The iconic Inspector De Vincenzi makes his debut in this classic Italian murder mystery set in 1930s Milan
When a body is discovered in a Milan apartment, Inspector De Vincenzi is on the case. The apartment happens to belong to an old university friend, Aurigi—and the body turns out to be that of Aurigi's banker. The eventual discovery of a phial of prussic acid casts even more suspiscion upon the apartment’s owner, leaving De Vincenzi torn between his sense of duty and his loyalty to an old comrade . . .
This intensely dramatic mystery from the father of the Italian crime novel, Augusto de Angelis, is the first to feature his most famous creation—Inspector De Vincenzi.
'As humane as Maigret, as romantic as Marlowe, as intellectual as Philo Vance, yet stubbornly Italian' Oreste Del Buono
'De Vicenzi, is an investigator who doesn't stop at the material evidence, but digs with uncommon passion in the psyche of his characters, and the atmosphere in which they live and operate... a rare delight' Corriere Della Sera
'Compared to the mediocre rubbish published during his time by way of detective stories, De Angelis is a notable exception: for his literary talent, for his innovation of the genre, for his narrative technique (the detective story is 'all action, tense, vibrant, frenetic, extremely calculated" he theorised, expertly putting his theory into practice) and for the modernity of the figure of Commissario De Vincenzi, rigorous reasoner, philosopher in his heart, a committed reader, and true master of his clients' psychology' Il Giornale
Augusto De Angelis (1888-1944) was an Italian novelist and journalist, most famous for his series of detective novels featuring Commissario Carlo De Vincenzi. His cultured protagonist was enormously popular in Italy, but the Fascist government of the time considered him an enemy, and during the Second World War he was imprisoned by the authorities. Shortly after his release he was beaten up by a Fascist activist and died from his injuries.
The iconic Inspector De Vincenzi makes his debut in this classic Italian murder mystery set in 1930s Milan
When a body is discovered in a Milan apartment, Inspector De Vincenzi is on the case. The apartment happens to belong to an old university friend, Aurigi—and the body turns out to be that of Aurigi's banker. The eventual discovery of a phial of prussic acid casts even more suspiscion upon the apartment’s owner, leaving De Vincenzi torn between his sense of duty and his loyalty to an old comrade . . .
This intensely dramatic mystery from the father of the Italian crime novel, Augusto de Angelis, is the first to feature his most famous creation—Inspector De Vincenzi.
Reviews
'As humane as Maigret, as romantic as Marlowe, as intellectual as Philo Vance, yet stubbornly Italian' Oreste Del Buono
'De Vicenzi, is an investigator who doesn't stop at the material evidence, but digs with uncommon passion in the psyche of his characters, and the atmosphere in which they live and operate... a rare delight' Corriere Della Sera
'Compared to the mediocre rubbish published during his time by way of detective stories, De Angelis is a notable exception: for his literary talent, for his innovation of the genre, for his narrative technique (the detective story is 'all action, tense, vibrant, frenetic, extremely calculated" he theorised, expertly putting his theory into practice) and for the modernity of the figure of Commissario De Vincenzi, rigorous reasoner, philosopher in his heart, a committed reader, and true master of his clients' psychology' Il Giornale
Author
Augusto De Angelis (1888-1944) was an Italian novelist and journalist, most famous for his series of detective novels featuring Commissario Carlo De Vincenzi. His cultured protagonist was enormously popular in Italy, but the Fascist government of the time considered him an enemy, and during the Second World War he was imprisoned by the authorities. Shortly after his release he was beaten up by a Fascist activist and died from his injuries.
