About The Book
In a quiet village surrounded by the imposing Italian Alps, a series of brutal assaults take place.
Police inspector Teresa Battaglia is called in when the first body is found. Soon more victims are discovered – all horrifically mutilated – and when a new-born baby is kidnapped, Teresa’s investigation becomes a race against the clock.
But Teresa is also fighting a battle against her own body, weighed down by age and diabetes, and her mind, once invincible and now slowly gnawing away at her memory…
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. 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.
Steph's Book Blog 