New in paperback: Where would crime fiction be without World War II to provide an invaluable distorting lens that lets writers show how badly private people can behave in a world gone mad? That admirable British TV series "Foyle's War" was a fine example, as are the books of J. Robert Janes and many others. Carlo Lucarelli seems ready to join them, on the basis of "Carte Blanche" (Europa, $14.95), his first novel (translated by Michael Reynolds) in a trilogy set in Italy in 1945. As Mussolini's reign and life are about to end, Commissario De Luca, a Roman police officer, gets involved in investigating the stabbing murder of a man with connections all the way to the top of the Fascist food chain. Welcome to the club, Commissario De Luca; have a seat right next to Chief Inspector Foyle.
by Dick Adler