Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | MYSTERY GRE | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Introducing resourceful park ranger Sebastiano Cangio in the first of a brand-new crime series set against the glorious landscape of Italy's Umbria region.
Sebastiano Cangio has just accepted his dream job as a park ranger in the stunning Sybilline Mountains National Park in central Italy; it's a unique opportunity to study and live amongst the wild mountain wolves he loves so much. But when a series of devastating earthquakes rocks the region, the dream looks set to become a nightmare.
With the area evacuated, the Mafia seize their chance to move in to pursue their own sinister agenda - and Sebastiano finds himself the only person in a position to stop them. As he embarks on a lone mission to protect the beautiful, unspoiled landscape and ensure the survival of the wolf pack, Sebastiano finds himself up against a menacing trail of corruption: a trail that leads all the way to the top.
Author Notes
Husband-and-wife team Michael Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio write together as Michael Gregorio. They live in Spoleto, a small town in central Italy, and are the authors of four highly-acclaimed novels in the Hanno Stiffeniis historical mystery series.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Umbria, Italy, provides the backdrop for this strong first in a new thriller series from Gregorio, the husband-and-wife writing team of Michael Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio (Critique of Criminal Reason and three other mysteries set in Napoleonic-era Prussia). After a powerful earthquake devastates Umbria in the fall of 2009, the 'Ndrangheta, the ruthless Calabrian crime family, starts moving into the region. Against some of the 'Ndrangheta's hit men and drug lords stands young Sebastiano Cangio, who fled to London after witnessing a cold-blooded execution on a beach in his native Calabria and now works as a park ranger in Umbria, a job that allows him to pursue his passion, Apennine wolves. Cangio and his new and resourceful girlfriend, Loredana Salvini, prove worthy foils to the merciless mafiosi. Gregorio effectively captures the grisly incongruities of mob relationships and the hypocrisies of Italian marital accommodations in this stark tale of violent murder and rampant political corruption. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A new park ranger with a secret past seeks peace in the wilderness but instead finds an organized crime blood feud. In early 2011, Sebastiano Cangio, having witnessed a brutal Mafioso murder at Italy's Soverato Beach, flees to London, abandoning his doctoral studies. Longing to return, he's lured back by the seemingly idyllic job of forest ranger in Umbria. Even as his plan is forming, crime heats up in the region as 'Ndrangheta (the Calabrian version of the Mafia) family hit man Corrado Formisano puts several bullets into disloyal drug dealer Andrea Bonnani. Despite the gathering storm, Cangio settles nicely into his new gig and even finds romance with lovely local Loredana. A more jaundiced approach to law enforcement is provided by Gen. Arturo Corsini, the special ops commander known (perhaps ironically) as "The Legend." As recently re-elected mayor Maurizio Truini prepares to double-cross his business partners by approving some unpopular building permits, his pampered wife, Cesira, who battles ennui by shoplifting, nearly discovers the rotting corpse in the boot of her husband's car. The more observant Cangio and the 'Ndrangheta notice the increased appearance of wolves in the area. After steadying himself with copious vino, farmer Roberto Casini calls police to report a body on his property. In his avarice, the mayor may have bitten off more than he can chew, and citizens begin disappearing. The turf gets even bloodier when the hit men turn on each other. Cangio finds himself caught in the middle, with little certainty about whom to trust. This series kickoff by the author of the Hanno Stiffeniis historical mysteries (Unholy Awakening, 2010, etc.) features some deliciously dry humor and a lively, tough-minded plot. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* After witnessing a deadly Mafia hit in his home region of Calabria, Sebastiano Cangio, a student with a lifelong passion for researching the lives of wolves, fears Mafia retribution and flees Italy for London. After a few miserable months as a real-estate agent, Sebastiano is desperate to return home and applies for a job as a park ranger in Umbria, one of Italy's most beautiful and unspoiled regions and, most important, one that's far away from the Mafia. It's a dream job until Sebastiano discovers a body in the park and realizes it has all the marks of a Mafia hit. The local police seem surprisingly unconcerned, and Sebastiano soon realizes he can either look the other way or he can try to fight against the corruption and violence the Mafia will bring to his adopted region. An unexpected but suspicious source of support comes from General Corsini, the head of Italy's secret police, but the odds remain stacked strongly against Sebastiano. Outstanding writing, a suspenseful and terrifying plot, and enough twists to keep even the most seasoned reader guessing, this is a terrific read that belongs in all mystery collections.--Melton, Emily Copyright 2015 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In this series launch from husband-and-wife team Michael Jacob and Daniela De -Gregorio ("Hanno Stiffenis" mysteries), a young park ranger in Umbria faces off against the 'Ndrangheta, a powerful Calabrian crime family. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
