Incorporating distinct traditions and styles of crime writing, the three novellas in Judges are united by a theme of idealistic judges in an often futile struggle against crime and corruption.
Andrea Camilleri's novella recounts the charming Judge Surra. Leaving his family behind, Surra arrives in the 19th-century Sicilian town of Montelusa from Turin and is given quirky gifts from the locals, but is oblivious to the veiled threats accompanying them. Finally forced to contend with a hostile community and an imminent attempt on his life, Surra proves he is relentless in his quest for justice.
Carlo Lucarelli's novella presents a darkly hued Bologna in the 1980s, where judges are frequent targets of assassination attempts. The protagonist, Judge Valentina Lorenziβ"La Bambina"βstumbles upon an extensive money laundering operation involving prominent public officials. Determined to nip Valentina's investigations in the bud, the criminals attack the judge and leave her clinging to life. Ultimately, Valentina is faced with a troubling question: will she break her vow to uphold the letter of the law in order to bring those responsible to justice?
The final novella, The Triple Dream of the Prosecutor, by judge and novelist Giancarlo De Cataldo, teeters between dream and reality. Prosecutor Mandati is engaged in a life-long feud with the corrupt mayor of Novere, and his efforts finally pay off on the night before the trial of his life. Kafkaesque, tumultuous, and thoroughly gripping.