This was Michael Dibden's last book before his death in 2007 at the age of sixty. It once again features his idiosyncratic Venice-born police detective Aurelio Zen. On this occasion the plot is set in the southern province of Calabaria, where Zen is filling in pro-tem for the local chief, who tellingly shot himself accidentally in the foot. In some respects, the terrain resembles that of the John Boorman film Deliverance, in that many of the inhabitants are depicted as yokels who practice arcane tribal rituals, including in-breeding. If there are no duelling banjos, the inhabitants certainly bear a grudge against their former feudal landowners. Throw into this mix a boorish got-rich-quick Silicon Valley entrepreneur and his sociopathic Vietnamese fixer trying to sequester medieval treasure; a local notary who could teach Arthur Daley a thing or two about ducking and diving; yet another sociopath (Calabrian variety) - and you have a complicated and intriguing melange.I found Mr Dibdin on top form in this entertaining and gripping yarn, which I happened to read on holiday in Rome.

This was Michael Dibdin's last book before his death in 2007 at the age of sixty. It once again features his idiosyncratic Venice-born police detective Aurelio Zen. On this occasion the plot is set in the southern province of Calabaria, where Zen is filling in pro-tem for the local chief, who tellingly shot himself accidentally in the foot. In some respects, the terrain resembles that of the John Boorman film Deliverance, in that many of the inhabitants are depicted as yokels who practice arcane tribal rituals, including hinted at in-breeding. If there are no dueling banjos, the inhabitants certainly bear a grudge against their former feudal landowners. Throw into this mix a boorish got-rich-quick internet entrepreneur from Silicon Valley and his sociopathic Vietnamese fixer trying to sequester medieval treasure; a local notary who could teach 'Arthur Daley' a thing or two about ducking and diving; yet another sociopath (Calabrian variety); . It is quite an intoxicating cocktail. I found Mr Dibdin on form in this entertaining yarn.