The Man in Milan: New York Murders Have Italian Connections

 When I read the description of The Man in Milan by Vito Racanelli, I thought that I'd be most interested in Hamilton P. Turner, the African American NYPD detective who's an opera buff.  I am an opera fan myself. In fact, I've previously blogged about Carmen: A Gypsy Geography, a book dealing with the background of the opera Carmen, here.  I also blogged about Killing in C Sharp in which a fictional opera plays a minor role here.  Unfortunately, the opera element in The Man in Milan was nearly non-existent, but I did learn a great deal about relatively recent Italian history as a result of reading this book.  So I'm glad I requested an ARC of this international thriller from publicist Wiley Saichek.

                              

 

I would never have suspected that 2020 killings taking place in New York could have potential links to a plane crash off the coast of Italy that took place in 1980, or to a shadowy 20th century Italian cabal that I'd never previously heard about called Gladio. I'm not providing any links because that would give away too much of the plot.  Though Italian readers may be familiar with these events.  The author makes it all seem very convincing, but The Man in Milan shouldn't be regarded as actual history.  Racanelli is engaging in fictional extrapolation that will delight conspiracy fans everywhere. 

As someone who is interested in women in aviation, I wanted to find out more about a female character's remark that Italian women weren't allowed to be pilots when she was choosing a vocation.  I discovered that  Rosina Ferrario was the first Italian woman to receive a pilot's license in 1913, but she didn't actually have a flying career.

The Italian American NYPD detective, Paul Rossi, who is the main point of view character in The Man in Milan, is fluent in Italian.  His knowledge of the language and Italian culture furnishes readers with more of an insider perspective.  Though I do believe that Rossi's  unpredictable health condition should have sidelined him.  If I had been in charge of the direction of Rossi's police career, I would have consigned him to a desk job. Yet it seems likely that Rossi will continue to play an active role in future investigations if Racanelli publishes any further novels dealing with these characters.