Clash of Civilizations over an Elevator in Piazza Vittorio

In this second novel by Amara Lakous, an Algerian now living in Italy, a dozen denizens of Piazza Vittorio in Rome weigh in on whether or not Amadeo, believed by almost everyone to be a native Italian but actually an immigrant from Algiers who speaks Italian better than the Italians and knows the streets and byways of Rome better than an Italian taxidriver, really murdered the crude and offensive Lorenzo Manfredini, known as The Gladiator. The foundation of the novel is the universal plight of immigrants, but the Italians even distrust and dislike other Italians from different parts of the country. The voices are wonderful - sharp, humorous, arrogant, wacky - the characters are lively and the unfolding resolution of the murder mystery is unexpected and interesting. This was easy and pleasurable to read, but also thought-provoking and sad. Very highly recommended!