The Memory Key

Commissario Alec Blume #4

by Conor Fitzgerald

"In the latest Commissario Alec Blume novel, our hero is called in by old friend magistrate Principe to "shadow" an investigation into the attempted murder of a former fascist terrorist responsible for a public bombing thirty years earlier. This investigation is adjacent to another: the murder of a young woman on the university campus of Rome. The apparent link between these two crimes is an articulate, learned, and thoroughly crazy professor called Pitagora, who teaches both literature and a system enigmatic memory techniques. Professor Pitagora is up-front about his political beliefs, but could his strange psychological program be masking something important?
All the investigators know the two crimes form part of the same nexus, but Blume believes he can find clues through the Professor. If only he were actually assigned to this case...
Meanwhile, Blume has been living with Caterina and not finding it easy - or rather, poor old Caterina is not finding it easy living with him. Will the strains in their relationship lead Blume astray? And can he successfully navigate the ranks of his distrustful colleagues, a rocky relationship, and a high-profile investigation--all without crossing the line?" (also called The Memory Theatre previously)

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Italy, Crime, Suspense

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2013

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I liked a previous book in the series, this was a terrible disappointment. The murder mystery plot is not bad but, unfortunately, it is only a minor aspect of the story. Most of the book is spent in detailing the protagonist’s failure to behave like a grown up. There is nothing fascinating about his childishness and I have no more time for such boy-men in fiction than I do in life.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

How strange this was...and on and on and a on...with the memory key for such a little bit of use! Maybe I just wasn't happy with the characters and so concentrated on them I lost track of ...well, the plot.

[Lynne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got bored and didn't finish the book. That's two books by Conor Fitzgerald I've started to read and not finished so I won't bother again

[Jjkochmd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weirdly unlikable.
I had enjoyed the prior books in the series, but am done after this.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of red herrings kept me going as Blume detaches from those who care for him, and causes others to distance too. Good sense of setting and politics.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good thriller with a happy/sad ending. Fitzgerald included way too much of the "book's" text in the story...kinda like filler.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1980 a fascist activist leaves a bomb in a railway station that kills more than a dozen people. Over thirty years later, having been released from prison, the fascist is shot to death by a sniper on a university campus. A witness is killed several days later. Who is behind the crimes, and are they linked?

Alec Blume, a Commisario of detectives, investigates the case at the urging of his friend, the magistrate Principe. Blume's parents were American expatriates. He grew up in Italy and is an Italian citizen, and a high-ranking police officer, though still holds an American passport. He is a good investigator, especially in crimes where his investigation is unwelcome to Italy's other police force, the Carabinieri, a quasi-military force. His extra work is also opposed by his own magistrate, an incredible and vail piece of corruption. Blume is a very perverse person, so warning him off never works. (He's also irritating in a lot of ways, not least in his relationship with his wife-to-be and mother of his son, Caterina, a detective chief inspector.)

The crime is interesting, the writing is clever and interesting (and frequently funny). Blume's irritating ways are forgiven by the end, save for his relational issues.

[Kb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down, despite disliking the mess Alec Blume makes of his life as the story progresses. To me, the extraneous information on methods of memorization was not as annoying as some people may have found it. I usually enjoy the wealth of knowledge and breadth of subject matter that is covered in this series. This book, in particular, is very academic for a police procedural. Sometimes that can be distracting, but in this case I found it very engaging. The only thing the author doesn't provide much insight into is the long-term thought processes of Alec Blume. We see his immediate reactions to events (often inappropriate) and we see him through the eyes (or words) of many other characters, but he is not a character given to self reflection and because of that we as readers never really get a chance to empathize with him. There is always the sense of being an outsider observing the holes he digs himself into, even when events are described from his point of view. I believe this is deliberate, but it is still frustrating. I rated this 4 stars but I would give it 3.5 if I could.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Commissioner Alec Blume mystery, set in Italy, starts out with the scene of a horrific train bombing, perpetrated by a young blond woman. In the first chapter, one finds out that the same woman was arrested, tried, and did time in prison. After she got out, she was hit by a sniper's bullet, and doomed to life in hospital with both anterograde and retrograde amnesia. Blume is drawn into the case unwillingly by his former mentor, now dying. His focus on the case mars his relationship with Catarina, who he is more or less living with while she works in his squad. This is a dark police procedural, with very little happiness or joy; if you are looking for a cozy, don't come here. I also didn't like the memory schtick, as it didn't really seem to add much to the mystery (though the associated side characters were interesting). But I found Blume and his travails, both personal and on the job, to be intriguing and a good read.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this better than the last one, but Blume is still a difficult character to warm up to, much better a cop than a friend or lover for certain.

