Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger 2017.
Spring, 1967. The trail of tragedy and destruction that followed the previous winter’s flood seems to have died down; Florence is beginning to recover. But Inspector Bordelli does not feel the same sense of relief – he has not had a moment’s peace since his investigation of a young boy’s murder went disastrously wrong.
Unsettled and embittered, Bordelli resigns from the force and leaves the city. He could not continue to work as a policeman while the perpetrators of such a terrible crime were still at large.
Now, in the solitude of his new home in the Tuscan hills, he spends his days cooking, going for long walks and learning to grow his own vegetables. But the thought of that case – of justice not served – is constantly with him. Until fate, in which he has never believed, unexpectedly offers him the chance of retribution . . .
Spring, 1967. The trail of tragedy and destruction that followed the previous winter’s flood seems to have died down; Florence is beginning to recover. But Inspector Bordelli does not feel the same sense of relief – he has not had a moment’s peace since his investigation of a young boy’s murder went disastrously wrong.
Unsettled and embittered, Bordelli resigns from the force and leaves the city. He could not continue to work as a policeman while the perpetrators of such a terrible crime were still at large.
Now, in the solitude of his new home in the Tuscan hills, he spends his days cooking, going for long walks and learning to grow his own vegetables. But the thought of that case – of justice not served – is constantly with him. Until fate, in which he has never believed, unexpectedly offers him the chance of retribution . . .
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Reviews
'A real find for anyone who likes their crime novels atmospheric, discursive, humorous and thought-provoking.'
'[Italian] writers are justifiably growing in popularity here: Marco Vichi deserves to be among them . . . [Bordelli] is stubborn, womanless, cynical and impatient, but strangely appealing.'
'Over the course of his police procedurals, Vichi shows us ever more secret and dark sides to an otherwise sunny and open city. But his happiest creation, in my opinion, remains the character of Inspector Bordelli, a disillusioned anti-hero who is difficult to forget.'
'Vichi's stellar first in a new mystery series introduces endearingly melancholic Inspector Bordelli . . . [and] delivers a plausible solution worthy of a golden age crime novel. Readers will look forward to seeing more of this flawed hero.'