The Sinner (56 page)

THE MANNEQUIN MAN

Luca Di Fulvio

Shortlisted for the European Crime Writing Prize

"Di Fulvio exposes souls with the skills of a surgeon, It's like
turning the pages of something forbidden - seduction,
elegant and dangerous." Alan Rickman

"Know why she's smiling?" he asked, pointing a small torch at the
corpse. "Fish hooks. Two fish hooks at the corners of her mouth, a bit
of nylon, pull it round the back of the head and tie a knot. Pretty
straightforward, right?" Amaldi noticed the metallic glint at the
corners of the taut mouth.

Inspector Amaldi has enough problems. A city choked by a
pestilent rubbish strike, a beautiful student harassed by
a telephone stalker, a colleague dying of cancer and the
mysterious disappearance of arson files concerning the city's
orphanage. Then the bodies begin to appear.

This novel of violence and decay, with its vividly portrayed
characters, takes place over a few oppressive weeks in an
unnamed Italian city that strongly evokes Genoa.

The Italian press refers to Di Fulvio as a grittier, Italian
Thomas Harris, and Eyes of Crystal, the film of the novel, was
launched at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

" A novel that caresses and kisses in order to violate the
reader with greater ease." Rolling Stone

"A powerful psycho-thriller of spine-shivering intensity ...
written with immense intelligence and passionate menace.
Not to be read alone at night." The Times

"A wonderful first novel that will seduce the fans of
deranged murderers in the style of Hannibal Lecter. And
beautifully written to boot." RTL

SOMEONE ELSE

Tonino Benacquista

"A great read from one of France's best crime writers.
A tale peppered with humour, unpredictable twists and a
healthy dose of suspense. It all makes for a cracking read,
with witty insights into the vagaries of human nature."
Guardian

Who hasn't wanted to become "someone else"? The person
you've always wanted to be ... the person who won't give up
half way to your dreams and desires?

One evening two men who have just met at a Paris tennis
club make a bet: they give each other exactly three years to
radically alter their lives. Thierry, a picture framer with a
steady clientele, has always wanted to be a private investigator. Nicolas is a shy, teetotal executive trying not to fall off
the corporate ladder. But becoming someone else is not
without risk; at the very least, the risk of finding yourself.

"Benacquista writes with humor and verve. This novel is less
a mystery than a deftly constructed diptych of existential
escapism: each story offers a unique map to new possibilities
in the midst of suffocating lives." Rain "Taxi

"This has been a big hit in France, and it is easy to see why -
Thierry's attempts to slip into a story by Simenon and
Nicolas's explosive encounter with vodka make for
unexpected, cynical comedy." The Times

"Exuberantly written, Benacquista's book is another triumph
for the genre-bending approach to crime fiction."
'T'angled Web

Winner of the RTL-LIRE Prize.

A WALK IN THE DARK

Gianrico Carofiglio

"Carofiglio writes crisp, ironical novels that are as much love
stories and philosophical treatises as they are legal thrillers."
New Yorker

When Martina accuses her ex-boyfriend - the son of a powerful local judge - of assault and battery, no witnesses can be
persuaded to testify on her behalf and one lawyer after
another refuses to represent her. Guido Guerrieri knows the
case could bring his legal career to a premature and messy
end but he cannot resist the appeal of a hopeless cause. Nor
deny an attraction to Sister Claudia, the young woman in
charge of the shelter where Martina is living, who shares his
love of martial arts and his virulent hatred of injustice.

Gianrico Carofiglio is an anti-Mafia prosecutor in southern
Italy. A Walk in the Dark, his second novel featuring defence
counsel Guerrieri, follows on from the success of Involuntary
Witness.

PRAISE FOR A WALK IN THE DARK

"This novel raises the standard for crime fiction. Carofiglio's
deft touch has given us a story that is both literary and
gritty - and one that speeds along like the best legal
thrillers. His insights into human nature - good and bad -
are breathtaking." Jeffery Deaver

"A Walk in the Dark, features an engagingly complex,
emotional and moody defence lawyer, Guido Guerrieri, who
takes on cases shunned by his colleagues. In passing,
Carofiglio provides a fascinating insight into the workings of
the Italian criminal justice system." Observer

"Part legal thriller, part insight into a man fighting his own
demons. Every character in Carofiglio's fiction has a story to
tell and they are always worth hearing ... this powerfully
affecting novel benefits from veracity as well as tight
writing." Daily Mail