Spring Cleaning

Set in Italy’s Aosta region, Manzini’s quirky, multilayered fourth police procedural featuring hardboiled, wisecracking, sometimes misanthropic deputy chief Rocco Schiavone finds Rocco still shaken after the murder of his best friend’s girlfriend, who was shot to death in Rocco’s apartment in 2018’s Out of Season. Rocco, who’s sure that he was the intended target, fears that whoever tried to kill him will make another attempt to do so. A Mafia killing inside a prison that gets linked to an earlier kidnapping case adds to his worries. Busy as he is, Rocco finds time to heap scorn on subordinates, superiors, and friends—really, everyone but his devoted dog, Lupa, who brings out his seldom seen tender side. Manzini is also a screenwriter, and his prowess with dialogue shines, even in the slow stretches that eventually connect story lines as the plot wanders to the satisfying, if slightly ambiguous, payoff. Those who relish smart-aleck dialogue, gallows humor, and a protagonist with a prickly personality will have fun. (May)