The Cold Summer

By: Gianrico Carofiglio

Narrated by: Sean Barrett

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's Summary

The summer of 1992 had been exceptionally cold in southern Italy. But that's not the reason why it is still remembered.  

On May 23, 1992, a roadside explosion killed the Palermo judge Giovanni Falcone, his wife and three police officers. A few weeks later judge Paolo Borsellino and five police officers were killed in the center of Palermo. These anti-mafia judges became heroes but the violence spread to the region of Bari in Puglia, where we meet a new, memorable character, Maresciallo Pietro Fenoglio, an officer of the Italian Carabinieri. Fenoglio, recently abandoned by his wife, must simultaneously deal with his personal crisis and the new gang wars raging around Bari. The police are stymied until a gang member, accused of killing a child, decides to collaborate, revealing the inner workings and the rules governing organised crime in the area.  

The story is narrated through the actual testimony of the informant, a trope reminiscent of verbatim theatre which Carofiglio, an ex-anti-mafia judge himself, uses to great effect. The gangs are stopped but the mystery of the boy's murder must still be solved, leading Fenoglio into a world of deep moral ambiguity, where the prosecutors are hard to distinguish from the prosecuted.

©2018 Gianrico Carofiglio (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Outstanding!

Carofiglio is a master at depicting the world-weary but not yet cynical Italian legal system. I love his Guerrieri books, and this, with a new hero, Fenoglio, is just as good. Where Guerrieri is a lawyer, and those books revolve around court procedures, Fenoglio is a Carabinieri, and this book focuses more on investigative procedure. The narration was brilliant—worthy of more than 5 stars.

Superb

I found the recommendation for this book in the Times of London and am so grateful I did. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. Just order it. You won’t be disappointed.

Intelligent Italian noir

Written by a judge. Great story with fantastic characters, well-written psychological profiles and great writing craft.

Bit of a boring start ....but then

starts off with some boring questions and answer - very factual but for me too much - and then it starts getting on with a fabulous story and twist at the end. As always Sean Barrett's performance is just fabulous!!

Gianrico Carofiglio has long been a favorite of

Gianrico Carofiglio has long been a favorite of mine and accomplished narrator Sean Barrett delivers another polished effort with this book. This book features a senior Caribiniery officer tasked with a murder investigation and eventually uncovering some corrupt cops along the way. With insights into Italian policing, gangs and life in general this is another top tier effort.

Carofilio delivers a great story once again.

Excellent story! Well developed characters. Surprising twist at the end. The Marshall is thoughtful, clever and an appealing character.

Disappointing Effort From One of My Favorites

Have rated other titles as favorites but this one seemed to develop slowly and never caught my imagination or interest. Only the great narration held me in there for a while.

Hopefully, the start of another great series!

As usual, Gianrico Carofiglio has delivered a masterful slice of life in Bari, Italy - kidnapping / corruption / food. Sean Barrett’s amazing vocal range makes each character distinct and alive. Fans of Guido Gierrieri will love what I hope is the start of a new series.

It's brilliant.

I have loved everyone of carofiglio's novels as read by Sean Barrett. Utterly convincing. Dark and light intertwined. Characters striving to be good in the complexity of life. More please.

A bit of a disappointment

I adore the Guido Guerrieri books and therefore fell on this with delight. It was a perfectly pleasant listen but not very inspiring as it really just lays out facts. True they are laid before us in different ways but there are no twists to this tale, no clever legal footwork or insight. I obviously missed what a lot of other reviewers found so good about this - and so you may well be the same - its probably worth giving it a go.

Not his best

I have enjoyed Carofiglio’s other books but this was a bit of a disappointment. Basically it’s a recital of questions and answers involving a Mafiosa. SB’s narration is as good as always.