THE DARK VALLEY by VALERIO VARESI
SUMMARY
A police officer named Saneri is married to a woman named Angela who complains that he is too stressed and tells Saneri to go on vacation. Saneri travels to his hometown of Montelupo to forage mushrooms. Once Saneri arrives in his hometown, he hears that Palmiro Ridolfi, a wealthy factory owner in the area, has gone missing. Ridolfi was friends with a man called 'the woodsman' and another man who committed suicide a few years earlier. While Saneri is in the misted woods foraging mushrooms, Saneri hears gunshots. When Saneri is back in town, Saneri speaks to the town's mayor and other locals who inform Saneri that Ridolfi was the shooter and the target was Ridolfi's dog. The people of the town have a celebration during which townspeople steal items from citizens' homes and leave the stolen items in easily accessible places such as the town square. All of the townspeople, and Saneri, hear gunshots during the celebration. During another trip into the woods, Saneri finds Ridolfi's festering body hanging from a rope with Saneri's dog. Paride, Ridolfi's son whom Ridolfi was disappointed by, is found dead. Saneri goes into the neighboring town where Ridolfi's wife lives and delivers the dog to Ridolfi's wife, but Ridolfi's wife does not want the dog. While at the home of Ridolfi's wife, Saneri meets Ridolfi's housekeeper. Ridolfi's wife expresses rejoice at liberation from Ridolfi's wife's confinement with Ridolfi and Paride in the rural town.
The local police of Montelupo quickly assess 'the woodsman' whose real name is Gualerzi, as the lead suspect in the murder of Paride. Gualerzi exchanges shots with the police, and Gualerzi hides himself in the mist and the thick forest. Saneri's wife, Angela, comes to join Saneri. Angela is exasperated at Saneri's obsession with police work when Angela discovers that Saneri has been working on the Ridolfi case during Saneri's vacation. Saneri is out for a walk when Saneri sees Ridolfi's housekeeper and concludes that Ridolfi's housekeeper has been sent by Ridolfi's wife to spook Saneri off the case. The next day, Saneri is informed that Gualerzi is dying of cancer, and Saneri meets Gualerzi's daughter, who begs Saneri to talk to Gualerzi and get Gualerzi to return to Montelupo before the police kill Gualerzi. Saneri talks to the police and is given a short period of time to bargain for Gualerzi's surrender. That night, an elderly man approaches Saneri and tells Saneri where to meet Gualerzi, in a bar at nine o'clock the next morning.
Saneri meets Gualerzi at the bar. Gualerzi tells Saneri that Gualerzi did not kill Paride. Paride was shot by people in a heavy fog so that Gualerzi could not see the killers. Immediately after Paride was shot, Gualerzi heard police. Gualerzi tells Saneri that Gualerzi is content to die in the mountains and does not want to return to the village. Saneri goes back to the village alone.
ANALYSIS
This was an odd murder mystery, as I was still not sure who the killer was by the end of the novel. The Ridolfi housekeeper is suggested as a suspect as he was probably sent to scare Saneri by Ridolfi's wife. Ridolfi is established as a suspect because of Ridolfi's disappointment in Paride. Ridolfi was a wealthy businessman and Paride was a drug addict who had no prospects. Given that killing one's son is considered by most ethical people to be a shameful act, it is possible that Ridolfi ordered Paride's death, and then decided to hang himself in shame.
Another scenario is that the townspeople organized a collective killing of Paride. Ridolfi, as the local factory owner, controlled the economy of Montelupo. If the factory were left to Paride, the drug addict, the town's economy could be negatively affected. Thus, Paride may have been killed by some conscientious objectors of the town.
Varesi's manipulation of the standard crime novel format produces the interesting effect of refocusing the novel on small town sovereignty. The woodsman's plight is explored, as he is a respected hunter, and the police are hated by some of the townspeople for interfering. If the townspeople did murder Paride to save themselves, was the murder justified? Varesi raises some interesting questions.
