The Memory Key: A Commissario Alec Blume Novel (Alec Blume Novels) - Softcover

"The sniper's bullet doesn't quite dispatch notorious terrorist Stefania Manfellotto, but the investigation into the attack on the Rome university campus that leaves Manfellotto brain damaged--as well as the subsequent fatal shooting there six months later of witness Sofia Fontana--could finally deal a death blow to the career of Commissioner Alec Blume in Fitzgerald's cerebral fourth mystery featuring the maverick American expat (after 2012's The Namesake). By rights, Blume shouldn't even be involved in the politically sensitive probe, which falls under the jurisdiction of the rival Carabinieri. But that detail isn't about to deter him once his old mentor, magistrate Filippo Principe, appeals for help, any more than he would dream of changing his opinion on a road rage homicide just because his lover, Chief Insp. Caterina Mattiola, sees it differently. Blume's readiness to pursue any leads in an increasingly puzzling case helps make him an outstanding detective, but also, within a society that puts such a premium on personal relationships, a perennial outsider." -- Publishers Weekly

"A one-sitting read, intricately plotted, swiftly paced and resolved in a totally unexpected fashion." --"Bookpage" on "The Namesake"""
"A gripping mystery and a fascinating look at organized crime in contemporary Italy." --"Shelf Awareness""
""Fitzgerald provides an insightful glimpse into the machinations of Italian police work and the criminal world." --"Publishers Weekly", starred review
"Blume...is utterly fascinating, his human shortcoming mirroring our own and forcing us to root for him. If you're drawn to Andrea Camilleri's similarly though not so seriously flawed Salvo Montalbano, you'll be equally hooked by Alec Blume." --"Booklist"

"Blume . . . is utterly fascinating, his human shortcoming mirroring our own and forcing us to root for him. If you're drawn to Andrea Camilleri's similarly though not so seriously flawed Salvo Montalbano, you'll be equally hooked by Alec Blume." --"Booklist" "With "The Memory Key," Fitzgerald has created another gripping mystery featuring the irresistibly stubborn Blume . . . Readers cannot help but root for him. Fans of Donna Leon or Andrea Camillieri are bound to enjoy "The Memory Key "and its vivid Roman setting." --"Shelf Awareness"

Blume . . . is utterly fascinating, his human shortcoming mirroring our own and forcing us to root for him. If you're drawn to Andrea Camilleri's similarly though not so seriously flawed Salvo Montalbano, you'll be equally hooked by Alec Blume. "Booklist"

With "The Memory Key," Fitzgerald has created another gripping mystery featuring the irresistibly stubborn Blume . . . Readers cannot help but root for him. Fans of Donna Leon or Andrea Camillieri are bound to enjoy "The Memory Key "and its vivid Roman setting. "Shelf Awareness""

"Blume . . . is utterly fascinating, his human shortcoming mirroring our own and forcing us to root for him. If you're drawn to Andrea Camilleri's similarly though not so seriously flawed Salvo Montalbano, you'll be equally hooked by Alec Blume." --Booklist

"With The Memory Key, Fitzgerald has created another gripping mystery featuring the irresistibly stubborn Blume . . . Readers cannot help but root for him. Fans of Donna Leon or Andrea Camillieri are bound to enjoy The Memory Key and its vivid Roman setting." --Shelf Awareness

On a freezing November night Commissario Alec Blume is called to the scene of a shooting.

The victim is Sofia Fontana, the sole witness to a previous killing. Blume's inquiries lead from a professor with a passion for the art of memory to a hospitalised ex-terrorist whose injuries have left her mind innocently blank; from present day Rome's criminal underclass, to a murderous train station bombing in central Italy several decades ago.

Against the advice of his bosses and his own better judgement, Blume is drawn ever deeper into the case, which looks set to derail his troubled relationship with Caterina...