‘An English private investigator with local establishment connections and a potent mix of doggedness and naïveté. You can smell the ragu… You can feel the fear of those who fall foul of the ancient families and the police. A terrific read’ – Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Bologna: city of secrets, suspicion . . . and murder
When the body of a radical protestor is found floating in one of Bologna’s underground canals, it seems that most of the city is ready to blame the usual suspects: the police.
But when private investigator Daniel Leicester, son-in-law to the former chief of police, receives a call from the dead man’s lover, he follows a trail that begins in the 1970s and leads all the way to the rotten heart of the present-day political establishment.
Beneath the beauty of the city, Bologna has a dark underside, and English detective Daniel must unravel a web of secrets, deceit and corruption – before he is caught in it himself.
———-
Praise for A Quiet Death in Italy:
‘Tom Benjamin is an excellent writer of Italian noir… a novel that flies by, page after page… set in an enchanted Bologna, celebrating and illustrating its art, cuisine and architectural wonders’ – Italia Oggi
‘The locale is brought to life . . . the plot keeps you guessing’ – The Times
‘A slow-burning, tense and brooding thriller’ – The Herald Scotland
‘Tom Benjamin’s debut novel blows the lid off a political cauldron in which Leftist agitators, property moguls, the police and city elders struggle for survival and dominance’ – Daily Mail
‘It’s an immensely promising debut, which leaves the reader feeling they really know the city’ – Morning Star
———-
A dark and atmospheric crime thriller set in the beautiful Italian city of Bologna, perfect for fans of Donna Leon, Michael Dibdin and Philip Gwynne Jones.
———-
Bologna: city of secrets, suspicion . . . and murder
When the body of a radical protestor is found floating in one of Bologna’s underground canals, it seems that most of the city is ready to blame the usual suspects: the police.
But when private investigator Daniel Leicester, son-in-law to the former chief of police, receives a call from the dead man’s lover, he follows a trail that begins in the 1970s and leads all the way to the rotten heart of the present-day political establishment.
Beneath the beauty of the city, Bologna has a dark underside, and English detective Daniel must unravel a web of secrets, deceit and corruption – before he is caught in it himself.
———-
Praise for A Quiet Death in Italy:
‘Tom Benjamin is an excellent writer of Italian noir… a novel that flies by, page after page… set in an enchanted Bologna, celebrating and illustrating its art, cuisine and architectural wonders’ – Italia Oggi
‘The locale is brought to life . . . the plot keeps you guessing’ – The Times
‘A slow-burning, tense and brooding thriller’ – The Herald Scotland
‘Tom Benjamin’s debut novel blows the lid off a political cauldron in which Leftist agitators, property moguls, the police and city elders struggle for survival and dominance’ – Daily Mail
‘It’s an immensely promising debut, which leaves the reader feeling they really know the city’ – Morning Star
———-
A dark and atmospheric crime thriller set in the beautiful Italian city of Bologna, perfect for fans of Donna Leon, Michael Dibdin and Philip Gwynne Jones.
Reviews
A gritty page-turner . . . an absorbing read
The locale is brought to life, the characters come formed by their environment and history, and the plot keeps you guessing - even when you think you know what's coming. Promising start to a Bologna-set series
Benjamin gloriously evokes the porticoes and palazzos of the medieval city, along with its radical tradition and the corruption in the police, in a slow-burning, tense and brooding thriller which boasts the atmosphere and attention to detail that could only spring from a genuine love of the location
