it aside overnight, I started over and this time I zoomed through without hesitation. I think that rereading the opening chapters assisted me in getting to grips with this complex tale.

Overall, ‘The Wanderer’ proved an unusual, atmospheric literary crime thriller with supernatural elements. A novel that while at first somewhat challenging proved definitely to be in a class of its own.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

I've actually raken quite a few attempts to get through this I'm afraid. I had really high hopes and maybe I let myself down a bit. It felt a bit slow to me and really took focus for me to keep going back and to force myself to get through it in-between other books. The book is amazingly well written and very cleverly done to intertwine all the themes and elements but it lacked pace for me and felt a bit much at times. I can't even clarify what I mean by that, possibly that less talking and more action would have satisfied me a bit more? But it was a hugely enjoyable story if you don't kidn the slower pace and enjoy a book which doesn't just drag you along for the ride.

This is an eerie crime mystery with hints of fairy tales and myths woven in to the story. I enjoyed the book but I found it a little slow at times, and I was expecting a bit more of a thriller. Still a decent read though.. 3.5 stars

I was intrigued with the blurb but for me I was disappointed. A slow burner and I must admit it was a struggle. I have read several books using these two genres. Crime thriller with notes of the supernatural. For me it did not work. Saying that I am sure other readers will enjoy it more just not for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

“The Wanderer” by Luca D’Andrea is an intriguing mix of crime and the supernatural, in which a journalist joins forces with the initially hostile daughter of a drowned woman, a local tarot card reader, to seek out the truth about her death.
There is a palpable feeling of tension in the isolated location and an ever-present sense of oppression throughout as sinister forces obstruct the pair’s investigations. Fairytales and legends play a big part in the story but not to such a degree that it can no longer be described as a crime novel.
Skilfully translated from the original Italian by Katherine Gregor, “The Wanderer” features jealousy and betrayal, drugs, occultism and madness, and is a chilling alternative to mainstream crime thrillers.

This is a curious novel in that I couldn’t settle into whether it was a classic whodunnit serial killer thriller, or a fantastical supernatural tale. The setting in the Alto Adige in the Tyrol is claustrophobic and with everyone under the influence of the rich landowners and dark events from the past , the journey to discover the truth of the death of Erika 20 years previously was not going to be easy. When the daughter of the victim receives photographs of her dead mother , she confronts the journalist from the scene of the crime ( photographed smiling) and so begins their desire to find out the truth. The interaction between the two is what makes the book. As crime fiction goes, it hasn’t the darkness of a string Scandi noir but certainly is a good escapist read on a winter’s night .