#GuestPostTour ~ The Taste of Datura by Lorenzo Petruzziello @partnersincr1me

PROLOGUE

Naples, Italy
December 1890

The crisp breeze trickled in from the bay, across the piazza, through the narrow buildings, and brushed along the back of the neck of the elderly German archaeologist. He was determined to have his afternoon walk through the Spanish Quarter. Being out of the hotel room and in the open air made him feel a lot better.

He’ll get back to Athens soon enough. Sure, he should have been celebrating the holidays, surrounded by his family and fellow archaeologists, but his health kept him from continuing on his journey. A special gift he bought in Naples was ready to be picked up, so he wanted to go get it and bring it with him to Athens. He imagined showing the piece to everyone waiting for him. If only his infection hadn’t come back, he would have been allowed to take the ship to Greece and be in Athens for Christmas as he had planned.

But being stuck in Naples was a consolation, though. While he had spent some of the time in bed recovering, he had made the most of his time until the doctors could clear him to continue on his travels. For example, he was able to return to Pompeii and examine the ruins with more detail—something one cannot do during the summer holiday with the influx of tourists crowding around.

So, he couldn’t really complain. After all, he was absolutely fine staying in the comforts of the wonderous and luxurious Grand Hotel, with its incredible view of the bay. Not a bad place to recover from his lung infection.

As Christmas was getting closer, the visits from the doctors had diminished. Of course, the old man understood doctors had families too. Besides, they did see improvement in his condition, and said they would check in on him after the holiday.

When he was feeling better, he bathed and dressed and focused his time on visiting the artifacts in the museums of Naples, including that excursion to museum and ruins of Pompeii. On Christmas Day, however, the museums were closed, so the old man had agreed to participate in the hotel’s abundant holiday lunch with other guests. The staff were kind enough to understand his condition and seat him alone at a private table, so he didn’t risk getting anyone else sick.

After the meal, he had decided to take a walk to the church. A young concierge procured the old man a driver as he helped him put on his coat and handed him his gloves and hat.

As he walked across the front gardens and onto the main street along the bay, the old man greeted the staff and some of the other guests he had met while he was stuck recovering in the hotel. He looked at the water, took a deep breath, and allowed the crisp, salty air to fill his lungs, immediately feeling the renowned healing powers of the Mediterranean Sea.

He turned away from the bay and crossed back to the car that was waiting to take him to Piazza Plebiscito. It was not his destination, but he figured he’d take a walk to the church he had in mind. He was somewhat familiar with the area, but not enough to take himself directly to the church. It was not a problem, though, he knew he’d find it strolling around.

He asked the driver to return in a couple of hours, then walked across the round piazza, onto Via Toledo. Halfway up the climbing street, he felt his body become weaker than his ambition. He forced himself to slow his steps as he continued his climb.

He paused at a shop window and admired the Christmas decorations. Really, he felt his heartbeat racing and needed to catch his breath. He needed to rest. He examined the miniature figurines displayed in a religious scene, finally presented with the miracle baby they had been eagerly awaiting. Ignoring the reflection of his old face staring back at him, he looked away and saw a clearing further ahead.

Deducing it to be another piazza, he would rest at a café and sort out his route to the church. He gathered his strength and continued on. He reached piazza Santa Caritá and looked around for any open café. He felt the space spinning as he turned and turned. His head felt numb, the sounds around him were garbled, as if underwater. He blinked heavily before everything turned to black…

***

Excerpt from The Taste of Datura by Lorenzo Petruzziello. Copyright 2024 by Lorenzo Petruzziello. Reproduced with permission from Lorenzo Petruzziello. All rights reserved.

Is the Femme Fatale character still relevant?

What is a femme fatale? Meaning fatal woman, this character trope typically seen in crime noir films and stories representing evil and danger.

This character is traditionally a woman, and typically seen through the male gaze. She’s usually a sexy, desirable, captivating and intriguing character that lures the male protagonist to danger or ruin. One can argue the origin of this character stems from classic stories like that of Adam and Eve. Although, there are some stories that involve an homme fatale, traditionally the dangerous seductor is written as a woman putting the man in perilous situation, or leading the man to commit some heinous act. And her reason is usually simple: greed or revenge.

For today’s audience, though, this dangerous woman needs more. This character did adapt with the times with depth and reason. If a modern story includes a femme fatale-like character, the audience expects a background and reason for her to resort to acts of manipulation and deceit. For this audience, an evil character being evil just for the sake of being evil, is not enough. Especially when it comes to dynamics of the sexes. 

The audience also prefers a lead protagonist, traditionally a male, take at least some blame for his actions, and not displace it on the woman to whom he was attracted. But we must remember: the men in noir crime stories aren’t the cream of the crop. They have their faults and issues, so the audience can’t expect any morals from these fools, just reactions. Not to excuse a male character, but that is the type of man we are dealing with in noir. 

The same could be expected of a modern femme fatale, but the noir crime audience also understands that her role is to willingly contribute or create a path to danger. She was made to create conflict with intention to simply lead her counterpart towards peril. Similar to the main protagonist, the femme fatale herself is not meant to be a good person. 

In fact, neither of these characters are the best of humans. Afterall, they are in a noir crime story; which typically leans in to dread, paranoia, deception, death, sadness, and revenge. We can’t expect these particular characters to change for the better. In fact, most likely, one or both of them might even die in the end.