Great thriller which kept me turning the pages well into the night. Great characters and plot. Highly recommend to others!!

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

When NYPD detectives Paul Rossi and Hamilton P. Turner begin investigating the Sutton Place murder of an Italian air force pilot, the last thing they expect is that they will and find themselves sucked into the potential cover-up of the Ustica massacre, the most horrific aviation crime in Italian history, in which all 81 souls on board perished, where Italian President Francesco Cossiga blamed a missile deployed by the French Navy for the disaster.

But as they begin investigating, Rossi, recovering from a broken marriage, and Turner, an African-American opera buff, poet, and former lawyer with ambitions to be mayor, come up against NYPD bureaucratic obstacles and stonewalling by the Italian Consulate in NYC. Lieutenant Laura Muro, the policewoman sister of the victim, comes to New York to aid the investigation, but soon the trio finds themselves in the crosshairs of the Gladio, Italy’s powerful, shadowy political cabal whose reach extends to the highest reaches of New York political and ruling class. (Goodreads synopsis)

I enjoyed the plot, but that’s about it. The rest was confusing and just cringe worthy.

First, what year was this supposed to be? There was so much prejudice-based dialect every time the two officers were in the One-Nine that I actually wanted to throw the book in the trash. Then there was the Lieutenant that just was lazy, and violated protocol. There was mention of the mafia and the mob, and how the now mayor took them down, but even he seemed ridiculous. I know people in power are ridiculous but I felt this was overly emphasized.

Second, the personalities of our two “heroes”. Our narrator, Paul Rossi, is the typical stereotype. Former husband, former drunk, trying to quit smoking, and ex-wife hates his job. He bothered me the most because I felt he was a whiner. I just couldn’t figure him out, and I really wish there had been some kind of personal growth for him. But no, he stayed whiny throughout the whole novel. His partner, Hamilton P Turner, was a bit more likable. Not by much, but a bit. He seemed like he was constantly educating himself, because as the say throughout the novel, “He won’t be a cop forever.” However, his “horn dog” behavior and ooze of charm made me dislike him for his “gift to women” attitude.

There were blatant signs of double-cross that I think the two cops ignored, and at times it seemed like they didn’t trust each other enough to believe their word. There are scenes with a journalist that, let’s be honest, should have landed the little jerk in jail. But our two cops let him go, and then were angry when he showed up again.

Overall I rate this novel 2 out of 5 stars. The whole thing felt forced somehow.

When a former Italian Air force pilot gets bumped off in New York, detectives Paul (Paolo) Rossi and Hamilton P. Turner get drawn into a series of murders that will eventually lead them to Italy where they get entangled in a more than 40 years old aviation crime, the "strage di Ustica". The crash of a commercial airplane with 81 people on board above the coast of a small island called Ustica that already forms a mystery for 40 years has never completely been solved.

While in Italy (Rome, Sicily, Ustica and Milano) they get involved in the rather cloak and dagger developments between various Police forces and Gladio, Italy’s powerful, shadowy political cabal, that is said to be responsible for several attacks during the 80's in Italy. That is to say, either them or the Brigate Rosse (Red Brigades). In this confusion of factions it is very hard to know whom to trust, as they find out to their detriment.

I'm a bit at two mind about the book, I rather liked the overall story and some parts were really exciting and full of suspense while I found other parts rather dull and difficult to read. Maybe this was because of a lot of American slang, although normally this doesn't bother me much.

Still and interesting read that I would recommend for a nice read at the pool or the beach, or on a plane to Italy.

a big 3 stars
I want to thank Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When a man is found shot to death on the streets in New York Detective Paul Rossi and his partner Hamilton P. Turner are called in to investigate.

The victim is identified as Gaetano Muro a diplomat who works at the Italian consulate.
Days later, Muro’s estranged wife’s house is ransacked, and shortly after she’s killed.

As the police investigate they discover that Muro had approached a reporter earlier trying to sell some kind of story to him. Now it’s up to the police to find the connection between their deaths.

Overall an interesting read. Would recommend.

Thank you to Vito Racanelli, NetGalley, and Polis Books for the ARC of this book.

An excellent thriller that kept me hooked till the end.
It's interesting how it deals with a historical fact, Ustica, and develops a complex and gripping plot.
It's highly entertaining and the plot is tightly knitted.
The characters are interesting and it was a lot of fun trying to understand who the bad guys are.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

terrorism, conspiracy, international-crime-and-mystery, thriller, suspense, corruption, Italy, NYC, humor, organized-crime, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

The story is based on real-world events of an aviation disaster, the ‘Ustica Massacre:’ The 40-Year-Old Aviation Mystery Almost exactly 40 years ago, in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, civil aviation experienced what would become one of the most mysterious accidents of its history.
Rossi and Turner, partner NYPD detectives start with the body that turns out to belong to an Italian national married to a daughter of a very wealthy New Yorker ad the due diligence takes them to reporters, hit men, a Carabinieri officer, and a whole lot more. Fun guys who do things like sitting in an obvious unmarked police car with opera blasting out the windows. A really great read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Polis Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Oh my gosh. One of my favorite authors is Daniel Silva and if you enjoy his books please consider reading this one. This author sets the bar high with a tale of international political intrigue. If you are looking for a new author to start reading you need to check this one out. Fast paced, well written and exciting are all aspects of this book. I am looking forward to reading many more from this author in the future.

The Man in Milan by Vito Racanelli – 5 Stars
Publisher: N/A
ISBN: 9781951709112

Very good plot and story. I really enjoyed Rossi and Turner, partner NYPD detectives, whose conversations were not only intelligent, but witty. They were a perfect team and both totally committed to resolving not only their initial mystery of discovering the murderer of an Italian man, but also an answer to the real downing of an Italian passenger plane crash, known as the Ustica Massacre, that killed 81 people that the first murder led them to pursue. This novel was enjoyable and captivating throughout. The author did not disguise the events too much and continually led you to question certain suspects involved in the investigations. I knew immediately that this would end the way it did confirming any doubts that a series is obviously in the making. T this was excellent standalone novel and a great tease for follow-on. I certainly will be waiting for the next episode with Rossi and Turner pitted against the mischievous elites in Italy. Although the next assignment has already been decided, one can almost expect this unsolved items from this novel will come up again.


Reviewer: Rich

The Man in Milan reads like a cross between Dan Brown and David Baldacci. The story is based on real-world events of an aviation disaster. The characters are rich, and the story is engaging. I love the atmosphere of the story and the descriptions of the locations. The story goes from Italy to New York and details the powerful political entities. The story is fast-paced and has good twists and turns.

I read this in one sitting! The Man in Milan is a good debut novel by Vito Racanelli.

#TheManInMilan #NetGalley