Buonvino e il caso del bambino scomparso
by Walter Veltroni
Last year, on a flight back following a brief holiday in Rome, I read Assassinio a Villa Borghese, the first in a series of crime novels by ex-Rome mayor Walter Veltroni featuring Commissario Giovanni Buonvino. Buonvino is tragicomic figure who is “promoted” to Commissario, heading a team of misfits tasked with keeping the peace at Villa Borghese. One would hardly expect the famous Roman park to be a hotbed of crime. However, just as in the case of English “cozy mystery” novels, where sleepy Wiltshire villages reveal a statistically unlikely dark underbelly, Buonvino ends up facing and solving a grisly series of murders soon after his appointment.
The first instalment in the series was no great novel, but it was a fun read. And so, in an anticipation of another trip to Rome this year, I thought I’d give the second book a try. Buonvino e il case del bambino scomparso sees the Commissario being approached to solve a “cold case”, involving the disappearance (kidnapping?) of a little boy on his way home after a trip to Villa Borghese. The investigation opens old wounds but gives to opportunity to two new members of Buonvino’s team to integrate themselves with their colleagues, overcoming some initial friction.
The impression left by this novel was much the same as
the first. The mystery keeps you turning
the pages, and the initial chapters, describing Rome in the midst of the
pandemic, have unexpected poignancy. For
what is ultimately a “light” read, there’s a surprisingly (welcome) dark streak
running through the tale, although it falls short of the theatrical Gothic and grand
guignol elements of Assassinio a Villa Borghese. Ultimately, however, I found Buonvino e il
case del bambino scomparso underwhelming and in certain respects predictable. I hope I’ll be back in Rome soon, but I’ll
make a mental note to look for other different reading material.
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