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Latest reviews

“Blues for Outlaw Hearts and Old Whores is Carlotto writing in top form, a novel that is sharply-honed and that wastes no time on false hope.”

— Mystery Tribune, Feb 19 2020

“The bottom line is: Crime writing this good just has to be read.”

— NB Magazine, Feb 14 2020

“The story starts slowly, with references only readers of earlier books in the series will know, but it quickly becomes a fine read, with good writing and flashes of oblique humor.” Read the full review in Booklist.

— Booklist, Jan 24 2020

“James Ellroy fans will be satisfied.”

— Publishers Weekly, Dec 4 2019

"Finishing an Alligator mystery is like waking up after an all-night bender with your best friends: your suit’s a mess, you reek of smoke; there’s lipstick on your collar. You’re not 100 percent sure what happened. But you know you had a good time."

— Cedar Rapids Gazette, Oct 30 2016

"Melancholy-tinged, Carlotto's novel is quite nicely turned and solid entertainment."

— The Complete Review, Jul 7 2016

In Gang of Lovers Massimo Carlotto brings 'the Alligator', Marco Buratti, most recently seen in Bandit Love, out of retirement (as an unlicensed private investigator) -- and pits him against the nasty piece of work that is Giorgio Pellegrini, whose story is familiar from The...

— Aug 6 2015

Marco “The Alligator” Buratti, Italian private eye and the beloved creation of Italian author Massimo Carlotto, has quite a bit in common with Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the stoic lead special agent on CBS’ hit TV show NCIS: both men are fiercely loyal, they strictly adhere to...

— Aug 1 2015

The Colombian Mule, by Massimo Carlotto (Europa Editions) The plot: Arias Cuevas is caught by the police trying to carry a shipment of cocaine into Italy. Meanwhile, Cuevas' Colombian employer, la Tía, is facing blowback from the Alligator, an ex-con turned investigator...

— Jul 14 2015

A Maxim Jakubowski selected title. Carlotto is one of Italian crime fiction's best exponent of noir and the dark heart of things. No surprise as he once spent time in jail as a result of a false conviction after a lengthy period on the run. In his new novel, he unites in...

— Jul 1 2015

Padua, Italy. An unremarkable man disappears without a trace. One woman knows there is more to his disappearance than another bored suburban husband running out on his family, but fears that coming forward will compromise her position. Stricken by guilt, she finally confides...

— Jun 29 2015

April was a quiet reading month but May promises to be much busier with Crimefest taking place in two weeks time. It’s always a great opportunity to catch up with writers, reviewers, bloggers and readers and there will be plenty of updates on this blog. My book of the...

— May 4 2014

Massimo Carlotto – At the End of a Dull Day April 15, 2014 This is the second book in a month that I’ve read where the violence has made me wince. But, like in Pierre LeMaitre’s Irene, the level of violence in At the End of a Dull Day...

— Apr 15 2014

Unlicensed private eye Marco Buratti, the Alligator (Bandit Love, 2010, etc.), tracks a missing wife down a rabbit hole even darker and dirtier than his usual haunts. It’s hardly a surprise that Varese sales representative Mariano Giraldi’s wife has vanished. Ever since...

— Jan 21 2014

Giorgio Pellegrini has left his life of terrorism and crime behind. Or as far behind as is possible in thoroughly corrupt, amoral modern day Venice. For eleven years, Giorgio has been the owner of the restaurant La Nena, the trendy place for politicians and businessmen to meet...

— Dec 31 2013

Giorgio Pellegrino (the protagonist of The Goodbye Kiss) is an honest man now—or at least as honest as someone with his background can be. For 11 years, he has turned his back on his old career as a terrorist and criminal, but now his “honest” life unravels. Giorgio isn’t...

— Nov 4 2013

Pellegrini, the unforgettable hero of The Goodbye Kiss, has been living an ‘honest’ life for eleven years. But that’s about to change. His lawyer has been deceiving him and now Giorgio is forced into service as an unwilling errand boy for an organised crime syndicate. At...

— Sep 20 2013

As I was leaving the office the other day, I snagged a crime novel called “At the End of a Dull Day,” by Massimo Carlotto, off our giveaway table. I often do this as a random test. I’ll read a couple of pages on the subway, typically lose interest and then find a place...

— Aug 20 2013

Giorgio Pellegrini, the protagonist of a previous Carlotto novel, has put serious criminality behind him. All he wants it to prop up his classy but failing restaurant in the Veneto with his thriving prostitution ring and forget about the past. But when a politician who is also...

— Jun 10 2013