Paperbacks: The Fall of Mussolini, by Philip Morgan

Given the title, it is odd that Morgan announces in his introduction: "Mussolini practically dis-appears... after Chapter 1, making a dramatic reappearance at the end."

This may be Hamlet without a decidedly bombastic "Prince", but it is a richly informed work. Morgan focuses on events surrounding Il Duce's first fall from power in 1943. The story of his ejection became "something of a blank" in Italy because it was a coup by fellow Fascists with "practically no involvement" by resistance forces. In a revealing conclusion, Morgan explores how memories of the war have been manipulated by Berlusconi and others.