"Readers will find themselves swept up by the story, thrilled by its conflicts and strangely forgetful that its 'hero' is a murderous despot. It’s a dangerous lesson for a novel to convey, but a profoundly important one." — Wall Street Journal
“A masterwork of modern Italian literature that will leave readers eager for more. . . . Scurati’s book could not be more timely, and it’s a superb exercise in blending historical fact and literary imagination.” — Kirkus Reviews
“An ambitious exploration of the rise of fascism in Italy . . . the tale of how democracy can die to the sound of such thunderous applause. . . . The book’s most interesting feature is the liberty Antonio Scurati takes to venture into the mind of Mussolini himself.” — Atlantic
“Scurati’s ambivalent portrait of a powerful fascist is sure to spark much debate.” — Publishers Weekly
“This relentless chronicle of authoritarianism emboldened and empowered offers a painful and valuable reminder that democracy is fragile, never to be taken for granted and always in need of committed defense.” — Washington Post
“M is nothing like the historical novel as Walter Scott or Alessandro Manzoni would have understood it. It is relentlessly driven by fact, chronicle and document. . . . Scurati's dangerous project is, then, from its title and cover onwards, decidely Fascist-centred; it stares at the Gorgon, even looks out with the Gorgon’s eyes.” — Times Literary Supplement (London)