The sequel to the critically acclaimed Death in August, which finds Inspector Bordelli facing a nightmarish murder mysteryApril 1964, and the cruelest month is breeding bad weather and worse news. And plenty of disturbing news is coming to Florence detective Inspector Bordelli. Bordelli’s friend, Casimiro, insists he’s discovered the body of a man in a field above Fiesole. Bordelli races to the scene,but doesn’t find any sign of a corpse.Only a couple of days later, a little girl is found at Villa Ventaglio. She has been strangled, and there is a horrible bite mark on her belly. Then another young girl is found murdered,with the same macabre signature.And meanwhile Casimiro has disappeared without a trace.This new investigation marks the start of one of the darkes tperiods of Bordelli’s life: a nightmare without end, as black as the sky above Florence.**From BooklistVichi’s Florence in the 1960s, as seen in his Inspector Bordelli series, feels like a tour through Dante’s Inferno—the city is still pockmarked from WWII, and the inhabitants of the neighborhoods Bordelli travels through are filled with gang members, ­prostitutes, petty thieves, smugglers, and, in the latest, a killer who is evil incarnate. Inspector Bordelli, himself a veteran still shaken by his experiences fighting for both Axis and Allies in the war, is melancholy and reflective, a perfect guide through this world. Here a string of sad discoveries starts when Bordelli’s friend Casimiro reports finding the body of a man in an olive grove outside Florence. Nothing is there when the inspector and Casimiro return to the scene. Then Casimiro goes missing and is found grotesquely slain. This is followed by a heart-stopping series of child kidnappings. Vichi weaves all these strands together into a complicated tale that keeps the suspense mounting, and his incorporation of his Italian father’s war stories into the text makes a wonderful addition to the novel. --Connie Fletcher Review“Bordelli is stubborn, womanless, cynical and impatient,but strangely appealing.” (The Times (London)) “Discovering a new detective is a bit like making a new friend. A real find for anyone who likes their crime novels atmospheric, discursive, humorous, and thought-provoking.” (The Guardian) “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 remains the character of Inspector Bordelli, a disillusioned anti-hero who is difficult to forget.” (Andrea Camilleri)

Florence, October 1966. The rain is never-ending. When a young boy vanishes on his way home from school the police fear the worst, and Inspector Bordelli begins an increasingly desperate investigation. Then the flood hits. During the night of 4th November the swollen River Arno, already lapping the arches of the Ponte Vecchio, breaks its banks and overwhelms the city. Streets become rushing torrents, the force of the water sweeping away cars and trees, doors, shutters and anything else in its wake. In the aftermath of this unimaginable tragedy the mystery of the child's disappearance seems destined to go unsolved. But obstinate as ever, Bordelli is not prepared to give up.

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Death in August, which finds Inspector Bordelli facing a nightmarish murder mysteryApril 1964, and the cruelest month is breeding bad weather and worse news. And plenty of disturbing news is coming to Florence detective Inspector Bordelli. Bordelli’s friend, Casimiro, insists he’s discovered the body of a man in a field above Fiesole. Bordelli races to the scene,but doesn’t find any sign of a corpse.Only a couple of days later, a little girl is found at Villa Ventaglio. She has been strangled, and there is a horrible bite mark on her belly. Then another young girl is found murdered,with the same macabre signature.And meanwhile Casimiro has disappeared without a trace.This new investigation marks the start of one of the darkes tperiods of Bordelli’s life: a nightmare without end, as black as the sky above Florence.**From BooklistVichi’s Florence in the 1960s, as seen in his Inspector Bordelli series, feels like a tour through Dante’s Inferno—the city is still pockmarked from WWII, and the inhabitants of the neighborhoods Bordelli travels through are filled with gang members, ­prostitutes, petty thieves, smugglers, and, in the latest, a killer who is evil incarnate. Inspector Bordelli, himself a veteran still shaken by his experiences fighting for both Axis and Allies in the war, is melancholy and reflective, a perfect guide through this world. Here a string of sad discoveries starts when Bordelli’s friend Casimiro reports finding the body of a man in an olive grove outside Florence. Nothing is there when the inspector and Casimiro return to the scene. Then Casimiro goes missing and is found grotesquely slain. This is followed by a heart-stopping series of child kidnappings. Vichi weaves all these strands together into a complicated tale that keeps the suspense mounting, and his incorporation of his Italian father’s war stories into the text makes a wonderful addition to the novel. --Connie Fletcher Review“Bordelli is stubborn, womanless, cynical and impatient,but strangely appealing.” (The Times (London)) “Discovering a new detective is a bit like making a new friend. A real find for anyone who likes their crime novels atmospheric, discursive, humorous, and thought-provoking.” (The Guardian) “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 remains the character of Inspector Bordelli, a disillusioned anti-hero who is difficult to forget.” (Andrea Camilleri)

Florence, October 1966. The rain is never-ending. When a young boy vanishes on his way home from school, the police fear the worst, and Inspector Bordelli begins an increasingly desperate investigation.Then the flood hits. During the night of 4th November the swollen River Arno, already lapping the arches of the Ponte Vecchio, breaks its banks and overwhelms the city. Streets become rushing torrents, the force of the water sweeping away cars and trees, doors, shutters and anything else in its wake.In the aftermath of this unimaginable tragedy, the mystery of the child's disappearance seems destined to go unsolved. But obstinate as ever, Bordelli is not prepared to give up.

Florence, 1965. A man is found murdered, a pair of scissors stuck through his throat. Only one thing is known about him—he was a loan shark, who ruined and blackmailed the vulnerable men and women who would come to him for help.Inspector Bordelli prepares to launch a murder investigation. But the case will be a tough one for him, arousing mixed emotions: the desire for justice conflicting with a deep hostility for the victim. And he is missing his young police sidekick, Piras, who is convalescing at his parents' home in Sardinia.But Piras hasn't been recuperating for long before he too has a mysterious death to death with . . .