Report an issue
Tell us what's wrong and we'll take a look.
Thanks – we got it. We'll review and follow up if needed.
Commissario Soneri, a Parma police officer and gourmet, is investigating an unsolved case of a dead body found in the River Po. His colleagues at the time couldn’t decide if it was a suicide or a murder, nor could they establish the victim’s identity. To close the case, Soneri needs to look a little further. It’s just a formality, a matter of going through the motions. Soneri, however, is not one for formalities. He can’t endure burying a person without a name, so he decides to reopen the case.
Soneri, an intelligent and apparently grouchy man, uses unconventional policing methods. His partner, Angela Cornelio, is a lawyer and helps him with his enquiries.
The investigation leads them to river life, where he tries to break the wall of silence, typical of small communities harbouring poachers, petty criminals and profiteers - even a monster in the waters of the River Po. Soneri realises that the fog surrounding the Po makes things invisible and people unseen; it changes their identities; it deceives. And sometimes it kills.
Valerio Varesi
Valerio Varesi has been the Parma correspondent for La Stampa and La Repubblica. River of Shadows was the first of a series of thrillers featuring Commissario Soneri, now the central figure of one of Italy's most popular television dramas. It was followed in English translation by The Dark Valley, Gold Frankincense and Dust and A Woman Much Missed.
More by Valerio Varesi
Joseph Farrell
Translated by
Joseph Farrell is Emeritus Professor at the University of Strathclyde. His books include a cultural history of Sicily and biographies of Dario Fo and Leonardo Sciascia. He is also a renowned translator from the Italian, whose translations include works by Leonardo Sciascia, Vincenzo Consolo, Dario Fo and Valerio Varesi. He lives in Glasgow.
Why Readwise Books?
Readwise Books is an ebook & audiobook platform that automatically logs how much you and your friends read, making it fun and easy to read more. Learn more →