Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction, and was excited to learn more about how things played out in Italy during the conflict. However I found this novel to be a tad too detached for me - there were just too many characters, so you didn't feel any real emotional attachment to any of them. It was hard to engage with the plot, as it felt very weighed down with intense historical detail, rather than focusing on the human experience.

That is not to say this is not a good book, just that it is not the sort of book I normally go for. Merullo's talent as a writer is clear, and if you prefer historical fiction with a great deal of detail, you would likely enjoy this.

I got my copy of this book through NetGalley but then discovered it had already been released and is available through Kindle Unlimited.
This is not my first book describing what the citizens of Italy experienced during World War II, but it did spend a healthy amount of time studying Mussolini, his treatment by the King and Nazis, along with the populace wondering where he was and what would happen next. There was a core group of characters to follow through the many pages, thank goodness, but there were far too many characters for a cohesive narrative.
It's a good read, but the ending was abrupt and not well done.

ARC through NetGalley

This was such a great historical novel, as the author's descriptions of the period made it possible to imagine the scenes. The only tweak that I would make is not to have so many characters in their next book, as this book was a bit confusing at times and I couldn't invest in the characters because a new one would pop up as soon as I started to.