Pitch-black Italian Noir, set in 1944 Bologna. World-weary Comandante De Luca is tasked with investigating three brutal murders – with the lives of ten Italian hostages on the line.

‘A stripped-down historical thriller loaded with tension’ La Repubblica
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In November 1944, in the worst winter ever known in Bologna, less than a year since the founding of the Republic of Salò, the bomb-scarred streets are filled with starving refugees who have fled the advancing Allies. The Fascist Black Brigades, the officers of the S.S. and the partisans of the Italian Resistance compete for control in bloody warfare.

Comandante De Luca, once “the most brilliant investigative officer in Bologna” and now working for the Political Police in a building that doubles as a torture facility, finds himself in over his head when three murders land on his desk: a professor shot through the eye, an engineer beaten to death, and a German corporal left to be gnawed on by rats in a flooded cellar. Losing sleep and his peace of mind, De Luca must close all three cases with ten lives on the line: the Italian hostages who will face a Nazi firing squad if the corporal’s killing is not solved to their satisfaction.

As he threads his way through a web of personal and political motivations, risking his life with every step, De Luca will uncover to his own cost the secrets awaiting him in the frozen heart of Bologna.

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‘The Darkest Winter paints the portrait of a city devastated by war, scarred by bombs and with its poorest inhabitants living in desperation. The result is a living fresco, a snapshot of an era. The quality of Lucarelli’s research, in-depth analysis and narrative style put him in a league of his own’ Corriere della Serra

‘Lucarelli has proven yet again that he is an extraordinary writer, navigating with ease the murky waters between crime fiction, historical novel and social commentary’ La Nuova

‘Lucarelli’s best work’ La Lettura

Praise for Carlo Lucarelli’s previous books in English translation

‘A fresh and exciting new voice in Italian crime fiction’ Booklist

‘A stunning tour de force’ Sunday Telegraph

‘A compact and powerful masterpiece’ Guardian