Medusa: An Aurilio Zen Mystery: 9 (Aurelio Zen Mystery) - Softcover

Dibdin, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1400076080 ISBN 13: 9781400076086

Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group, 2005

Synopsis

After a decomposed body is discovered in an abandoned military tunnel, Inspector Aurelio Zen travels north to the Italian Alps to investigate. At first glance, the death appears to have been an accident. But when Zen takes a closer look, a mysterious tattoo begins to tell a much more sinister tale, especially after the body is snatched from the morgue. As Zen races to discover the inner workings of a clandestine military organization named Medusa, he is reminded of just how lethal Italian history can be.

Medusa takes us on an exploration of the dark history of post-war Italy and a modern-day sightseeing tour of what Zen calls Italia Lite. In the urbane and pragmatic Zen, world-class mystery novelist Michael Dibdin has given us a detective unlike any other. And in this latest installment of this critically acclaimed series, we are treated to a mystery that drips with intrigue and a thriller so satisfying the pages cannot be turned fast enough.

About this title

Review

"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 genreÉ. 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 . . . sinisterly intertwined. . . . Dibdin is essential reading for those who love mysteries and Italy without illusions." --The Washington Post

"Tense and elegantly plotted." --Newsday

"Dibdin is superb at evoking the exaggerated politics of an era of Italian turmoil and uncertainty. He has always been a master of ambiguous atmosphere, and Medusa is a splendid example of his writing and plotting excellence, as well as his social and political acuity." --The Times (London)

"Remarkable [in the] depth and breadth of its on-the-ground detail." --The New York Times Book Review

"Crime writers don't get much better than Michael Dibdin. . . . His prose is characteristically supple, expressive and seductive." --The Independent (London)

"[Zen is] a wonderful creation. . . . Dibdin's characters, his wit, his comedy and his loving description of the details of Italian life make this book a special treat." --Pittsburg Post-Gazette

"Atmospheric. . . . [A] well-crafted literary mystery." --Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"[Dibdin] delves so deeply into Italy's unsavory past and distinctly dodgy present it will have you choking on your grappa. . . . [His] writing is rich with the kind of texture that comes from a profound love of place. There is horror in Medusa, and some unforgettable images of fear, but beneath Dibdin's authorial harshness there lies a tender poetic sensibility. The combination is every bit as effective as Zen's unorthodox methods of detection." --The Herald (Glasgow)

"Seductive. . . Very satisfying. . . . Plunge[s] into the murky politics of Italy in the 1970s." --Hartford Advocate

"One of the most adrenaline-producing outings for Aurelio Zen in some time." --The Express (London)

"Dibdin's work deserves comparison with such . . . giants as Raymond Chandler." --The Oregonian
"A detective who can slip the boundaries of genre without losing the pace of the chase, from a writer capable of giving a tangible substance to his creations' habitats and haunts." --The Independent on Sunday (London)

"Slick. . . . Dibdin is a master of his craft." --Roanoke Times

Book Description

The ninth outing for Dibdin's Italian cop Aurelio Zen ranks right up there with such earlier triumphs in the series as Cabal and Dead.

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1400076080
• ISBN 13: 9781400076086
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 259