Read Death's Dark Abyss Online for Free

Europa Editions are serialising Massimo Carlotto's Death's Dark Abyss on their Tumblr site. The prologue and chapter one are up, check back weekly for the next chapters.

Read the Euro Crime review of Death's Dark Abyss.

"Over the next few months, Europa Editions will be giving you a preview of one of the best noir writers in the world, Massimo Carlotto. Starting today, you can read Carlotto’s Death’s Dark Abyss absolutely free right here!

Death’s Dark Abyss tells the story of two men and the savage crime that binds them. During a robbery, Raffello Beggiato take a young woman and her child hostage and later murders them. Beggiato is arrested, tried and sentence to life in prison. The victims’ father and husband, Silvano, plungers into an ever-deepening abyss until the day, years later, when the murderer seeks his pardon and Silvano turns predator as he ruthlessly plots his revenge.

Twice a week, we’ll post chapters from the book, leading up to the launch of the new Europa World Noir series on May 7th!"

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Massimo Carlotto winner of the last Grand Prix du Roman Noir Etranger

I'm not sure when this was awarded but the 2007 winner of the Grand Prix du Roman Noir Etranger at the Prix du Festival de Cognac was Massimo Carlotto for L'immense obscurité de la mort. The English title being Death's Dark Abyss, reviewed here on Euro Crime.

It seems to be the last time that prize will be awarded as the Festival appears to be defunct after 25 years, according to my reading of the official web site (with my rusty French)

New Reviews on Euro Crime

Here are this week's new reviews and a final reminder of January's competition:

Latest Reviews:

Norman Price, Euro Crime's Italian expert recommends Massimo Carlotto's Death's Dark Abyss - another one of his short books that packs a punch;

Geoff Jones reviews the latest by the prolific author Peter Conway - Deserving Death recommending it to "anyone who likes an uncomplicated detective novel";

Maxine Clarke reviews the first of Martin Edwards' excellent Lake District series - The Coffin Trail calling it "an absorbing read";

Maxine found Hakan Nesser's The Return less compelling than the previous title, Borkmann's Point

and I review the Costa Award winning What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn - the word 'haunting' has been accurately used to describe this book and it is one that will linger in the mind well after the final page has been turned. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Current Competition (closing date 31 January):

Win a copy of Bad Traffic by Simon Lewis (UK & Europe only)

(geographical restrictions are in brackets)

Eddie Muller in Italy

From yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle:

When my colleague Anita Monga learned that the Czar of Noir and his wife were taking a much-needed vacation in Italy, she said, "Good, you need a break -- and Italy is the least noirish place on earth." My vacation reading proved otherwise.

Muller then goes on to review 'Suffer the Little Children' by Donna Leon and also interview the author, who explains her decision to to be published in Italy.

He then moves on to Massimo Carlotto, explaining about the notorious miscarriage of justice surrounding him and what happened afterwards:

Immediately, Carlotto began transforming his life story into a series of hardboiled crime novels that feature a world-view of the most cynical and pessimistic variety. Fortunately, the books aren't bitter, and Carlotto has a lean and rock-hard style that is comparable to the best of Hammett and Cain. "The Colombian Mule" and "The Master of Knots" are terrific reads, but the depth of the philosophical undercurrent raises them to the level of art.

In the UK Orion have published the only two Alligator books translated - The Columbian Mule and The Master of Knots - and in the US Europa Editions have brought out The Goodbye Kiss and Death's Dark Abyss.

Read the whole article here.