Set in the oppressive atmosphere of Fascist Italy, Le Stanze del Duce (The Duce’s Rooms) is a gripping noir thriller that unravels a chilling web of murder, power, and deception. Against the backdrop of Bologna during Mussolini’s regime, the novel plunges into a dark and unsettling mystery, exploring the intersection of political terror and personal psychopathy.

The protagonist, Rodàn Donadi, is a dedicated hospital surgeon entangled in a clandestine affair with Felicia, the wife of his superior, Professor Anselmi. His world takes a sinister turn when an autopsy on an apparent suicide, Elvira Attolini, raises doubts in his mind. As suspicions mount, Rodàn crosses paths with Maria, the wife of a powerful city figure, who insists that her domestic servant, Elvira, was murdered and urges him to seek justice.

What follows is a harrowing journey into the depths of human depravity, as Rodàn finds himself embroiled in a series of five gruesome murders. The novel introduces a cast of compelling characters—including Elvira’s grieving siblings, a ruthless Fascist officer, a sinister neurologist, and a cunning police commissioner—each playing a role in a grander, more terrifying scheme. Amidst the suffocating paranoia of a regime that seeks to purge the impure, Rodàn must navigate a treacherous landscape where truth is a dangerous pursuit, and survival is not guaranteed.

With razor-sharp dialogue and an unrelenting pace, Le Stanze del Duce (The Duce’s Rooms) offers not only a masterful crime narrative but also a profound philosophical inquiry into the nature of evil. As the line between sanity and madness blurs, the novel echoes the chilling reality of a world where morality is twisted to serve the powerful.