The sense of place is still excellent - the politics of the rivalry between the State Police and the Carabinieri, the byways and side streets of Rome, and the history of right wing politics and terrorism is all very well done and worth reading. The whole mnemonic technique book tool more space than I wanted it to, though it was interesting for a bit.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

When it came down to the actual mystery which needed to be solved, I enjoyed the book. But the author has way too many pages devoted a technique to remember whatever it is that one needs to remember....and all of it sounded so complex that I thought it to be easier to simply forget the method. All of the time that Commissioner Alec Blume spent trying to make sense of the method just seemed wasted. Hint: If you decide to read the book, you may easily skip anything written in italics once the story begins and you will not have missed anything.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Fatal Touch (second in the series about American-born Italian Commisario Alec Blume) was so good that it was truly a shock that The Memory Key (fourth in the series) seemed incoherent, jumpy and sloppy. It also appeared that it had not been proofread by anybody (typos all over the place plus many missing helping verbs making sentences incomprehensible). Added to the serious readability issues, the characters were lackluster and didn't relate to each other in substantial ways, not that any of them was interesting on any level. Sad. Maybe the third in the series The Dogs of War is better.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy this type of mystery, more psychological than thriller-gruesome. Fitzgerald's Detective Alec Blume series takes place in Rome; think of Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series set in Venice. But Alec Blume is becoming less pleasant; in fact, I don't think I like him anymore. Do I want to spend time with someone I don't really like, even in the pages of a book? Perhaps not - there are lots of other psychological mysteries to choose from.

[Brick · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the three previous Alec Blume novels more than this one. As before, the story seems to accurately depict the convoluted system of criminal justice in Italy, with the conflicts between the police, the carabinieri, and the magistrates, and I enjoyed the back story of the memory system, going all the way back to Giordano Bruno. Alec Blume, however, is revealed as a remarkably unlikable individual, but this won't stop me from reading the next book in the series.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit slow going at times, but worth it. Alec Blume chases an old terrorist case as the participant leaves jail and gets gunned down. The excellently crafted character Pitagora (a neo-Fascist who is great at explaining the difference between Facism and National Socialism as it pertains today) looks to be the 'memory key' to solving the crime. Blume and Caterina have a rocky relationship that twists into the mystery. Good stuff, again.

[Poppy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've enjoyed Mr Fitzgerald' s previous works very much and looked forward to this work's release. Sorry to say it not live up to my expectations; I found it to be dull and lifeless. I'm profoundly disappointed.

[Robert Muller · Rating 2 out of 5]

After trying to slog through this book in the last week, I gave up. I just can't get interested in the characters, plot, or even the setting. The incoherence of all three makes it very difficult to push through.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really didn't like the main character. His interactions are disjointed & he seems to lurch through life leaving a mess in his wake . I don't think it's likely that I'll give this series another try since the plot wasn't good enough to overcome the unlikable protagonist .

[Graeme Thomson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of a series about a Roman policeman, from Los Angeles. They are all good yarns and I like stories which are set in places I know well - Rome. However I found this one to be a little disjointed and perhaps a bit far-fetched.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

More enjoyable--a better case, easier to follow, even though Blume does a lot of dumb stuff in this one, which is sometimes hard to believe.

[Cynthia Lapier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story although sometimes I felt like there was just extra verbiage that didn't necessarily add to the story. Do policemen really get into such extensive and philosophic interviews ?

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring. Endless. I kept expecting/hoping it would get better.

[Donna Burt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could do with some proof reading, I found this irritating. Story all over the place and hard to make sense of the links at times.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started so well. The introductory pages of people at a railway station are beautifully crafted. But after that it turned into a curate's egg. I've now almost reached the point that I don't want to spend any more time with Alec Blume. His behaviour is indulgent, selfish and irritating. The character of one of the hit victims was well crafted but the other was cartoon like. The processes of improving one's memory were useful for the plot but not particularly useful for the reader. In other words, although I liked parts of this book, the other problem parts were enough to drag the rating down.