"Were I a TV producer, I would immediately buy Zottia's life rights. Were I an actor, I would play Vattuone’s role (a master of mental cruelty). Were I a reader, I wouldn’t lose time; I’d run to the bookshop.” - Sette, Corriere della Sera Magazine

“A well constructed, enjoyable, page-turning novel.” - il Venerdì

 “A classic mystery novel, Agatha Christie-style, but with no bloodshed.” - Corriere della Sera 

When a retired Latin professor is found dead in a quiet lakeside town, the secrets come spilling out.

In a small village on Lake Orta, four friends meet up every day at the local bar to chronicle the local goings-on. One evening, however, one of them does not show up. A few hours later, Gennaro Vattuone’s son Fabio Massimo, a notary, finds Gennaro’s body on the pier of his villa. Devastated, Fabio calls an old acquaintance, Enea Zottìa, a deputy commissioner from Milan, to help with the investigation. Among Zottìa’s suspects are Gennaro’s three friends: Tancredi, who is lame after a mysterious accident but nevertheless enjoys a passionate relationship with a woman named Giuliana; Mario, who is sunny and outgoing despite having been left by his wife years before; and Stefano, a bad-tempered radiologist. For Zottìa, the investigation enjoins an unexpected and troubled love story. And among his discoveries is that the sculpture of “Spring” in Vattuone’s garden has been rotated, such that her back is to the lake. Is this a message? Did the killer arrive by boat?

Download Press reviews (.pdf)

Link A review on Sette, Corriere della Sera Magazine (.pdf) An interview by la Repubblica (.pdf)