Translated from Italian by Howard Curtis
Published by Abacus, 2007, 357 pages. Original version published in 2005.

A man is brutally murdered in a shop in Greve, a town near Florence. Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara, head of the Squadra Mobile, is called to investigate. 

The victim, Stefano Micali, worked at a shop selling religious artefacts. He was attacked with a knife during the lunch break, and his face horribly disfigured. He is found by the young priest, Sergio Rotondi, who had gone to the shop.

Then another man is shot dead and again, left with his face horribly disfigured. And then there is a third murder, similar to the others. All three men were gay or bisexual and in their early 30s. Is there a serial killer targeting gay men? Ferrara does not think so: the attacks felt personal.

When Ferrara goes back to talk to Don Sergio, the young priest, he finds out that the priest has disappeared. Father Francesco at the parish church tells Ferrara that Don Sergio has just vanished into thin air. Where is the priest? Why has he gone into hiding?

In the meantime, Ferrara is getting death threats in the mail. Is he being targeted by men whom he put away, or are these letters from the killer, taunting him?

And then there is the American journalist, Mike Ross: young, good-looking with short fair hair and ice-cold eyes. Valentina Preti, a student, finds him interesting. She leaves her lover, Cinzia—the woman she has known since she was a child and with whom she is sharing an apartment in Bologna—to move to Florence because of Mike. She tells Cinzia that she is there to do some research, but in truth Mike has persuaded her to join him. He has found her an apartment there, an apartment that turns out to be in the villa where he lives. Valentina is a little uncomfortable with the arrangement, but she goes along with it. Mike lives on the ground floor, she lives on the second, and the first floor is out of bounds. There had been a fire in the building, Mike tells her, and the first floor was never renovated. But is that really the truth?

The killer is systematic and deliberate, and has clearly planned everything. But as with all carefully laid plans, something goes awry.

You can guess early on who the murderer is—Michele Giuttari does not try to conceal his identity. In spite of this, I found the book hard to put down, and is the reason for the murders is the reveal. Giuttari keeps up the pace, and the book is thoroughly enjoyable.

This is the first book I have read by this well-known Italian crime writer. I will be reading more of his books.