“A lie travels halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes,” goes the old saying. The Wooden Alley Murder throws readers into a labyrinth of deception, where truth is elusive, identities are fragile, and justice is anything but straightforward.
This is not a typical crime story. It’s a chilling psychological mystery that explores how buried secrets corrode lives and how vengeance—when wielded as justice—can blur the lines between right and wrong. The novel unravels in the shadows of Chicago’s elite, where a shocking crime exposes not just a single tragedy but a web of hidden truths spanning decades.
The story begins with a seemingly ordinary morning—Margaux, a woman bound to wealth but starved of happiness, sets out on her daily run with her loyal German Shepherd, Caesar. But what she stumbles upon in a secluded alley is anything but ordinary. Her discovery shatters the illusion of order in the city’s most privileged enclave. Yet Margaux is merely a passerby in this twisted tale—her presence is the spark, not the fire.
As the investigation unfolds, the focus shifts to Ceci and Avery Felcetti, a couple whose strained marriage is pulled into the heart of the mystery. Avery, a once-renowned writer now plagued by creative stagnation, finds himself drawn to the case as if solving it might somehow restore his lost sense of self. Ceci, sharp-witted and perceptive, follows a different path—one driven by an unshakable instinct that something far more sinister is at play. Together, they navigate a tangled web of deception, power, and long-buried sins, forcing them to confront not only the lies hidden in the case but the ones they’ve told each other.
At the center of the mystery is a man whose identity is as deceptive as his past. His death is not random, nor is it what it appears to be. As Ceci and Avery dig deeper, the layers of truth become more unsettling. The novel does not merely ask, “Who did it?” but rather, “Why was it done?” and “Who truly deserves justice?”
D.Farinelli masterfully crafts a story where morality is never black and white. The so-called villain is not easily dismissed as evil, just as the so-called innocent are not without stain. The novel resists the temptation to neatly categorize its characters—there are no heroes, no pure victims, only people shaped by loss, betrayal, and their own justifications.
While wealth and privilege play a role in the story’s undercurrents, The Wooden Alley Murder is not a critique of the elite. Instead, it is an unflinching examination of how power, in any form, manipulates perception. Lies are currency, and truth is a dangerous thing to possess. Some characters bury the past to protect their futures. Others seek to rewrite it. And some, like Ceci and Avery, must decide whether knowing the truth is worth the price it demands.
The atmosphere of Chicago’s Gold Coast adds a rich visual backdrop to the unraveling mystery. The grand mansions, the pristine facades—they stand in stark contrast to the darkness lurking just beneath the surface. The infamous “wooden alley,” where the body is found, serves as more than a crime scene—it is a metaphor for the novel itself: a place where beauty and decay collide, where the past never truly stays buried.
But The Wooden Alley Murder is not just about solving a crime—it’s about confronting the illusions we tell ourselves. It lingers in the mind, unsettling and provocative, long after the final page. Would you protect someone you love if it meant ignoring their sins? Could you justify an unforgivable act if it felt like justice? Denise does not provide answers. She simply asks: How far would you go to bury the past? And how far would you go to unearth it?
For those who crave a story that dares to navigate the gray spaces of truth and morality, The Wooden Alley Murder awaits.
