Straight Reading from the Library: Denied Crimes by Daniela Alibrandi

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READ THE BLURB

In Rome, in the middle of a cold winter in the Eighties, preparations for Christmas are in full swing. Near the Vatican City, in a workshop of sacred objects and clothes, old Rinaldo's day begins, as always, among the tourists crowding the streets and the smell of freshly baked pizza. At the same time, Commissioner Rosco says goodbye to the agents of his team, before the imminent transfer to the Rieti police station: the punishment for a mistake made during his last case. A forced confinement that will become the opportunity to show off his intuition and investigate a crime committed thirty years earlier. The two apparently unrelated situations will intertwine in a crescendo of incredible events, after the strange death of old Rinaldo, while a creepy voice follows the entire unfolding of the narration. With her original and clear style, here imbued with faith and sacredness, Daniela Alibrandi offers the reader a multidimensional thriller full of twists, centered on the eternal struggle between Good and Evil.

READ THE REVIEW

Set primarily in Rome, Denied Crimes is a compelling police procedural that will appeal to readers who favor character-driven crime fiction over fast-paced action. The novel opens with Inspector Rosco under professional scrutiny and reassigned to a small station while an investigation into his previous conduct is underway. This narrative choice immediately establishes both tension and thematic depth, positioning the story as an exploration of justice, accountability, and moral ambiguity.

As Rosco is drawn into a cold case—and later returned to Rome to confront a new murder investigation—the author skillfully balances procedural elements with the protagonist’s evolving personal and professional relationships. The pacing is deliberate, allowing emotional and psychological layers to develop organically alongside the central mystery.

Alibrandi employs multiple points of view to enrich the narrative, including an anonymous perspective that signals the presence of the perpetrator. This technique adds complexity and invites readers to engage more deeply with motive and identity without undermining suspense.

Particularly noteworthy is the portrayal of Rosco’s relationship with his investigative team. Their interactions provide continuity and emotional grounding, making the ensemble dynamic one of the novel’s strongest assets. While the story concludes without unresolved plotlines, it clearly establishes a foundation for future installments.

Denied Crimes will be of interest to readers of international crime fiction, psychological thrillers, and procedurals that emphasize atmosphere and character development. Fans of thoughtful, morally complex mysteries set in richly realized locations will find this title a strong addition to the genre.

READ AN EXCERPT

Pray. Pray.

It is the only way to keep my mind from slipping beyond its limits.

I know how dangerous it is to let go of the reins.

My world, my certainties—they can vanish in an instant, replaced by the same terrifying nightmares, strong enough to imprison my soul for hours, days, sometimes for what feels like eternity.

I must kneel. I must strike my fist rhythmically against my chest, over and over, until the bruises bloom beneath my skin, murmuring the ancient litanies—

"My God, I am sorry, I repent of my sins…"

Then I will mark a cross on my forehead, my lips, my heart with my thumb.

Pray.

Beg God never to abandon me again, never to let the horrors of before return.

But I feel it— It’s not enough.

The vortex is pulling me in, just like before.

I bury my face in my hands, so I won’t see— I just want to weep.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Daniela Alibrandi is the author of successful thrillers and noirs in Italy and abroad. She was born in Rome, and lived and studied in the United States. In her professional life, she has been involved in cultural exchanges within the Council of Europe and the European Union. With her seventeen published novels, six English editions and many short stories she is a prominent figure in the Italian literary scene. Her writings have often been featured in national newspapers and literary columns on RAI Italian television and radio broadcasts. The author, always present with her novels in the most important national bookfairs, has also won several national literary awards and the 2022 Women Art Week Award for her literary career. Some of her Italian editions are present in Harvard and Yale libraries as well as in New York Public Library.

This author’s style has been defined was often defined multidimensional, until it was officialized as MultiDimensionCrime (Acronym MDCrime). A reading experience that forges imagination in a multi-dimensional way. In the complex and intertwined plots of her novels, which lead to sudden and unexpected twists, the characteristics of different strands are harmoniously blended. The reader follows the investigation to solve a murder and at the same time he amazingly enters the mind of the killer, reasoning alongside him, preparing the crime with him, and even partaking in the victims’ despair and terror. All in a growing suspense, both during the narration and in the final pages, when the reader often has to question all the beliefs he has developed during the reading.

On last May 5th, Daniela Alibrandi published her English edition of the book “Denied Crimes”. Set in Rome during the 1980s, it takes the reader to discover the most mysterious and iconic places of the Eternal City, even leading him to the underground of the Vatican City. The book is the second of the MDCrime series Rome’s Multi-Dimensional Crimes, set in Rome’s undergrounds between the late Seventies and the Eighties, whose plots are not connected and can be read independently, all standalone.

English website: https://danielaenglishwebsite.wordpress.com/
Italian website: https://danielaalibrandi.com/
Twitter: https://x.com/danielaalibrand
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielaalibrandi/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Daniela-Alibrandi-Autore-100056951476831/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielaalibrandi/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/DENIED-CRIMES-ROMES-MULTIDIMENSIONAL-ebook/dp/B0F6KKGP8N/ref=sr_1_1

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