Today is my stop on the blog tour for the deliciously creepy Flowers Over the Inferno by Ilaria Tuti, book one of a new trilogy featuring Superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Thanks to Tracy Fenton and W&N Books for giving me the opportunity to read this fantastic new thriller.
Ilaria Tuti is an author who breathes life into her characters and is an exciting new talent I’m looking forward to reading more from in the future. Flowers Over The Inferno is her debut novel.
About the book:
AN IDYLLIC VILLAGE IN THE ALPS.
A LEGACY OF SIN.
AN EVIL LURKING IN THE WOODS.
In a quiet village surrounded by the imposing Italian Alps, a series of violent 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…
‘A brilliant protagonist, an eerie setting and a community hiding dark secrets’ Dead Good (Debut crime novels to watch out for in 2019)
THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE TERESA BATTAGLIA SERIES: AN INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING PHENOMENON
About the author:
My Review:
I love beginning a new series of books, especially when a fascinating new character is introduced that I can tell from the outset I’m going to fall in love with. Flowers Over The Inferno is a deliciously creepy psychological thriller that introduces the complex and fascinating character of Superintendent Teresa Battaglia. Teresa isn’t your typical police detective. Yes, she’s clever, intuitive and brilliant at her job, but she is also an overweight woman in her sixties who is suffering from diabetes and trying to come to terms with encroaching old age and ill health.
This is a dark and thrilling crime novel that takes its time to set the story up, but once it does it moves along at a cracking pace right up until the final page is turned. With the present day story of death, lies, secrets and intrigue intertwined with a creepy tale about an orphanage in 1978 (a story which will become clearer as the book progresses), it takes you on a fast and thrilling rollercoaster of a journey that at times will leave you breathless.
The brilliant characterisation is what makes this book for me, with the relationship between Teresa and young new recruit Massimo Marini being a particular highlight. Teresa’s inner turmoil over the demons of her past and her failing health add an emotional depth to the story that had me rooting for her from the very first page.
Beautifully written and with a cast of memorable characters, Flowers Over The Inferno is a brilliant, atmospheric debut that puts me very much in mind of the unforgettable Vera Stanhope books by Ann Cleeves. I have a feeling that Teresa Battaglia is going to become every bit as memorable and I can’t wait to read more of her story in the future.
Flowers Over The Inferno by Ilaria Tuti is available to buy now: Amazon UK
Cal Turner Reviews 