Carte Blanche by Carlo Lucarelli

It's April, 1945. Fascist Italy is on its last legs, and everyone is scrambling to save their own fortunes—or skins. Enter the enigmatic figure of Commissario DeLuca, who, though an ordinary policeman, has previously been employed by some dubious characters of the crumbling regime. All he wants to do is solve an ordinary murder. But that may be too much to ask. The first of an acclaimed trilogy.