SUMMARY
A police officer named Saneri is married to a woman named Angela who complains that he is too stressed and tells Saneri to go on vacation. Saneri travels to his hometown of Montelupo to forage mushrooms. Once Saneri arrives in his hometown, he hears that Palmiro Ridolfi, a wealthy factory owner in the area, has gone missing. Ridolfi was friends with a man called 'the woodsman' and another man who committed suicide a few years earlier. While Saneri is in the misted woods foraging mushrooms, Saneri hears gunshots. When Saneri is back in town, Saneri speaks to the town's mayor and other locals who inform Saneri that Ridolfi was the shooter and the target was Ridolfi's dog. The people of the town have a celebration during which townspeople steal items from citizens' homes and leave the stolen items in easily accessible places such as the town square. All of the townspeople, and Saneri, hear gunshots during the celebration. During another trip into the woods, Saneri finds Ridolfi's festering body hanging from a rope with Saneri's dog. Paride, Ridolfi's son whom Ridolfi was disappointed by, is found dead. Saneri goes into the neighboring town where Ridolfi's wife lives and delivers the dog to Ridolfi's wife, but Ridolfi's wife does not want the dog. While at the home of Ridolfi's wife, Saneri meets Ridolfi's housekeeper. Ridolfi's wife expresses rejoice at liberation from Ridolfi's wife's confinement with Ridolfi and Paride in the rural town.
The local police of Montelupo quickly assess 'the woodsman' whose real name is Gualerzi, as the lead suspect in the murder of Paride. Gualerzi exchanges shots with the police, and Gualerzi hides himself in the mist and the thick forest. Saneri's wife, Angela, comes to join Saneri. Angela is exasperated at Saneri's obsession with police work when Angela discovers that Saneri has been working on the Ridolfi case during Saneri's vacation. Saneri is out for a walk when Saneri sees Ridolfi's housekeeper and concludes that Ridolfi's housekeeper has been sent by Ridolfi's wife to spook Saneri off the case. The next day, Saneri is informed that Gualerzi is dying of cancer, and Saneri meets Gualerzi's daughter, who begs Saneri to talk to Gualerzi and get Gualerzi to return to Montelupo before the police kill Gualerzi. Saneri talks to the police and is given a short period of time to bargain for Gualerzi's surrender. That night, an elderly man approaches Saneri and tells Saneri where to meet Gualerzi, in a bar at nine o'clock the next morning.
Saneri meets Gualerzi at the bar. Gualerzi tells Saneri that Gualerzi did not kill Paride. Paride was shot by people in a heavy fog so that Gualerzi could not see the killers. Immediately after Paride was shot, Gualerzi heard police. Gualerzi tells Saneri that Gualerzi is content to die in the mountains and does not want to return to the village. Saneri goes back to the village alone.
ANALYSIS
This was an odd murder mystery, as I was still not sure who the killer was by the end of the novel. The Ridolfi housekeeper is suggested as a suspect as he was probably sent to scare Saneri by Ridolfi's wife. Ridolfi is established as a suspect because of Ridolfi's disappointment in Paride. Ridolfi was a wealthy businessman and Paride was a drug addict who had no prospects. Given that killing one's son is considered by most ethical people to be a shameful act, it is possible that Ridolfi ordered Paride's death, and then decided to hang himself in shame.
Another scenario is that the townspeople organized a collective killing of Paride. Ridolfi, as the local factory owner, controlled the economy of Montelupo. If the factory were left to Paride, the drug addict, the town's economy could be negatively affected. Thus, Paride may have been killed by some conscientious objectors of the town.
Varesi's manipulation of the standard crime novel format produces the interesting effect of refocusing the novel on small town sovereignty. The woodsman's plight is explored, as he is a respected hunter, and the police are hated by some of the townspeople for interfering. If the townspeople did murder Paride to save themselves, was the murder justified? Varesi raises some interesting questions.
- wealthy factory owner of rural Italy goes missing, and is found hanged
- the factory owner's son is murdered
- the lead suspect, a childhood friend of the factory owner, is hunted into the woods by the local police
- the lead suspect is found to have cancer and refuses to surrender to police
SOURCE
Varesi, Valerio. The Dark Valley. London: MacLehose, 2011. Print. Book about a suicide and a murder in a rural area.
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