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The Namesake (Commissario Alec Blume #3)
by
Conor Fitzgerald (Goodreads Author)
When magistrate Matteo Arconti's namesake, an insurance man from Milan, is found dead outside the court buildings in Piazzo Clodio, it's a clear warning to the authorities in Rome--a message of defiance and intimidation from a powerful crime syndicate.Commissioner Alec Blume, interpreting the reference to his other ongoing case--a frustrating one in which he's so far been...more
Paperback, 357 pages
Published
March 29th 2012
by Bloomsbury Publishing
(first published April 4th 2011)
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Jun 04, 2012
Shelleyrae at Book'd Out
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Shelleyrae by:
Bloomsbury
While this is the third book featuring Commissario Alec Blume, The Namesake is the first I have read from this British author. Part police procedural/part crime thriller, this series is set in Italy and pits Blume, more often than not, against the organised crime families of Italy. In The Namesake, the body of a man who bears the same name as a Magistrate, is dumped outside of a courthouse in Rome, a threat that Blume attributes to the Ndreangheta. Seizing an opportunity that might force Ndreang...more
This book is hyped on the cover with a cunningly edited Sunday Times Review which suggests it fills the gap left by Michael Dibdin.
They didn't need to do that, as it - and his other books I have read - are in some ways better, to my mind anyhow. Certainly a lot grittier.
It's all about the Ndranghetta, from Calabria, who are if anything better (and nastier) than the Mafia or the Camorra at what they do. You'll be really worried.
The research is impeccable with brilliant insight into why Italy is i...more
They didn't need to do that, as it - and his other books I have read - are in some ways better, to my mind anyhow. Certainly a lot grittier.
It's all about the Ndranghetta, from Calabria, who are if anything better (and nastier) than the Mafia or the Camorra at what they do. You'll be really worried.
The research is impeccable with brilliant insight into why Italy is i...more
Did not like this one as much as the previous two. Mostly because the criminals are now Mafia and their offshoots and I find that subject quite stilted and gratuitous. Of course eventually Blume has to deal with Mafia since he is in Italy, but every time they appear in crime novels you get a lot of gratuitous violence and death of innocents. Does not make for enjoyable reading for me. Alec also goes of the rails a good bit in this book as he ends up with an “ends justify the means” mindset. The...more
Each time I read one of Fitzgerald's books, I like Commissario Alec Blume a bit less. I think this might be my last -- he's just not an appealing character, and I have a hard time putting in so many hours reading a book about someone I dislike.
That's kind of a shame, though, because I think the subject matter is promising, even if the books are a bit too focused on organized crime for my taste. I found this one particularly obtuse, though (I wish I had noticed that there was a glossary at the en...more
That's kind of a shame, though, because I think the subject matter is promising, even if the books are a bit too focused on organized crime for my taste. I found this one particularly obtuse, though (I wish I had noticed that there was a glossary at the en...more
This is a review of the book The Namesake, by Conor Fitzgerald. The novel is an Italian crime story, and follows an American-born police commissioner, Alec Blume, as he is drawn into the world of the Calabrian mafia.
I quite enjoy crime fiction. I have a real weakness for a well-written whodunnit, and find it easy to lose myself in that atmosphere. However, I am unused to Italian crime stories, aside from the odd television series like Inspector Montalbano and Rex in Rome. And yes, this does make...more
I quite enjoy crime fiction. I have a real weakness for a well-written whodunnit, and find it easy to lose myself in that atmosphere. However, I am unused to Italian crime stories, aside from the odd television series like Inspector Montalbano and Rex in Rome. And yes, this does make...more
Perhaps I should just start this off by saying Mafia storylines are possibly my least favourite scenarios. Maybe (and probably unfairly) it seems like an easy target, the other possibility is that there's rarely anything new or illustrative about their activities. Either way, I'm acutely aware that this is a personal prejudice which is undoubtedly irrational and unreasonable.
Adding to the complication was THE NAMESAKE being the third Commissario Alex Blume novel, and my not having read either of...more
Adding to the complication was THE NAMESAKE being the third Commissario Alex Blume novel, and my not having read either of...more
I really love Donna Leon's books, so I was excited when Shelf Awareness sent me The Namesake (an Italian mystery, not to be confused with the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri) for review. It didn't have the same brilliance as Leon's books, but it was still fun, and the mistaken identity premise was intriguing.
In The Namesake, his third Commissario Alec Blume novel, Conor Fitzgerald delves into the mysterious secrets of the 'Ndrangheta--an organized crime syndicate whose constituent families see it as almo...more
In The Namesake, his third Commissario Alec Blume novel, Conor Fitzgerald delves into the mysterious secrets of the 'Ndrangheta--an organized crime syndicate whose constituent families see it as almo...more
This is the first Comissario Alec Blume story that I have read and I don't think I would read another. I did not like Alec Blume, his character was a little bland and uninteresting. I did however enjoy the storyline. I love stories about the Mafia and the locale was great. Although it was not my favorite I would definitely recommend this to all my mystery loving friends to decide for themselves.
Thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury.
Thanks to Net Galley and Bloomsbury.
I liked this less than the other two Blume books. The plot was exceptionally convoluted. The whole Ndrangheta family structure and behavior code is described in excruciating detail - it's a toxic soup of superstition, "honor" and vengeance that has gone on for generations - or centuries. It got to be too much in the end. And Blume is becoming annoying - reckless for no apparent reason, self-centered to the nth degree.
The third Alec Blume novel and by far the least interesting. Perhaps it is that the Mafia is inherently well-worn territory, or a long, lonely trip for the main character, but this one left me wanting more interesting characters and action. A reasonable plot and the Namesake killing that kicks off the action is fine, but too much Blume internal at the end for me.
Hopefully this series gets back on track with the next one.
Hopefully this series gets back on track with the next one.
I'm not a fan of mafia-related mysteries/police procedurals, but the Namesake is so rich in character, emotion and Italian color that it drew me in from the first, and made the plot secondary to the enjoyment of the rest of the reading experience
I have read, and liked, all three of Fitzgerald's stories about Comissario Alec Blume. The Dogs of Rome and The Fatal Touch were the first and second books in the series. I think this is the best of the three.
Not so good. Way too many italian names that all sound and read alike, and so a confusing cast of characters. By the end it all pulls together, but unneccessary complications of setting up the story.
Wow, is Commissario Alec Blume cranky!! Maybe book #4 will find him in better spirits, and dealing with a less convoluted (and uninteresting) mystery.
I like learning about the Italian scene with the Mafia, Government and the locality angles
Great author and another great book
I think this was my least favorite of the his three. I found the mafia twists and turns confusing and somewhat uninteresting. I agree with the reviewer who said that Blume is becoming less and less likeable.
Dull, dull, dull
May 14, 2013
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