4.5 Stars. Ilaria Tuti’s The Sleeping Nymph (aka Painted in Blood) was a criminally good character-driven crime thriller featuring an uncommonly authentic ensemble cast led by the fabulous Superintendent Teresa Battaglia.

Now ‘fabulous’ is the last word Teresa would use to describe herself — a gruff, cursing senior diabetic woman who is carrying a few too many pounds along with the baggage that comes with an abusive marriage and a career profiling serial killers. But her hard-nut exterior belies her maternal drive to protect those she cares about at all costs.

In Book 3, Daughter of Ashes, as always, there are few evils Teresa is not prepared to look straight in the eye, and this makes for utterly gripping reading. However, Alzheimer’s is proving a tougher foe, and that is where Tuti’s wonderful ensemble cast shine so bright and strong in this outing. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2023/12/daughter-of-ashes-ilaria-tuti.html ( )

Daughter of Ashes is the amazing conclusion to Ilaria Tuti's trilogy that began with Flowers Over the Inferno and The Sleeping Nymph. In it, readers are finally allowed to see Teresa Battaglia's entire history: her genius for crime solving, the misogyny she's had to endure throughout her career, and-- most telling and important of all-- her personal life away from the job. Her personal history is a factor in the relationship between Battaglia and the top-notch team she's trained. They are her children, "her boys", and there's nothing that they wouldn't do for each other.

If Inspector Massimo Marini and the rest of the team had their way, they would never be without her, but Daughter of Ashes is a bittersweet tale indeed. Teresa Battaglia's dementia is worsening. "This illness was toying with her life like a breeze with a dry leaf," and she knows she must retire before she becomes a liability. But she can't quit just yet because, once and for all, she must deal with serial killer, Giacomo Mainardi. One of the best things about this book is its humanity, and that compassion and empathy extend to Mainardi. Readers can-- and will be-- appalled at what Mainardi does, but once his own personal history is revealed, he becomes a truly sympathetic character.

Yes, the mystery is intriguing, but the characters remain first and foremost in my mind, the lead in particular. Teresa Battaglia's life is a triumph of will and endurance that is ultimately betrayed by her mind. Ilaria Tuti's portrayal of her is so vivid that I feel as though I know her.

(Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley) ( )

é un bel libro, ma si legge con fatica. spesso non capisco.