Bishop brings Cesare Aldo back to Florence and the Otto di Guardia e Balia, the most feared criminal court. They are feared for their authority to detain and torture.
All the main characters from the previous three books struggle with their conscience, life goals, dedication, beliefs, and faith.
Cesare Aldo, demoted to constable and on night patrol, is determined to become an officer again. Carlo Strocchi has been made an officer. His wife, Tomasia, is expecting their second child. She is having a tough time with this pregnancy. Living in a small apartment becomes even more difficult when Strocchi’s mother shows up for a visit.
Then dead bodies turn up. The victims are staged as if crucified. They have words written in ash on their foreheads and their tongues are sliced in two. The religious angle is not hard to guess.
The Otto’s secretario Massimo Bindi knows he needs Aldo to solve these murders before the Duke, Cosimo de Medici, interferes. Reluctantly and with the utmost disdain, he allows Strocchi to take Aldo along for the investigation.
As in the previous three books, there is plenty of pace, intrigue, and betrayal. Bishop shows us Florence, the lifestyle of the rich, and the struggle of the average Florentine. However, in contrast to the first three books, the plot and the chase seem to feature a little less prominently. What appears more in the discussions, deliberations, and planning of the next step is the killer’s motivation for these murders.
There are various suspects with their own reasons for hating the victims, however, not all of them would have gone through with their plans made in moments of grief and anger. Those who do turn out to be capable have their reasons to justify their actions. Why these victims? How they are related, if at all? Is it the staging what binds them or is there an ulterior motive that has not surfaced yet? Only near the end do all the pieces fall into place but not before Aldo, who needs to understand, offers himself up as bait.
The roles have changed in Book Four. Strocchi is the officer in charge. Aldo is the constable who assists him. But in true Aldo style, he embarks on his own and does score points to advance the investigation. However, every time he does he must face his friend and superior who is more than mildly irritated. And that is not just because of Aldo’s habit of doing what he wants. Strocchi is worried. If he does not solve the murders, Bindi has threatened demotion. Demotion means loss of salary and with child number two on the way, that spells tough times.
Aldo faces physical struggles to stay alive while hunting the killer but that is not his only struggle. Does he really want to be an officer again? The salary would be welcome but Bindi will not change. Despite not pursuing it, one woman manages to stir emotions he thought he did not have. Aldo struggles to define what he needs and what he wants. In the end, he seems to have made his choice.
Strocchi struggles with needs and wants too. He wants justice but also needs to do what is right. His biggest struggle is with the church as an institution. Men of the cloth are held in the highest esteem. Strocchi does not doubt their morals and good behavior. When he is confronted with priests who show more than questionable behavior, his beliefs are shaken. He still has his faith but, in this book, we see him pondering the hard questions.
I think that you will enjoy Book Four best if you read the previous three. The relationship and history between Aldo and Strocchi will be clearer when they talk about their strengths and weaknesses, their mistakes, and their take on love and life.
Book Five is entitled Carnival of Lies and will be out in 2025. I hope that D.V. Bishop has plans for Book Six.
Highly recommended reading. My other book reviews are here.