An Enigma by the Sea

“Doyens of the Italian detective story, Fruttero and Lucentini, offer a perfect blend of the comedy of manners and the macabre; in short, very Mediterranean mysteries.” Tim Parks, author of Hotel Milano and Italian Life

In an exclusive resort on the Tuscan coast, the wealthy elite gather at their luxurious second homes for Christmas. Amid this frosty holiday idyll, a husband and wife vanish from their heavily guarded villa, and the body of Count Delaude, a dubious aristocrat, washes up on the shore, battered to death.

The ensemble cast brims with intrigue: The count, a sponger and a sham had arrived under cover of dark with a beautiful young woman scheming to be a top model. Two comedians seclude themselves as they try to overcome a writing block. One depressive, Signor Monforti, a retired academic, tries to woo a beautiful divorcee, while another, a woman this time, prepares to leave her husband. Two elderly spinsters and their Filipina maid are aghast at the awful predictions of their Tarot pack. With the local police floundering, it falls to Monforti to unravel the mystery, triumphing as an amateur detective.

John Powers on NPR's Fresh Air: " Brilliant. Masters of the light fantastic, Fruttero and Lucentini roll out their mystery with the slyest of touches."

“A sophisticated thriller—consistently funny. These are superbly deadpan observers of humanity.” Literary Review

A juicily acerbic mystery that’s more lurid soap opera than whodunit. ——Kirkus Reviews

“In this well-plotted thriller by Italian duo Fruttero and Lucentini, translated into English for the first time, a private seaside idyll for the wealthy and reclusive becomes the scene of a shocking crime. Featuring a quirky ensemble cast and an erudite amateur detective, this charming tale is sure to please a wide variety of readers.”—CrimeReads