Thriller; tension| Matera, Italy 2022
Main characters
Carmine Fonzi, a doctor specializing in Forensic Medicine, has a divorce behind him, three teenage daughters who hate him, and a very difficult relationship with Lorenza Lamberti, his colleague and lover. Carmine has no peace in his life and is now terrified of the female sex. But peace seems to be regained when he gets a transfer to Matera and leaves everything behind.
The call to adventure
In Matera the forensic scientist finds the serenity that until then fate had denied him. He meets Commissioner Dupré, his new colleague Elvira, and the housekeeper Gigì, who takes care of his house. But the peace does not last long: when a prostitute is found dead of a suspected overdose Carmine is threatened: if he does not confirm the woman's death by overdose a killer will kill his daughters.
The conflict
Carmine discovers that the prostitute died of poisoning. He is aware that falsifying the autopsy documents is an act that may get him into trouble, but he has no alternative. The threats to his daughters were very serious, and he realizes that he is face to face with determined criminals. He cannot risk it. However, he senses the possibility of being the target of constant and new threats. Despite his fears, Carmine wants to find out the truth and especially who is threatening him.
The key to the plot
Carmine decides to investigate on his own. Thanks to Gigì's husband, a local petty criminal, he comes into contact with local criminality. Private investigations lead him to suspect the prostitution boss, but he realizes to his cost that the thug is unconnected to the facts. As he continues to investigate, he will realize that the woman's murder was the result of the madness of her father, who saw himself disgraced before the town's community. In a dramatic face-to-face confrontation, the man will confess his guilt and, in despair, take his own life.
The alternatives
As is often the case, the first alternative may be the location, taking care to choose one that is very particular, possibly beautiful or at least intriguing that would counterbalance the drama of the story. The doctor could be a woman or an older person. You can also change the era to achieve an even more interesting effect (example: set it in a Tuscan village during the fascist era). Further possibility is to bring a second figure, a sidekick, closer to the protagonist, for example: a new flame, a pedantic colleague, a distant relative policeman...
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