A little town where a witch has come back. A priest that has been killed in a roundabout frequented by prostitutes, with his trousers down and cocaine in his car. How are those two events related? Secrets and more secrets. A bunch of policemen will try to find the truth.
"Purgatori" is, theoritically, a noir or mystery novel with a touch of the fantastical. I say theoritically because Marín fails miserable at this. The mystery is your run-of-the-mill character with a lame secret; the suspects are poorly drawn and developed; the 'witch-y' affair is lazy and an excuse for a couple of sex scenes; and those sex scenes are totally unnecessary and feel like the writer's wish fulfillment when it comes to women.
Only some atmosphere and depiction of the life and language of Balaguer and surroundings help the book save some face. Better options abount.
The best: the setting and local touch
The worst: there is no sense of mystery, threat or danger; the unnecessary sex scenes with 'scintillating' female characters
Further reading: look no further than "Man In The Queue" or "The Killings At Badger's Drift". In Catalan language, Carbó's books have more mystery and atmosphere than this one
4/10
(Original Catalan)
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