(Reviewed by JD Jung)
“That’s why I’m listening to the city tonight, with Chet Baker playing softly in the background.”
Another book I picked up while visiting Bologna, Italy, was Almost Blue by Carlo Lucarelli at Feltrinelli Librerie. It turned out to be one of the most gripping noir crime novels I’ve read in a long time.
Simone, a 25-year-old man who has been blind since birth, is obsessed with the color blue and Chet Baker’s “Almost Blue.” Spending his days listening to police scanners and intercepted conversations, he assigns colors to voices—and when he hears a “green” voice, he knows evil is near.
As a serial killer known by authorities as the Iguana terrorizes Bologna, rookie detective Grazia Negro and the Unit for the Analysis of Serial Crimes desperately search for clues. Their best witness is Simone, who recognizes the killer by his voice rather than his face.
I couldn’t put Almost Blue down. Carlo Lucarelli creates a haunting portrait of Bologna, revealing a city that feels alive and full of hidden dangers. The shifting viewpoints between Simone, Grazia, and the killer were briefly disorienting at first, but they quickly became one of the novel’s greatest strengths, adding tension and psychological depth. Be forewarned, though—the killer’s thoughts and the crime scenes are vividly graphic.
At fewer than 175 pages, Almost Blue delivers a complete, fast-paced mystery with memorable characters and sharp, atmospheric prose. If you enjoy noir fiction, or crime novels, this is must-read. I’ll definitely be reading more of Carlo Lucarelli’s translated works.