Crimes After Hours

by

Daniela Alibrandi

A MultiDimensional crime tale of menace and murder!

Crimes After Hours is a new-to-the-U.S. market tale of murder and madness by renowned Italian mystery writer Daniela Alibrandi. A bitter, lonely woman working in a governmental administrative office pokes around in her coworkers’ desks after hours to discover any secrets she might later be able to use against them, while a murderer lurks in the dank and shadowy tunnels that run beneath the buildings in the area. As the nosy typist uncovers a secret she never should have seen, the murderer handpicks their own victims. Suspense rises from every page, and menace oozes from each encounter with the hiding-in-plain-sight murderer, creating a tense story that readers will be loath to put down for even a minute. 

The author weaves her story, which is a genre-crossing blend of murder mystery, police procedural, noir, and thriller, around the points of view of a number of characters, including that of the killer, whose frightening intensity was downright chilling. There are also main characters, such as Alice Pendia, the nosy typist mentioned in the book’s synopsis, and Commissioner Riccardo Rosco, the lead detective, who are somewhat difficult to like, at least initially. 

The plot is intriguing, and there is more than one mystery to work out. While one resolution is straightforward, another comes as quite a surprise. In true noir fashion, Rosco succumbs to some femme fatale temptation, resulting in a very sexy adult situation that doesn’t bode well for his career. 

The author sets her story in Rome, where the busy streets, the Tiber River, and small eateries and pizzerias provide charming backdrops to many of the scenes. However, it was the tunnels underneath the city that connect whole neighborhoods of office and apartment buildings that really made an interesting and sinister impression on me. The action occurred in the not-too-distant past (the late 70s-early 80s), prior to much of the technological advantages we now take for granted. Getting to work on an electric typewriter was an office coup, and the ubiquitous carbon paper was as much a mess in the story as I remember it being in reality. Landlines are the norm with cell phones, let alone smartphones, yet a thing of the future. 

The novel was written and published originally in Italian, so this edition is an English translation. I had some difficulty falling into the cadence of the narrative at first but eventually adjusted as the story progressed. At times, the translation doesn’t quite work, and this would disrupt the flow of the story until the true meaning became apparent. This version would benefit from another pass by a native English speaker. 

I recommend CRIMES AFTER HOURS to readers who enjoy traditional mysteries, police procedurals, noir thrillers, and suspense. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.