What I’m Reading: The Light in the Ruins

I took a chance and was happy I did when I decided to listen to Chris Bohjalian’s book, The Light in the Ruins.

I have found out that I either really love this author’s book or I throw them down in disgust.  When I love them…they turn out to be some of my favorites so I often take a chance giving myself permission to dispose of it before finishing if necessary.   This one is historical so that’s a plus.  It is set in Tuscany alternating time between 1943 WWII and 1955.

Here’s what Amazon had to say, “1943: Tucked away in the idyllic hills south of Florence, the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their ancient villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe. Eighteen-year-old Cristina spends her days swimming in the pool, playing with her young niece and nephew, and wandering aimlessly amid the estate’s gardens and olive groves. But when two soldiers, a German and an Italian, arrive at the villa asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis’ bucolic tranquility is shattered. A young German lieutenant begins to court Cristina, the Nazis descend upon the estate demanding hospitality, and what was once their sanctuary becomes their prison.

1955: Serafina Bettini, an investigator with the Florence police department, has her own demons. A beautiful woman, Serafina carefully hides her scars along with her haunting memories of the war. But when she is assigned to a gruesome new case—a serial killer targeting the Rosatis, murdering the remnants of the family one-by-one in cold blood—Serafina finds herself digging into a past that involves both the victims and her own tragic history.  Set against an exquisitely rendered Italian countryside, The Light in the Ruins unveils a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart.”

This one like several of my other recent reads kept me quilting into the night.  I wanted to know who the killer was and of course, I wanted to know who be the next victim of the serial killer…would it be Christina?  The ending was a mystery until the last chapter for me so I would classify that as a pretty good read…or in my case with my audio book, a pretty good listen.

You can read more reviews for the book, The Light in the Ruins, by following this link to Amazon.