By My Hand

As Naples prepares for its holiday celebrations, behind the facade of order and happiness imposed by the fascist regime, lurks terrible poverty and blinding desperation. In a luxurious apartment on the Mergellina beach lie the bodies of a fascist militia officer and his wife. A statuette of San Giuseppe, patron saint of workers, lies in pieces on the floor near their bodies. At the scene of the crime, Ricciardi, who has the dubious gift of being able to see and hear the last seconds in the lives of those who have suffered a violent death, listens to the enigmatic last words of the couple.