Like all of Dibdin's books, part of what makes us care is a vivid sense of what foggy streets smell like, or of the delicate sounds of a near-silent remote country hide-out, and part is Zen, a battered moralist who solves cases and then decides on what might be the right thing to do.
When a group of Austrian cavers exploring a network of abandoned military tunnels in the Italian alps come across human remains at the bottom of a deep shaft, everyone assumes the death was accidental - until the still unidentified body is stolen from the morgue and the Defence Ministry puts a news blackout on the case. And is the recent car bombing in Campione d'Italia, a tiny tax haven surrounded on all sides by Switzerland, somehow related? The whole affair has the whiff of political intrigue. That's enough to interest Aurelio Zen's boss at the Interior Ministry, who wants to know who is hiding what from who and why.
The search for the truth leads Zen back into the murky history of post-war Italy and obscure corners of modern-day society to uncover the truth about a crime that everyone thought was as dead and buried as the victim.
About the Author
Michael Dibdin lived in Italy for many years and had 11 Zen books published which continue to entertain readers around the world. He died three years ago. His novels won many awards including the Crime Writers Association Gold Dagger for Ratking.
Industry Reviews
"Gripping.... The tangle of Italia "criminale" and Italia lite is irresistible; and well worth not resisting." --"Los Angeles Times Book Review""A suspenseful, complex mystery that is beautifully written and filled with humor, rich insight and deep feeling." --"The Denver Post" "Dibdin's Italy-based Aurelio Zen tales are among the best in the mystery genreE. Dibdin's a special writer, onw who is a joy to read." --"Boston Globe" "A wholly pleasing and satisfying novel." --"San Jose Mercury News" "Exceptional. . . . If you like your thrillers impeccably written and sharpened with a political edge, Michael Dibdin's Medusa provides everything from car bombs to secret societies to military intrigue. . . . Zen is appealing human, while Dibdin's insights into Italian history, culture and landscape are packed with atmospheric detail enough to keep readers hanging on through the final page." --"San Antonio Express-News " "The mercenary and the political are .
