"The trouble was that each of the facts they had just discussed were like random musical notes, jarring against each other. Giuseppe would need to be a talented composer to work through the music, choosing which notes to discard and which to keep. The remaining sounds could then be strung together to create the perfect harmonies..."
After the Storm by Isabella Muir is the second novel in the Giuseppe Bianchi mystery series, the much awaited sequel to Crossing the Line. This book reads perfectly well as a standalone (I haven't read the 1st book).
It's like stepping back in time, in a totally different era, with a different pace of life. In a way, it reminded me of the TV series Endeavour about young Inspector Morse. Not that the main protagonists are similar, but the sense of time is perfectly rendered in both, with a meticulous attention to detail, from food and fashions to interior design, social mores and attitudes.
Giuseppe Bianchi, a retired detective from Rome, is staying with his relatives at Bexhill-on-Sea. His original visit was planned to be a short one, but it has been extended until some undecided date, with no immediate preparations. His family members seem to enjoy his company, and are happy to have him around indefinitely.
He befriends another retired man frequenting the cafe, owned by his relatives. Edward Swain becomes his walking companion. Swain reminds Guiseppe of someone he used to know, "of a similar age, both grey-haired, both wearing their life's experiences in the lines on their face".
They go on long walks along the seaside, with a dog named Max, and discuss philosophical issues. They are not bosom friends, but discover that they have a similar outlook on life.
Giuseppe doesn't pry. "Even as a detective, Giuseppe had never been one for incessant questioning. He preferred to leave space for a suspect to offer their own account, in their own time. He had learned that silence could be the enemy of the guilty".
And so, he doesn't ask his new companion about his personal affairs. "A hidden layer beneath the smartly dressed gentleman who chatted easily about diverse subjects, from music to the habits of bees. Now and again a darkness crossed Edward's face. It was as if he had a cloak he carried on his shoulders at all times, and whenever the need arose he brought it up and over his head, shielding him from interrogation."
When a violent storm blasts the coastal town, it leaves a trail of devastation and destruction in its wake.
That scary night leads Giuseppe to seek the truth about Edward Swain. Teaming up with his cousin's daughter, young journalist Christina Rossi, he uncovers the harsh reality of lives of many families in the local community.
Christina is young and idealistic, full of hope and passion. "Giuseppe had told Christina that she reminded him of his younger self. He praised her enthusiasm, her tenacity and resilience, faced with a boss who had a different approach to journalism". For her "journalism provided an opportunity to tell the hidden stories, to shine a light on all forms of social injustice, to give voice to people desperate to be heard".
Together they make a fine and competent team.
Giuseppe differs from the Italian detectives we know and love, like Camilleri's brilliant but often grumpy foodie Salvo Montalbano, Dibdin's intelligent outsider Zen, or Donna Leon's suave and philosophical Brunetti. Bianchi left Rome, trying to escape from the haunting images of the tragedy he has witnessed, and appears deflated and dispirited. By retiring he hoped that the desolate events of the past would be left behind.
After the Storm is an accomplished, compelling read, with plenty of atmosphere and an appealing protagonist. It conjures up a strong sense of time and place.
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/After-Storm-Giuseppe-Bianchi-mystery-ebook/dp/B08P534Y2K
US - https://www.amazon.com/After-Storm-Giuseppe-Bianchi-mystery-ebook/dp/B08P534Y2K
Author Bio –
Isabella is never happier than when she is immersing herself in the sights, sounds and experiences of the 1960s. Researching all aspects of family life back then formed the perfect launch pad for her works of fiction. Isabella rediscovered her love of writing fiction during two happy years working on and completing her MA in Professional Writing and since then she has gone on to publish six novels, three novellas and two short story collections.
Her latest novel, After the Storm, is the second novel in a new series of Sussex Crimes, featuring retired Italian detective, Giuseppe Bianchi who is escaping from tragedy in Rome, only to arrive in the quiet seaside town of Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, to come face-to-face with it once more.
Her first Sussex Crime Mystery series features young librarian and amateur sleuth, Janie Juke. Set in the late 1960s, in the fictional seaside town of Tamarisk Bay, we meet Janie, who looks after the mobile library. She is an avid lover of Agatha Christie stories – in particular Hercule Poirot. Janie uses all she has learned from the Queen of Crime to help solve crimes and mysteries. As well as three novels, there are three novellas in the series, which explore some of the back story to the Tamarisk Bay characters.
Isabella’s standalone novel, The Forgotten Children, deals with the emotive subject of the child migrants who were sent to Australia – again focusing on family life in the 1960s, when the child migrant policy was still in force.
Social Media Links
https://twitter.com/SussexMysteries
https://www.facebook.com/IsabellaMuirAuthor
This post is part of the blog tour.
Many thanks to Isabella Muir and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!
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