The Light in the Ruins

By Chris Bohjalian

Book Overview

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - From the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant comes a spellbinding novel of love, despair, and revenge--set in war-ravaged Tuscany.

1943: Tucked away in the idyllic hills of Tuscany, 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. But when two soldiers--a German and an Italian--arrive at their doorstep asking to see an ancient Etruscan burial site, the Rosatis' bucolic tranquility is shattered.

1955: Serafina Bettini, an investigator with the Florence Police Department, has successfully hidden her tragic scars from WWII, at least until she's assigned to a gruesome new case--a serial killer who is targeting the remaining members of the Rosati family one by one. Soon, she will find herself digging into past secrets that will reveal a breathtaking story of moral paradox, human frailty, and the mysterious ways of the heart.

Look for Chris Bohjalian's new novel, The Lioness!

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307743926
• ISBN13: 9780307743923
• Release Date: April 2014
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Italy during world war ll

Ok, I am writing this review with very mixed feelings, and I really can't put my finger on why that is ! First , I want to say this is an excellent murder mystery that will keep you guessing to the very, very, end..who the killer is, and why they have such a vendetta against the last remaining members of the Rosatis family. As you read the story...it is written so well..that you won't know who the killer is..till its finally spelled out to you. I guess for me, when I did find out who the killer was, and why they had so much hate towards the Rosatis family..it almost seemed ridiculous! Considering,it was so many years after the war..a good 10 yrs or more...that it almost seemed foolish that this person can still be so vengeful, considering the war yrs that THEY all lived through, and the horrible situations they ALL found themselves in between Mussolini's rule, then the Nazi's right after ! Many people made decisions that were Judgment calls between life and death situations. The Rosatis family suffered imaginable loss, a son who survived the war, but was killed in their very kitchen in front of the whole family, by a terrible Nazi Captain, plus two young children/ grandchildren who were killed on the grounds of the family villa, playing in the yard, and stepping on a left over land mine buried by the Germans .So the person carrying out the vendetta in a very Horrific way, wasen't the only one to have suffered tragic losses. I also am kinda confused by the title of the book...in relationship to the actual story. Now after saying why I'm so - so about this story, I will say it was Very well written, the Characters are all relatable...it does go in between the time of the war with the Nazi's and the after years, like 1955, but it doesn't confuse you or take away from the story at all. The story itself will transport you back in time with a lot of Historical information concerning art and artifacts , all treasures that they try to keep safe and hidden from the Nazi's who want to keep them either for their own personal gain or to send back to Germany and the Fuhrer. I found this book to be a real Gripping, suspenseful, heartbreaking read. It is truly a mysterious...Who -done- it !!! Though this is the first book I have read by this author, I am more than willing to read another by him !