The Milanese Kill on Saturday

The novel is set in 1960s Milan.
A police inspector is called to investigate the disappearance of a young woman, strikingly beautiful yet mentally impaired.
He discovers her body, burned at the side of the road, and uncovers a prostitution ring.
Through a series of inquiries into the criminal underworld and brothels, he identifies the killers, but arrives too late: they have already been murdered by the girl’s father.
The latter, a decent man, is driven to commit a crime by the sluggishness and incompetence of the police in solving the case.
It is a heavy, thoroughly bitter noir: a violent, unscrupulous city and a negligent police force.
The story is well constructed, with an engaging narrative pace, even if the plot twists feel somewhat predictable.
The author’s interest seems to lie more in the depiction of the milieu than in the construction of the plot.