Intrigue, Truth & Lies
The Colletta Cassettes by Bruno Noble is a powerful tale set in Italy in 1978. It is a story of intrigue, truth and lies that consumed me from the start.
An American veteran of World War II has finally decided to tell the truth about the USA and their politics with Italy since World War II. It is dangerous for all, including the journalist and his family. There are powerful people on both sides of the Atlantic who want the truth to remain buried.
After World War II “the driving motivation behind the politics of the US… would be ‘fear of communism.’” This fear of the red in the bed would dictate policies and politics for many decades. Alliances would be made, and terrible actions done, all to stop the spread of communism. “You’re telling me that the US used the CIA, NATO, the Nazis, the Vatican and the Mafia in the fight against communism.” The means were believed to justify the end.
The whistleblower needs to get his story out there. “He had to have answers… of why… he was lifting the lid on a box of secrets, why he was bringing to light a forty-year career that had been pursued in the shadows.” The price for the truth is high.
The reader follows the journalist and his family to Italy. We are treated to the sights and sounds of the country. The action is set during the football world cup, and the games are watched in the pub courtyard, uniting fans of many nations.
Once the truth is told, a character feels relief – but this is short-lived. Maybe the truth should stay buried for safety’s sake?
This is also a coming-of-age story for two sixteen-year-olds.
I enjoyed The Colletta Cassettes. It was an entertaining and thrilling read into the dark side of history.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Colletta Cassettes
Liguria, Italy. Summer 1978.
The Kentish family are on holiday in idyllic medieval village of Colletta. Sixteen-year-old Sebastian is smitten with Rosetta, the hotel cleaner and waitress, much to his snobbish mother’s dismay, while his younger brother and their fellow hotel guests are obsessed by the World Cup, hosted by the murderous military junta in Argentina.
The boys’ father, Peter Kentish, has very different motivations for the trip. An investigative journalist, he spends much of his time interviewing a mysterious American, a disillusioned ex-CIA agent.
As Kentish uncovers the shocking extent of Operation Gladio, he delves into some of Italy’s darkest secrets. Darker still is the involvement of the USA. Those complicit will do anything to ensure that the truth is buried. For good.
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Author Bio –
Bruno Noble study Philosophy and French literature at Southampton University. A circuitous route selling advertising space in financial magazines took him to the City where, amongst other things, he wrote markets and investment reports while impatient to write a novel. His first, ‘A Thing of the Moment’, was published by Unbound in 2018, and his second, ‘The Colletta Cassettes’, was published by Indie Novella in 2022 before being re-published by Inkspot Publishing in 2025.
Having enjoyed working collaboratively with other writers when he joined the Collier Street Fiction Group in 2021, Bruno started a part-time (two-year) Creative Writing M.A. at Birkbeck University in 2024.
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