Sei donne e un libro - Augusto De Angelis

The second Commissioner De Vincenzo novel by Augusto De Angelis again deals with crime that takes place not on the lower levels of society, but involving those in seemingly more respectable positions. It might be such subjects that made the author unpopular with the authorities - if you can call being arrested, interrogated and beaten to such an extent that it led to his death as being 'unpopular'. The very fact of writing crime novels and thereby showing an ugly side to Italian society was however enough to be deemed 'anti-fascist'. Unlike the Agatha Christie-like staged first De Vincenzi investigation Il banchiere assassinato, written in 1935, De Angelis here gives the evidence-first Milan police commissioner rather a more challenging situation with a larger group of people to come up with motive for murder, which makes even investigating or finding a suspect even harder.

The nature of the murder that begins the investigation into Sei donne e un libro ('Six Women and a Book') is itself very strange, and it all starts when a strange package appears on the desk of Commissario de Vincenzo's desk in San Fedele police station. Found on the steps of San Vito church by a street cleaner with a message attached that it should be taken to the police, the package wrapped in a doctor or nurses apron contains four surgical instruments including a scalpel with blood on it. It's March 21st and the commissioner can only ask himself why this package was brought to him on the first day of Spring, of all days. It's not the only curious incidental incident that night. Earlier, a woman had called and asked to be put through it the commissioner just before he finished night duty, but when answered there was no-one on the line.

After only an hour's sleep De Vincenzi is called back to see the Questore who advises the Commissioner of the murder of a notable figure, Senator Magni, in a bookshop, killed by two bullets in the neck from a small revolver. Magni, it happens, was also a surgeon, which seems to be another piece of a strange puzzle that started earlier that morning. Strangest of all is the killing is a kind of locked room mystery. The senator was found in a bookshop that had been locked up for the night. Was he killed there, or killed elsewhere and placed there afterwards. How? And why?

De Vincenzi in previous book relied on setups and cunningly staged traps to gauge the reactions of suspects. Here he is in on the ground for most of the investigation, questioning the employees of the bookshop and even delivering the news of his death to the senator's wife, which allows him to judge initial reaction and gain invaluable first impressions, but none of it seems to invite any concrete idea of what might have taken place. There are too many strange elements that just don't fit and too many people - not to mention six beautiful women - none of whom strike the commissioner as being a likely assassin.

One factor that is immediately apparent and surprising to the Commissioner and his team, is indeed the quanity of beautiful women they encounter in their investigation. "Decisamente, la caratteristica più notevole di tutta la inchiesta per l’assassinato del senatore Magni era costituita da una esuberante quantità di donne belle." Magni had a bit of a reputation as a womaniser (donnaiolo), so that is certainly a line of investigation to be followed. But what to make of a scandalous 16th century erotic book stolen from the bookshop apparently at the time of the murder, and the package of surgical implements left on the steps of a church that Magni's assistant claims are definitely not the senator's?

Well, along with the senator and several of his colleagues and acquaintances taking a part in a circle of seances and meetings involving spiritualism, it suggests that this is a juicy tale and it certainly proves to be. Another death of one of the beauties disturbs De Vincenzi, which - self-examining his own impressions - he admits probably wouldn't have upset him quite as much if she were ugly. Still, even with a second murder in the case opening up plenty of possible suspects, none of them seem to have the potential to kill a senator and a young woman. But he assures the Questore that he will resolve the case in eight days or hand in resignation. When someone is worried enough to try to set up another fall guy, De Vincenzi, still having no clear idea of who it might be, at least knows that he is on the right track. 

As was established in Il banchiere assassinato, De Vincenzi doesn't follow intuition, but instead demands clear evidence placed in front of him. And if he can't find that evidence - and it is particularly hard to come by in this investigation - he turns to unconventional methods, staging confrontations to bring about revelations, which in this case takes place at a spiritualist meeting. Sei donne e un libro is definitely characterised by original plotting, uncommon investigation methods and an unusual case with many mysteries. Nothing seems to tie together in any obvious way, keeping you guessing right up to the conclusion which, even if you had suspected the murderer by intuition, De Vincenzi shows how much more convincing it is when you have - or pretend to have - evidence.

Reading notes: I read an Italian language Kindle eBook edition of Sei donne e un libro published by‎ Passerino.