Blessed Spirits by Jonathan Stanyer

A mummified body in an Abruzzo hill town leads Inspector Jordi Bruno into secrets, lies, and danger in Blessed Spirits, a gripping mystery.

At first glance, Blessed Spirits by Jonathan Stanyer looks like a classic crime thriller, the cover design showing an enigmatic figure seemingly entangled in police crime-scene tape… and in many ways, it is. There’s a body, a police investigation, and a slow unpicking of secrets that have been hidden for decades. But what makes this novel particularly engaging, especially for our readership, is where it’s set and how strongly it draws on Abruzzo’s landscape and wartime history to create a distinctive atmosphere.

The book opens with a short but compelling prologue, set in August 1944 during the German retreat from central Italy. In Francavilla al Mare, Allied troops and Italian anti-fascist fighters capture a Fascist officer in the confusion that followed liberation. From the outset, the novel hints that not everything done in wartime Abruzzo was neatly recorded, or later accounted for…

From there, the story jumps to the present day and settles firmly into crime-fiction territory. Ronnie Cabot, a young English teacher living in Chieti, becomes involved in a police investigation after a mummified body is discovered behind a boiler in the basement of his apartment building, Palazzo Gran Sasso. Anyone who has lived in old Abruzzese buildings will perhaps sympathise with this scene – dodgy heating systems and reluctant repairs are familiar enough, albeit hopefully without the uncovering of human remains during routine boiler maintenance. In Blessed Spirits, however, the broken boiler turns out to be the key
that unlocks a much older mystery.

The investigation is led by Inspector Giordano Bruno, a calm and thoughtful presence whose methodical approach gives the novel a solid procedural backbone. Stanyer doesn’t rush the story or rely on cheap shocks. Instead, the tension builds steadily as small historical details begin to matter more & more. The result is a thriller that feels grounded and believable, without losing momentum.

What really sets Blessed Spirits (the first in a trilogy published so far) apart, though, is how Abruzzo itself is woven into the story. Chieti feels recognisable and lived-in: the Corso Marrucino, the grand but draughty palazzi, the open corridors exposed to the weather. The surrounding landscape plays an equally important role, both in terms of scene-setting and as a silent witness to the changes in the region:

“Beyond the huddle of dark reds and greys of the roofs on the other side of the narrow street opposite Ronnie’s building, the snow-clad mountains
stood sentinel, as they had for untold millennia until a motorway and railway had forced their way through in more recent times.”

As the investigation unfolds, Inspector Bruno places the crime firmly in its historical context. He reminds Ronnie that “in late 1944, the Chieti area was liberated by British and Canadian forces… German forces…then retreated further north to Pescara, the regional coastal centre where their resistance would prove more protracted.” It’s a brief summary, but an important one. Abruzzo’s wartime experience is often overlooked in English-language histories, and Blessed Spirits makes a point of bringing it into view.

One of the most striking moments in the novel comes when the past collides very directly with the present. Ronnie is told that “your balcony was where the chief fascist collaborator used to sit and watch over the main street, often holding a hunting rifle.” It’s a chilling reminder of how ordinary spaces (balconies, stairwells, basements) once carried very different meanings. In Stanyer’s hands, the buildings of Chieti quietly remember what
happened inside them.

The novel also captures something many people living in Abruzzo will recognise: the way history lingers without being openly discussed. Fascist-era symbols still appear on everyday objects and buildings, not because of ideology, but because post-war Italy had more urgent concerns. Survival, rebuilding and feeding families came first. Blessed Spirits handles this reality without judgement, showing how silence and pragmatism shaped the region long after
the fighting ended. Cold spaces, unsettled domestic settings and moments of quiet psychological discomfort are introduced lightly and left unexplained, creating an atmosphere where the past feels uncomfortably close without tipping into the supernatural. It’s an effective way of suggesting
that the past is still present, sometimes literally under our feet, and will perhaps come as no surprise to readers of Stanyer’s atmospheric ghost stories.

For readers who enjoy crime fiction, Blessed Spirits delivers a thoughtful and well-paced investigation. For Abruzzophiles, it offers the rare pleasure of seeing the region treated as more than a picturesque backdrop. And for Italophiles, it provides a glimpse into a lesser- known chapter of Italy’s wartime story, told through the lens of a modern murder mystery. Jonathan Stanyer has written a novel that balances intrigue with atmosphere and history. In Blessed Spirits, Abruzzo is woven into the fabric of the story’s DNA. And if you’ve ever wondered what secrets might be hidden behind the walls of an old palazzo, you may never
look at your boiler quite the same way again.

Abruzzo locations used in the book:

Apennine Mountains
The mountain chain forming Abruzzo’s western spine; described as snow-clad and ever-present.
Chieti (CH)
Primary contemporary setting; historic hill town and provincial capital.
Chieti Scalo (CH)
Lower, modern part of Chieti in the valley, where the protagonist works.
Francavilla al Mare (CH)
Adriatic coastal town; setting of the 1944 prologue and Allied/partisan action.
Gran Sasso
The mountain massif north west of Chieti; referenced both geographically and symbolically.
Pescara (PE)
Major coastal city and regional hub; destination of German retreat and point of resistance in 1944.
Sulmona (AQ)
Inland town in the Province of L’Aquila; referenced as a military destination during the wartime sequence.