A well-planned mystery with a quick pulse and bold Sicilian flavors.
Don Pasquale Nebrodi is intent on seeing one of the most ambitious engineering feats ever proposed, the Cosca project, through to its end. Building an expansive bridge across the Strait of Messina has been little more than lively discussions and pipe dreams for centuries, but Pasquale might just be the man to seal the deal. He is persuasive, eloquent, educated, sensible and most important, well connected. To his lovely wife, Donna Rosa, he is a generous husband and a good provider, but he is also a racketeer and philanderer. Long-suffering as she is, when an unknown opponent and rival Mafia Boss turns up dead, Donna Rosa struggles to allow her husband’s money to cover for his sins. An international mystery takes shape when an amnesiac man shows up in a hospital with nothing but a slip of paper with the name “Don Pasquale” written on it. Will bigotries and long-standing beefs get in the way of his dreams to build a magnificent bridge? Or will Pasquale, by means of cunning and determination, come out on top?
Voices In The Wind: A Matter of Honor is a well-planned mystery with a quick pulse and bold Sicilian flavors. The story includes plenty of wonderful references to local landmarks, cuisine, dialect and culture, and although events take place in multiple countries, the bulk of the plot unfolds in Sicily with Mount Etna in the background. Tony Manera has a distinct writing style characterized by a frenetic pace and a deep reliance on a finely honed plot. The story is unencumbered by excessive wordiness or heavy backstory, allowing readers to fully engage in the present with the mystery as it unfolds, letting the story truly shine. Don Pasquale is driven by his greed, pride, politics and prejudices, all themes which readers will find contemporary, although perhaps over the top. While these thinly veiled social commentaries may be obvious, they stand to define the characters, making it easy to root for some and against others. Corruption and honor go head to head in Voices In The Wind, an uncomplicated modern day drama set in the shadow of one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
