Sandro Lago Is a journalist who writes about cars. His mother has died and his father, with whom he was never close, and with whom he cannot really communicate, is dying.

Then, on discovering a photo from his dad's WW2 days that he uploads on Facebook, he is contacted by someone who demands that he take it down. But why?

The author is careful to declare ftom the opening pages that whilst this novel is based on true events from the past, this is still a work of fiction.
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A little digging brings him to the discovery of a journal, of a hard-,bitten WW2 veteran, John Casanova, who interrogated war criminals. In this case, details of a massacre had been discovered, and it is Casanova's job is to get to the truth of what had happened. When his interrogation skills don't bring results, he brings in a expert whose techniques something involving cockroaches.

Through his confessions to Casanova, the latter's victim becomes the third narrator within this tale, a young soldier whose batallion is briefed with fighting Russians on their own land, and the horror they experience, which is reminiscent of the losing position and desperation of Custer's Last Stand.

This novel is about betrayal, injustice, and the futility of war., where the traumas of such a period become visited upon future generations.. The authors standpoint seems to be thata Still-haunted Italy never questioned its fascist past, nor its close descent into out-and-out civil war., factors that shape politics in that country even now Lago learns much about his past as he seeks redemption, as perhaps others before him also did - or try to.

This may become required reading for students of Italian
literature in the future

When I first seen this book I was excited to read it. The blurb said it was a dual time split novel and I couldn’t wait to get into it. Once I started reading it I found the book wasn’t what I had expected. I believe it really is a book better read by a man. There was swearing all the way through it in both the current time and especially in the war years. This book wasn’t for me. Others may enjoy it however. I do enjoy reading WWII books and they are one of my favorite genres.
I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions shared here about this book are entirely my own.

This is an extremely well written book that depicts the events that happened in WWII in graphic details. As a Brit I knew little about the war in Italy despite my grandfather being out there once it had been so called liberated. Hearing about all the factions that were warring with each other as well as Germany and Russia left me speechless as it was the young peasant men who were sacrificed in such a terrible way. It is a large book and I had difficulty putting it down every so often but it was necessary to fully understand what was being written and how terrible everyhing was. The characters and the scenery were so well described that it was easy to imagine that I was there with them all. The mystery around the final massacre in the jail was so well unwound.
An amazing story that highlights so many human factors as well as the worst of what happens in war.

A WWII mystery that kept me reading deep into the night. A great mixture of life and war. Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC. The review is my own.