Book Review: Cry Wolf by Michael Gregorio

Cry Wolf      
A Sebastiano Cangio Thriller #1
Michael Gregorio
Severn House Publishers, Ltd., April 2015
ISBN: 978-1-78010-617-5
Ebook
Also available in hardcover and trade paperback

Wolf as symbol. Wolf as metaphor. Wolves in Umbria, a relatively unpopulated region of Italy, as motivating presence. In this wide-ranging novel of Mafia and murder, the author challenges readers to maintain attention and patience as he directs us through years in the life of a young man from Calabria in the south of Italy, to his abrupt decampment to England, to his return to Italy and a new life as a park ranger in Umbria. It’s a lot to take in but those who stick with it will be richly rewarded.

The man, Sebastiano Cangio, is obsessed with wolves. They are the subject of his Phd. thesis at a local university. But a murder on the beach, execution style, changes all that. He hides, unhappily, in London. But then an opportunity to return to Italy and become a Park Ranger in Umbria, with his beloved wolves, occurs.

Unfortunately, new commercial development after earthquakes in Umbria is bringing crime of the worst sort, a rising Mafia cell. There are many players in this churning story, some who fall in and out of the narrative so readers must pay attention. Most are interesting and even unusual. The plot is vastly complicated and enthralling at the same time. This author is a very good writer and while the plot seems to move ponderously for a time, once all the important characters are in place, things get hot exceedingly fast. Yet there are no missteps and the last third of the novel is as fast and intense as any fan of thrillers could ask.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, February 2015.
http://www.carlbrookins.com http://agora2.blogspot.com
The Case of the Purloined Painting, The Case of the Great Train Robbery, Reunion, Red Sky.