The acclaimed Italian author spins a tale of Renaissance innovation, intrigue and murder in this historical novel about Leonardo da Vinci.October 1493. Florence is still mourning the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Columbus' ships have only recently reached the New World, and Milan is experiencing a renaissance under the leadership of Ludovico il Moro. Not far from Milan's Castle, a peculiar man named Leonardo da Vinci lives above his workshop. Da Vinci d...

"In this enjoyable series debut," four colorful old timers meet regularly a small-town bar in Tuscany, where they gossip, play cards, and solve murders ( Publishers Weekly).At Bar Lume, in a small resort village on the Tuscan coast, between shots of espresso and hands of cards, four old-timers and Massimo the barman wile away the time chatting, arguing, and theorizing about the murder of a young woman in their town.The girl's body was found in a du...

Pellegrino Artusi, the great gastronome and amateur detective, is back.It is 1900 and Pellegrino's famed cookbook is in its fifth edition. Flushed from his fortune and success, our hero joins a weekend party at the Tuscan castle of the wealthy agricultural entrepreneur, Secondo Gazzolo.In this castle of winding corridors, secret passageways and clandestine meetings, Pellegrino finds a curious collection of guests, each with their own purpose for being there...

When a Japanese scientist dies in a Tuscan resort town, four old card players and their favorite bartender investigate in this comic Italian mystery.In the Italian resort town of Pineta, along the Tuscan coast, one might find the sleepy Bar Lume inhabited by its owner Massimo and its elderly regulars engaged in a game of cards. But this is merely a cover for the true activities of this senile squad. In truth, they are at work analyzing, postulating, gossiping, and ...

A New York Times bestseller: The police investigate the death of a veterinarian in Venice, Italy in this "swiftly paced" mystery ( The Seattle Times).When the body of man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Guido Brunetti has little to work with. No local has filed a missing-person report, and no hotel guests have disappeared.The autopsy shows he had suffered from a rare, disfiguring di...

The New York Times–bestselling series continues with the murder of an American soldier in Venice: "This is definitely an author to watch ( Kirkus Reviews).Early one morning, Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young man is fished out of a fetid canal. All clues point to a violent mugging, but for Brunetti the motive of robbery seems altogether too convenient. When something discovered in the ...

The best-selling author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series returns with an irresistible new novel about one man’s adventures in the Italian countryside.Paul Stuart, a renowned food writer, finds himself at loose ends after his longtime girlfriend leaves him for her personal trainer. To cheer him up, Paul’s editor, Gloria, encourages him to finish his latest cookbook on-site in Tuscany, hoping that a change of scenery (plus the occasional truffled pasta and glass of red wi...

"A smart and stylish fast-paced case of intrigue and corruption" in the Venetian-set, New York Times–bestselling mystery series ( Los Angeles Times).After a wealthy elderly woman is found brutally murdered in her Venetian apartment, the police suspect her maid, who has disappeared and is heading for her native Romania. But when it becomes clear the maid could not have had time to kill the old woman before catching her train, Guido Brunetti decides...

The New York Times–bestselling series and its Italian detective explore the seedy underworld of Venice: "Procedural writing at its best" ( The Washington Post).Commissario Guido Brunetti's hopes for a refreshing family holiday in the mountains are once again dashed when a gruesome discovery is made in Marghera—a body so badly beaten the face is completely unrecognizable. Brunetti searches Venice for someone who can identify the corpse but is met w...

Venice's Commissario Brunetti takes on his "most difficult and politically sensitive case to date" in the gripping New York Times–bestselling series ( Booklist ).In Death and Judgment, a truck crashes and spills its dangerous cargo on a treacherous road in the Italian Dolomite mountains. Meanwhile, in Santa Lucia, a prominent international lawyer is found dead aboard an intercity train. Suspecting a conne...

Florence, 1966. The rain is never-ending. When a young boy vanishes on his way home from school the police fear the worst, and Inspector Bordelli begins an increasingly desperate investigation.Then the flood hits. During the night of November 4th, the swollen River Arno, already lapping the arches of the Ponte Vecchio, breaks its banks and overwhelms the city. Streets become rushing torrents, the force of the water sweeping away cars and trees, doors, shutters and anything else in its wake...

A stylish, sun-drenched original short story featuring amateur sleuth Amory Ames and her husband Milo, from the Edgar Award-shortlisted Ashley Weaver.“Amory Ames and her rakish husband Milo might just be the new Nick and Nora Charles.” —Deborah CrombieSurely mysteries and the Mediterranean must be incompatible. The setting was so idyllic, so tranquil and perfect, that it was hard to imagine anything remotely alarming could happen here ....