The Sign of the Cobra

Professor Bartolomeo Trofeini, his wife Brandina, and his assistant Dr. Metello Mondini find themselves inextricably intertwined in a multiple murder investigation.  National and local investigators - and even international police - involve them, along with Bartolomeo’s majestic German Shepherd, Alino, in pursuit of the truth of what happened to the victims.

Follow along with the team as they investigate a series of deaths spanning four countries and three continents which seem to be connected by the mysterious symbol found near each one of the deceased.

What’s the connection among the victims?  What’s the significance of the images at the crime scenes?  Can Profressor Trofeini and his companions solve the riddle of “The Sign of the Cobra?”

About the Author

A secular Franciscan within the Roman Catholic Church, much of Francesco Chiappelli's works reflect Franciscan spirituality. He is also a scientist and emeritus professor at UCLA, Center for Health Sciences. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed scientific papers, in addition to chapters and books on topics as wide-ranging as biostatistics, translational healthcare and molecular immunology. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, one of the few overseas Fellows of the Royal Society of Medicine and a Fulbright alumnus.

He values science as the pursuit of our abilities to think and to reason, but believes that this ability is always secondary to our grace of faith: a person can be a good and sound scientist while remaining true and committed to putting Christ at the center of it all. He views our role as humble instruments to the greater glory of God through, in and with Christ - as majoram Dei gloriam - and thus, while having been a scientist all of his life, he has always tried to follow Christ’s teaching in Franciscan humility.