Roberto Costantini Books

Tripoli, 1960s. During the years in which post-colonial Libya fell prey to the sprawling greed of the West, Michele Balistreri suffered a succession of blows that would scar him for life. The death of his mother; the unspeakable horror that befell his best friend's family; his father's role in Gaddafi's ascent to power; and the innocent blood pact that would corrupt the course of his future. Rome, 1982. In the wake of a ruinous blunder, a ground-down Commissario Balistreri escapes his regrets through sex, alcohol and gambling. His sole responsibilities are now a stilted investigation into the death of a South American student, and a tiresome obligation - as a gratitude to the man who saved his career - to a rising television starlet needing protection from the pitfalls of fame. As the risks to this girl, Claudia Teodori, begin to rise along with her reputation, the sorrows of Balistreri's past also start to push back into his present. Both of their fates are inextricably linked - and this driven, obsessive young woman must help this damaged detective fight a foe that follows her and refuses to forget him.

Everything started from that day. The memory of 31 August 1969 has been at the back of Commissario Michele Balistreri's mind for over four decades. It was not only the day that preceded Colonel Muammar Gadaffi's seizure of power in Balistreri's birthplace of Libya, drastically altering his and his country's destiny, but that on which his beloved mother Natalia fell to her death, and the resulting suicide verdict that Balistreri - now Head of Homicide in Rome - has always suspected to be a flagrant cover-up for her murder. The memory of 23 July 2006 has been at the front of investigative journalist Linda Nardi's mind for the past five years. Ever since her and Balistreri together thwarted a phantom-like killer stalking Rome, Nardi has been intent on shedding further light on the Vatican Bank's shadowy involvement in the abominations uncovered that summer. But now Linda will find her attention diverted to an equally irresistible assignment: the collapse of Colonel Gadaffi's forty-two year dictatorship. The Memory of Evil is the earth-shattering finale to Roberto Costantini's internationally bestselling trilogy, in which one woman will encounter a long-entombed truth in the rubble of Gadaffi's Tripoli: unearthing a conspiracy neither she, nor the man it was designed to protect, will ever be able to erase from their minds.

Tripoli, 1960s. During the years in which post-colonial Libya fell prey to the sprawling greed of the West, Michele Balistreri suffered a succession of blows that would scar him for life. The death of his mother; the unspeakable horror that befell his best friend's family; his father's role in Gaddafi's ascent to power; and the innocent blood pact that would corrupt the course of his future. Rome, 1982. In the wake of a ruinous blunder, a ground-down Commissario Balistreri escapes his regrets through sex, alcohol and gambling. His sole responsibilities are now a stilted investigation into the death of a South American student, and a tiresome obligation - as a gratitude to the man who saved his career - to a rising television starlet needing protection from the pitfalls of fame. As the risks to this girl, Claudia Teodori, begin to rise along with her reputation, the sorrows of Balistreri's past also start to push back into his present. Both of their fates are inextricably linked - and this driven, obsessive young woman must help this damaged detective fight a foe that follows her and refuses to forget him.

In 1982 Rome, on the night of Italy's World Cup victory, an eighteen-year-old female employee of the Vatican's housing agency vanishes. Young officer Michele Balistreri, initially dismissive of the case, faces a grim awakening when a horrific discovery is made along the Tiber, revealing the dire consequences of his negligence. Fast forward to 2006, as Italy celebrates another World Cup win, journalist Linda Nardi investigates a spate of brutal attacks on young women. Although authorities attribute the murders to a group of juvenile immigrants, Nardi, at Balistreri's request, suspects a more sinister force at play. Now a high-ranking officer in the Italian police, Balistreri is haunted by the unresolved tragedy of his early career and believes these recent crimes may be the work of a serial killer. He hopes that solving this case will alleviate the guilt he has carried for over twenty years. For Nardi, Balistreri's proposition offers a chance to expose the truth and challenge the corruption and racism pervasive in Italian society. Their quests to confront the past and the present intertwine, revealing a dark connection that runs deeper than either could have anticipated.

A relentless killer scars Rome for two decades, leaving its unique signature on its victims and pursuers.

