The Dogs of Rome
An Alec Blume Novel
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- £5.99
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- £5.99
Publisher Description
An engrossing novel of murder, organized crime, and politics in contemporary Italy - the first in the hit series of Italian crime novels
'A powerful and hugely compelling thriller. Dark, worldly and written with tremendous style and assurance' William Boyd
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Rome. A city where rules are compromised. And compromise rules.
It's one of the hottest days of the year. Chief Inspector Blume is enjoying a rare solitary lunch in a tranquil corner of Trastevere when an unwelcome phone call intrudes with news of a brutal killing a few streets away.
Arturo Clemente is no ordinary victim. His widow is an elected member of the Senate, and Blume arrives at the scene to find enquiries well underway, the case itself apparently clear-cut, a prime suspect quickly identified. Blume must fight to regain control of the investigation, but well acquainted with the city's underworld, he knows from bitter experience that in Rome even a murder enquiry must bow to the rules of politics.
But when worrying shortcuts sanctioned by one of his superiors are uncovered, it seems events are being manipulated from on high. The complex and uncomfortable truth Blume will unravel will shock even him, and his struggle for justice may yet cost more innocent lives...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fitzgerald s impressively plotted debut, the first in a projected contemporary crime series, introduces police chief commissioner Alec Blume, an American expatriate who s been living in Rome for the last 22 years. Since losing both his parents art historians who were shot and killed during a bank robbery on Via Cristoforo Colombo as a teenager, Blume has been a loner of sorts, the proverbial outsider. When someone brutally murders Arturo Clemente, a prominent politician s husband and an animal rights activist who recently exposed a dog-fighting ring, in Clemente s apartment, the flawed but endearing Blume uses his unique perspective to negotiate his way through a labyrinthine minefield that includes crooked cops, unscrupulous politicians, and an ancient city whose very history is steeped in the corruption associated with organized crime. Those who like gritty crime thrillers with a European flair will be well rewarded.
