War is raging in southern Italy in the early nineties: anti-mafia judges are being killed in roadside explosions; dead criminals, the victims of internecine warfare, are littering the streets; and the police have no idea who is fighting whom.
Maresciallo Pietro Fenoglio, an officer of the Carabinieri, must contend with the gang war while his marriage falls apart. When the young son of a mafia boss is found dead, and the suspected killer agrees to collaborate with the authorities to bring down the Apulian mafia, it seems like justice will prevail. But the mystery of the boy's murder must still be solved, leading Fenoglio into a world of deep moral ambiguity, where the prosecutors are hard to distinguish from the prosecuted.
Inspired by a true story, The Cold Summer is Carofiglio's most hard-hitting novel yet.
Gianrico Carofiglio is one of Italy's bestselling authors. He was previously a member of the Italian senate and an anti-mafia prosecutor in Bari. His books have sold more than five million copies in Italy and have been translated into twenty-seven languages.
Howard Curtis has translated more than sixty books from French, Italian and Spanish. He lives in London.
'Carofiglio's engaging main character...Fenoglio is a sensitive, polished figure who has managed to keep his idealism intact in a career meant to break it; he is as comfortable philosophising as he is citing the public safety code.' Kirkus Reviews
'Carofiglio raises the standard for crime fiction. His insights into human nature are breathtaking.' Jeffery Deaver
'As exacting and contemplative as any crime writer I can think of.' Washington Post
'Gianrico Carofiglio offers an unusually detailed and fascinating portrait, far beyond the cliches of crime families and godfathers... along with a contrasting portrait of how the criminal organization and the police define and control reality.' LA Review of Books
