Michael Dibdin (1947–2007)

Do you like wine or truffles? This is a murder mystery centered around both delicacies in Alba, a small hill town in northern Italy. Aurelio Zen has been sent from the big city of Rome to aid in an unusual case. Instead of finding the real killer, he is to clear the name of a winemaker accused of (and jailed for) killing his father. Only when Zen gets to Alba, the murder case of Also Vincenzo is "solved" without his contribution or nosey interference. Strange. When the authorities try to rush him out of town he grows even more suspicious and decides to stick around. The town intrigues him and he is no hurry to leave. It becomes even more mysterious when subsequently two more people die. One by suicide and one by accident...or so it seems.
The more I read about Zen the more I remembered his character from Cosi Fan Tutti. He is still a very complicated man. He is prone to sleepwalking to the point of serious injury. When he starts receiving strange calls he doesn't know about phone devices that can disguise voices. As a police officer, this detail surprised me. He has the ability to become unglued at a moment's notice. An act or truth, I could not tell. He might have fathered a child out of wedlock. He doesn't always have the best intentions but other times he will surprise you.… (more)

1855 in Florence, Italy –
An area nicked-named “paradise of exiles” is currently dealing with an unusually high number of deaths. Six murders in the expat neighbourhood with no solutions.

The story is told in the form of letters from one Robert Booth, from America, to his friend Professor Prescott.

Booth has managed to get accepted into the social circle of Robert Browning (yes, the poet) and is considered a friend by Browning. When Browning takes it upon himself to investigate the first murder, Booth partners to help.

The first murder victim is a woman Booth was deeply in love with sometime back, so he feels he should help Browning. Five more murders occur and the investigations continue.

The plot is a bit tricky to follow, but reading it you feel you are back in that period. Characters, descriptions and events are well written. Great for readers who enjoy period writings of this era.

The solution is a read head turner!… (more)