A review by amavia91
The City of the Living by Nicola Lagioia

challenging dark informative tense medium-paced

3.75

This books is a gripping 'novelization' of a true crime event that occurred in Rome. The author's ability to weave the evidence and larger explorations of individual motivations and societal context is engaging and gave me much to think about. I normally don't enjoy when authors interject their own history alongside the narrative but here it worked more often than not. Specifically, the sections focused on the Dutch tourist did not work for me-- maybe I missed something but I don't feel like they added to the picture of decay and corruption portrayed by the author. All in all, a solid true crime novel.