Komisarz Michele Balistreri musi spojrzeć w oczy komuś, o kimś przez lata usilnie próbował zapomnieć sobie z przeszłości. Włochy 1974, sam środek dekady zwanej latami ołowiu, czas wzmożonej działalności grup terrorystycznych. Dwudziestoczteroletni wówczas Mike Balistreri, dla przyjaciół Africa, to pełen ideałów student utrzymujący się z uczenia sztuk walki w klubie sportowym znanym w środowisku rzymskiej skrajnej prawicy. Wraz z Ringiem, Benvenutim i Boccinem należy do radykalnej organizacji Ordine Nuovo, ale kiedy włoskie władze ją rozwiązują, weryfikuje dotychczasowe przekonania. Przestaje wierzyć, że bijatyki z czerwonymi i policją zmienią świat i że da się odróżnić zdrajców od zdradzonych. Nie umie nawet wybrać między dwiema kobietami, które stają na jego drodze. Los czterech towarzyszy ostatecznie rozdziela pistolet P38. Rok 1986. Tego samego dnia, kiedy słynne zagranie Maradony Ręka Boga niweczy mundialowe aspiracje Anglików, jeden strzał w serce z walthera P38 kończy życie Ringa, który z działacza skrajnej prawicy przeistoczył się w umiarkowanego parlamentarzystę zasiadającego w ławach rządzącej krajem Chrześcijańskiej Demokracji. Śledztwo ma prowadzić Michele Balistreri, mimo że znał ofiarę i zamieszanych w morderstwo. Najgorszym wrogiem, z którym będzie się musiał zmierzyć komisarz, jest on sam, Africa chłopak, którego starał się pogrzebać przy pomocy alkoholu, tytoniu, kobiet i cynizmu. Aby znaleźć zabójcę, Balistreri spojrzy prosto w oczy sobie z przeszłości i zakwestionuje wiele żelaznych przekonań

Nel maggio del 2001, a Roma, due coppie, il professore italoamericano Victor Bonocore e la moglie Nicole Steele, il pubblico ministero Bianca Benigni e il marito Nanni. Due matrimoni come tanti, a volte felici, a volte meno. Tra loro una ventenne pericolosa, Scarlett, sorella di Nicole. Intorno, la terra di mezzo del Sordomuto e del Puncicone, gli appalti pubblici, il gioco d’azzardo, l’usura, e la morte atroce di una ragazza, Donatella. Sembra essere l’ennesimo atto di violenza patito da una donna per mano di un uomo violento, l’assassino viene scoperto e giustizia è fatta. O forse no? Quando viene ucciso Victor Bonocore, Michele Balistreri dirige la terza sezione della squadra Mobile e indaga insieme al pm Bianca Benigni. La miscela è esplosiva, le modalità di conduzione dell’indagine contro le sorelle Steele sono fuori dai confini della legge e l’esito è disastroso. L’arresto di Scarlett e Nicole incrina le relazioni tra Italia e Stati Uniti. Tutto finisce male. Nel 2011 una rivelazione inattesa spinge Balistreri a riaprire quel caso rimasto senza colpevoli. Ma se non è tardi per la giustizia, forse lo è per l’amore e per la vita. O forse no.

Nel deserto, nessuno può sentirti. Nessuno può spiarti, ascoltare le tue conversazioni, intuire i tuoi oscuri piani. A Roma, chiusa in un ufficio, nessuno può sentirti. Ma Aba Abate forse vorrebbe che qualcuno sapesse veramente chi è. Dentro di lei, il confine tra Aba, moglie e madre, e Ice, funzionaria di alto livello dei Servizi Segreti italiani, è sempre più labile. Non sa se riuscirà più a tenere insieme i pezzi della sua doppia vita come ha sempre fatto. A casa, suo marito le nasconde una parte di verità e alcune rivelazioni sul suo conto fanno tremare le sottili fondamenta su cui Aba ha costruito tutta la sua esistenza. Sul lavoro, per fermare due pericolosi terroristi, ha perso l'unico uomo che ha sempre saputo vederla per quello che è, Aba e Ice insieme. Quello che Aba ancora non sa, e che Ice fatica a scoprire, è che il vento del deserto sta per portare nella sua fragile vita un pericolo più distruttivo di quanto abbia mai immaginato. Quello che Aba ancora non sa, e che Ice nemmeno immagina, è che il confine tra vita personale e vita lavorativa in realtà è già crollato. Quello che Aba ancora non sa, e che Ice capirà forse troppo tardi, è che non esiste più nemmeno un posto al mondo in cui lei non sia una donna in guerra.