'One of Dibdin's finest . . . Wonderful.' EVENING STANDARD
'Energetically and meticulously written.' GUARDIAN

AN AURELIO ZEN MYSTERY

Aurelio Zen's final case brings him to remote town of Calabria, at the toe of Italy's boot, on what is supposed to be a routine assignment: the death of a scout for an American film company.

But the case is complicated by a group of dangerous strangers who have arrived to uncover another local mystery - buried treasure - and who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. The case rapidly spirals out of control, and Zen must penetrate the code of silence in the tight-knit community in order to solve the crime.

'Clever and exuberantly witty . . . Dibdin is outrageously funny, as always, in conveying Zen's snobby Venetian attitude toward his regional postings.' NEW YORK TIMES
'Ample opportunities for the expression of his dry wit . . . the final entry [in the Zen series] is a very good one indeed.' INDEPENDENT
'One of the genre's best stylists . . . This combination of gritty violence, often wildly funny satire, and wonderful descriptive writing has been the hallmark of Dibdin's Zen novels.' GUARDIAN

'Superbly written thriller.' 5* reader review
'Probably the most enjoyable of the Zen series, it provides an insight of Italy rarely accomplished by any author.' 5* reader review
'Such a good read.' 5* reader review
'Brilliantly plotted, very exciting.' 5* reader review

PRAISE FOR MICHAEL DIBDIN AND THE INSPECTOR ZEN SERIES:
'He wrote with real fire.' IAN RANKIN
'A maestro of crime writing.' SUNDAY TIMES
'One of the genre's finest stylists . . . And Zen himself is a masterly creation: he is anti-heroic and pragmatic but obstinate, cunning and positively burdened with integrity.' GUARDIAN
'Dibdin tells a rollicking good tale that you want both to read fast, because of its gripping storyline, and to linger over, to savour the evocative descriptions of place and mood.' INDEPENDENT
'One of British crime fiction's most distinguished and distinctive voices.' ANDREW TAYLOR
'Dibdin has a gift for shocking the unshockable reader.' Ruth Rendell
'Zen is one of the greatest creations of contemporary crime fiction.' OBSERVER
'I love the way these books capture the atmosphere and contradictions of Italy.' 5* reader review
'Aurelio Zen novels are a great treat.' 5* reader review
'There is no better writer than Dibdin. His books are a joy to read.' 5* reader review
'Love these books . . . I am sure you will get hooked too!' 5* reader review

Supremely talented and enormously witty.
-- Globe and Mail
One of an elite cadre of crime fiction writers for whom literary critics break out all of their favorite adjectives.
-- January Magazine
Michael Dibdin' s policiers are more addictive than crack cocaine.
-- The Guardian (U.K.)
[Dibdin] remains a class act, his vignettes of Italy as sharp as ever, his laconic hero impossible to resist.
-- Sunday Telegraph (U.K.)
Supremely talented and enormously witty.
-- Globe and Mail
One of an elite cadre of crime fiction writers for whom literary critics break out all of their favorite adjectives.
-- January Magazine
Michael Dibdin ' s policiers are more addictive than crack cocaine.
-- The Guardian (U.K.)
[Dibdin] remains a class act, his vignettes of Italy as sharp as ever, his laconic hero impossible to resist.
-- Sunday Telegraph (U.K.)
Supremely talented and enormously witty.
-- Globe and Mail
One of an elite cadre of crime fiction writers for whom literary critics break out all of their favorite adjectives.
-- January Magazine
Michael Dibdin's policiers are more addictive than crack cocaine.
-- The Guardian (U.K.)
[Dibdin] remains a class act, his vignettes of Italy as sharp as ever, his laconic hero impossible to resist.
-- Sunday Telegraph (U.K.)
Didbin's Italy-based Aurelio Zen tales are among the best in the mystery genre.
-- The Boston Globe
Didbin has an abundance of gifts: bracing wit, the ability to wring unexpected poignance out of dark comedy, and a gift for striking imagery.
-- The Wall Street Journal
Didbin belongs to that hierarchy of innovative stylists who make it a point of honor never to repeat a singal trick.
-- The New York Times Book Review
Didbin's work deserves comparison with such...giants as Raymond Chandler.
-- The Oregonian
Didbin is esential reading for those who love mysteries and Italy without illusions.
-- The Washington Post

From the Hardcover edition.

Michael Dibdin was born in 1947, and attended schools in Scotland and Ireland and universities in England and Canada. He is the author of the internationally bestselling Inspector Zen Mystery series. The first novel in the series, Ratking, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger. Other titles in the series include Medusa, Back to Bologna and End Games. He died in 2007.