âEscapism of a high order.â INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
âA slyly intelligent page turner.â PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
AN AURELIO ZEN MYSTERY
When a group of Austrian cavers in the Italian Alps come across human remains at the bottom of a deep shaft, everyone assumes the death was accidental â" until the still unidentified body is stolen from the morgue and the Defence Ministry puts a news blackout on the case. The whole affair has the whiff of political intrigue.
That''s enough to interest Aurelio Zen''s boss at the Interior Ministry, who wants to know who is hiding what from who and why. The search for the truth leads Zen into the murky history of post-war Italy and obscure corners of modern-day society to uncover the truth about a crime that everyone thought was as dead and buried as the victim.
âAs the plot quickens, we are soon deep in Dibdinâs favourite territory: the murky political conflicts of Italyâs past and the oily chicanery of its present.â SUNDAY TIMES
âDibdin''s misanthropic wit finds plenty to play with.â GUARDIAN
âA terrific detective story.â 5* reader review
âBeautifully written . . . You get a real sense of the turbulence in the Italian state during that era.â 5* reader review
âMEDUSA is the best I''ve read so far, with a complex but pleasing plot.â 5* reader review
PRAISE FOR MICHAEL DIBDIN AND THE INSPECTOR ZEN SERIES:
âHe wrote with real fire.â IAN RANKIN
âA maestro of crime writing.â SUNDAY TIMES
âOne of the genreâs finest stylists . . . And Zen himself is a masterly creation: he is anti-heroic and pragmatic but obstinate, cunning and positively burdened with integrity.â GUARDIAN
âDibdin 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.â INDEPENDENT
âOne of British crime fictionâs most distinguished and distinctive voices.â ANDREW TAYLOR
âDibdin has a gift for shocking the unshockable reader.â Ruth Rendell
âZen is one of the greatest creations of contemporary crime fiction.â OBSERVER
âI love the way these books capture the atmosphere and contradictions of Italy.â 5* reader review
âAurelio Zen novels are a great treat.â 5* reader review
âThere is no better writer than Dibdin. His books are a joy to read.â 5* reader review
âLove these books . . . I am sure you will get hooked too!â 5* reader review
Industry Reviews
"Gripping.... The tangle of Italia "criminale" and Italia lite is irresistible; and well worth not resisting." --"Los Angeles Times Book Review""A suspenseful, complex mystery that is beautifully written and filled with humor, rich insight and deep feeling." --"The Denver Post" "Dibdin's Italy-based Aurelio Zen tales are among the best in the mystery genreE. Dibdin's a special writer, onw who is a joy to read." --"Boston Globe" "A wholly pleasing and satisfying novel." --"San Jose Mercury News" "Exceptional. . . . If you like your thrillers impeccably written and sharpened with a political edge, Michael Dibdin's Medusa provides everything from car bombs to secret societies to military intrigue. . . . Zen is appealing human, while Dibdin's insights into Italian history, culture and landscape are packed with atmospheric detail enough to keep readers hanging on through the final page." --"San Antonio Express-News " "The mercenary and the political are .
