Bologna, 1944. World-weary Comandante De Luca is tasked with investigating three brutal murders, with the lives of ten Italian hostages on the line. The pitch-black prequel to the Inspector De Luca quartet, by the master of Italian Noir.

'A brutal evocation of a dystopian past, a stunning winter portrait of the debris and human detritus of wartime Bologna, and a gripping and complex trio of murders' Peter May

'Imbued with the cruel compromises of a city on the brink of collapse, immersive, evocative and as opaque as the soot-stained snow, this is historical crime fiction at its finest' Tom Benjamin

'A truly insightful, penetrating and raw portrait of a man and a city ravaged by bloody conflict and the terror of fascism and war' Paul Burke, European Literature Network

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In November 1944, in the worst winter ever known in Bologna, in the depths of the war, the bomb-scarred streets are home to 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 of the city streets in bloody skirmishes.

Comandante De Luca, who has proved himself "the most brilliant investigator" in Bologna, but who is now unwillingly working for the Political Police in a building that doubles as a torture facility, finds himself in trouble 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.

De Luca must rapidly unravel all three cases with ten lives on the line: ten Italian hostages who will face a Nazi firing squad if the corporal's killing is not solved to the German command's satisfaction.

As he navigates a web of personal and political motivations - his life increasingly at risk - De Luca will not stop until he has uncovered the dangerous secrets concealed in the frozen heart of his city.

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'One of Italy's most acclaimed crime authors' Barry Forshaw

'The unravelling of the three cases is fraught with hazard and takes the reader on a dark journey into the terrible place that Bologna has become... not just a gripping whodunnit, but also a glimpse into the grim winter where this murder mystery is set' Historical Novel Society

'Tasked with an impossible job in a world in turmoil for which the "noir" adjective seems almost inadequate, De Luca must survive on his wits and beyond in a tense race against time in a world of torn loyalties, both political and personal. The return of a much-tortured but believable character' Maxim Jakubowski, CrimeTime

'A stripped-down historical thriller loaded with tension' La Repubblica

'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

'A fresh and exciting new voice in Italian crime fiction' Booklist

'A stunning tour de force' Sunday Telegraph

'A compact and powerful masterpiece' Guardian

'Full of the tensions and atmosphere Lucarelli is so adept at creating' The Times

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• Literature & FictionHistorical FictionWorld War II

• Publication Date: September 29, 2025
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
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• Print Length: 330 Pages
• File Size: 22 KB