An enthralling murder investigation set in stunning Alpine scenery where the scheming, shrewd, mercenary of a man in command appears to have materialised from the Dark Ages. Don’t be too hasty to make up your mind though, this is a novel that steadily reels you in, the author is quite happy to set you on a crooked path with dead ends and trip hazards along the way. Deputy Police Chief Rocco Schiavone makes you wonder if a particularly devious criminal mind is required in order to catch one, but is there more to him than initially meets the eye? Translated from Italian, its fascinating to see the differences in police procedures, local politics and village life and as you read, you really are transported to another place. This is a fabulously different slice of crime fiction, that just begs to be consumed in one sitting. ~ Liz Robinson
Already an international hit, a sly, sizzling mystery set in the Italian Alps, the first in a sensational crime series. The dark flanks of the Alps tower over everything. Wind whistles through the fir trees. An expanse of ice and snow with no end in sight. A growing stain. A mess of flesh and blood. A corpse buried six inches under the snow. Enter Rocco Schiavone, Deputy Police Chief and a man who has more beautiful women in his bed than sensible shoes under it. He's stuck in this backwards Alpine town after getting on the wrong side of the wrong people and longs for the fritto misto, cobbled streets and lucky breaks of his beloved Rome. He hates this place and the provincial locals almost as much as his superiors for their petty rules and for exiling him here. On top of that, he's got a body to deal with and this mangled corpse is a pain in the ass, number 10 on the scale, summa cum laude ...There is blood on the black run and nothing to identify the victim but a tattoo of Luisa Pec, owner of a bar popular with the locals and a pair of blue eyes popular with Rocco. Was it a crime of passion? Or of jealousy? And how are the mafia involved? Rocco Schivone is on the case, the first in a sensational new crime series.
'Uomo Vogue 'A writing style that captivates' La Gioia
'Corrupt and ingenious, Rocco Schiavone echoes Dudley Smith from L.A. Confidential ... Cinematic and literary' La Stampa
'Rocco Schivone is as bad a cop as Lt. Kojak. Dishonest, potentially violent, intolerant of the rules, but he also has a talent for the job he does ... an unusual character ... Noir with a touch of dark irony' Repubblica
Author
About Antonio Manzini
Antonio Manzini is an actor, screenwriter, director, and the author of two murder mysteries featuring Deputy Police Chief Rocco Schiavone, Black Run is the first of these novels to be translated into English. He lives in Italy.
