BREAD FOR THE BASTARDS OF PIZZOFALCONE

The murder of a popular Neapolitan baker has the floury fingerprints of the Mafia all over it. But does the trail of breadcrumbs lead elsewhere?

De Giovanni’s fifth Bastards of Pizzofalcone novel begins by picking up the careful early morning routine of a beloved baker known as the Prince of Dawn just minutes before he’s murdered. The discovery of the body is preceded by a flavorful synopsis of the series’ crime-busting team, disgraced cops who’ve recaptured their reputations after a stint in prison and a number of successful cases. Lojacono, Romano, Palma, and Aragona each has a backstory and an evocative nickname. When Lojacono and Romano arrive at the crime scene, they find other cops, bakery employee Mario Strabone, and TV personality Dottor Diego Buffardi all surrounding the corpse of Pasquale Granato. Buffardi, an assistant prosecutor, posits that the baker’s recent testimony against the Mafia has led to his execution. The duo meets up with their partners at the station house, where the police chief, Crispi, has already called in, directing the team to pursue this Mafia theory. Lojacono thinks otherwise, and the team interrogates a wide array of persons of interest, including female bakery employees and the baker’s ex-wife. The hectic personal lives of the bastards also merit narrative detours. De Giovanni writes with the long-winded charm and droll tone of a master yarn spinner, adorning descriptions of even minor events with telling detail and atmosphere.

A crackling good crime yarn, overstuffed but juicy, with a thick Italian accent.