Bob and I have been enjoying the latest Masterpiece Mystery series starring Rufus Sewell as the Italian detective Aurelio Zen. As an American, I find it difficult to understand his British accent, especially as he tends to mumble his lines in a low husky voice. It's sexy, but I find myself translating his speech as he speaks even though we supposedly share a common tongue. It's also hard to understand the Italian accent of Caterina Murino, his romantic interest -- but I intend to overcome this obstacle as I like the series a lot.
The stories move fast with many interesting twists and turns. Their theme is corruption: everything turns on who (including Zen) is trustworthy and what the reality is behind the facade. There are layers of facade and shifting realities, which is always fun, at least in fiction. I enjoy the complexity of the plot twists and I enjoy Zen's dark sense of humor as he plays a game of wits with the forces attempting to defeat him.
Michael Dibdin wrote the original Aurelio Zen novels. I never really got into them though I enjoyed his earlier books. He was one of the rare writers of detective fiction who didn't settle immediately into a series featuring one detective. His earlier books were very different from each other in terms of setting, characters and plot. I found them strikingly original. Eventually he settled into the Aurelio Zen series, which became hugely successful. I don't know why I never followed the series since I really enjoyed Dibdin's earlier books. I think the Zen books were a bit too convoluted for me, which, paradoxically, is just what I do enjoy about the Masterpiece Mystery adaptations.
The creepy thing is, with those cheekbones, the lovers look like brother & sister. But what a fine looking man! His fatal flaw: he still lives with his mama, who does his laundry and makes his expresso in the morning. I totally love the series.
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