Marie Neuser concludes her diptych with “Prendre Gloria,” a dark thriller inspired by a true story, and brilliantly adapted by the author. With Nice Premium, travel back in time to discover how Italy let a dangerous predator slip away.
September 12, 1993, in the town of P., Italy. It’s a Sunday, and Sundays in Italy are sacred, filled with church and family meals. Gloria Pratts entered the church at noon to keep an appointment with Damiano Solivo, never to emerge again…
An investigation begins in chaos, with no body, where two factions clash: those who believe in Solivo’s guilt and those who do everything to prevent his arrest.
With great talent, Marie Neuser tells us the incredible story of how an entire town conspired to protect a psychopath and shield him from justice—a psychopath who, nearly 10 years later, would commit a double crime in England. The novel is told through the testimonies of all the actors, more or less involved, in this terrible story. It begins in 2010 with the discovery of Gloria’s body in the attic of the Church of Mercy in P.
Times and testimonies intertwine, revealing the fascinating hunt for a psychopath, while also uncovering the troubled personalities involved who hid evidence to allow Damiano Solivo to evade justice.
It is terrifying to observe the making of this predator, the rise of his perversion, and even more so, to realize the depth of corruption within certain members of the Italian police and justice system, the grasp of a mafioso system, even at a local level. The author perfectly describes the life of this community at the time and in the years that followed, the consequences on every family, a whole town, and even an entire country, as the Italians became fascinated by this story and developed an affection for Gloria… She also admirably portrays the power struggles, the fear generated by threats, the entire context in which the characters evolve.
Even after reading “Prendre Lily,” “Prendre Gloria” is a thriller that never falters, keeping readers captivated by the relentless force of events and the inevitability of things. Written with great respect for the victims—let me remind you that it is a true story—and a delicate and efficient style, “Prendre Gloria” is an excellent, dark, and chilling crime novel that is fully realized.
