William Harrington (1) (1931–2000)

This novel was written in 1970, it tells of an unfortunate and unecessary murder which occurred during the robbery of a small general shop which sold food, alcohol and cigarettes. Set in Cleveland, Ohio, the protagonist is a well reknowned local police Lieutenant, who, thanks to a tip off , finds and arrests the murderer very quickly. Like a stone thrown into a still pond, the murder and the trial that follows cause ripples which fan out affecting the policeman, local politicians, the media, and the black population. The book is dated but not badly so. Attitudes to homosexuality, drug taking, prostitution and drinking in those days are all explored. The outcome is certain from the beginning, but that doesnt make it any easier. The big question the book ponders is that of capital punishment. After the story ends, there is a long, probably accurate and very horrific description of what happens when someone is executed on the electric chair - I found this very, very disturbing. Not sure that this is a book I would recommend to everyone, but it is interesting on many levels.… (mais)

Fiction, Detective and mystery stories, Lieutenant Columbo series, Columbo against Grant Kellogg, one of the most brilliant lawyers in the country, First published in 1996 by Forge Books, New York, First Italian edition, Il Giallo Mondadori, marzo, 1998, translated by Silvestro Pontani. Un delitto organizzato scientificamente, con prove spesso fuorvianti, ma il lavoro metodico di Colombo riesce a trovare ogni dettaglio. La storia è scritta in modo serrato e incalzante. Il personaggio di Colombo è presentato in maniera intelligente e divertente. Interessante la descrizione dei diversi personaggi e delle loro debolezze… (mais)