Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} by Intrigue in the Alto Adige. Yes, a thriller. Or a detective story, if that sounds more dignified. This column does not write about the genre on the grounds that it has not read one since 1987, and that there is a far more experienced critic of this type of book elsewhere in these pages. But Dibdin writes the kind of policiers that get reviewed in the TLS, and the latest one had just dropped through the letterbox, and I was going on holiday, and this is the kind of thing you're meant to read on holiday. I now begin to understand the attraction. Like a pensioner discovering crack cocaine and liking it, I wonder at the wasted years I have spent not reading thrillers. I could have been having so much more fun. The books I tend to read and approve of do not have quite so many dead bodies, nail-biting chases, sinister conspiracies, or world-weary exposés of the cynical corruption at the heart of the body politic. All these, Dibdin has. I had already, through skimming the reviews, learned that he had a hero called Aurelio Zen, a Venetian detective who is, in his quiet way, a bit of an epicure (fussy about his food and fags, likes a spot of grappa), something of a lone wolf, wholly moral, but not above annoying his superiors or bending the rules to achieve results. Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean. From what I recall of the genre, this applies, mutatis mutandis, to every detective since Sherlock Holmes. One wonders if there is a market for stories about cheerful, gregarious detectives with happy home lives who eat and drink any old crap and do everything by the book. So Zen may be a cliché - but he's a very refined version of one. Dibdin has been both clever and brave to make him not just Italian but Venetian - he has to negotiate the fantastically complex networks of corruption and regional and political rivalry that make up the central nervous system of Italy. Moreover, Italy has conspiracies the way dogs have fleas, so the idea of a moral Italian policeman is almost funny - and Dibdin knows this. Recent developments make the comedy both richer and darker. At one point, asking whether an old pal isn't doing something illegal, Zen receives a reply giving concise details of Silvio Berlusconi's breathtaking response to the crimes he has been accused of. (Basically, making them no longer crimes.) "And you're asking me if what I'm doing is illegal?" Medusa begins with the discovery of a body in an abandoned military tunnel - only it has been lying there for 30 years or so. Pretty soon people are being bumped off in sinister fashions, and Zen starts poking his nose in and annoying people at the highest level. At which point I realise that not only does the plot summary sound unavoidably like a string of non-surprises, it does a disservice to the book as well as spoiling the pleasure of finding out for yourself what happens next. Further research into Dibdin's Zen - I asked Faber to send me the rest, and have now inhaled five of them - indicates that the books are, basically, like going on holiday in Italy but without being bitten by mosquitoes, while at the same time learning about the seamy side of Italian politics and institutions. Not that there is any other side, it seems, even if sometimes the corruption or conspiracy happens by sheer accident. Zen travels all over the place, allowing him to annoy superiors in a variety of atmospheric locations. The ultimate punishment, it would appear, is a posting to Sicily. In Medusa he is at the other end of the country, in the Alto Adige, the mountainous region next to Austria, inhabited by resentful Germanophones. But this is really a sideline to the book's real interest: the fallout from the battles between the military and the Italian left in the 60s. Even without the murder element, it is a useful look at history, and so knowledgeable that you could be fooled for thinking it had been expertly translated from the Italian. I suspect that this is a deliberate policy. I wonder: how well does Zen go down in Italy? Medusa. JACKET NOTES: When a group of Austrian cavers exploring a network of abandoned military tunnels in the Italian Alps come across human remains at the bottom of a deep shaft, everyone as sumes the death was accidental--until the still unidentified body is stolen from the morgue and the Defence Ministry puts a news blackout on the case. And is the recent car bombing in Campione D'Italia, a tiny tax haven surrounded on all sides by Switzerland, somehow related? The whole affair has the whiff of political intrigue. That's enough to interest Aurelio Zen's boss at the Interior Ministry, who wants to know who is hiding what from whom and why. The search for the truth leads Zen back into the murky history of post-war Italy and obscure corners of modern-day society to uncover the truth about a crime that everyone thought was as dead and buried as the victim. (©Faber and Faber) Medusa. 348 393 9028: MEDUSA. After the heated pool, the air was distinctly cool, even down here in the sheltered terraces above lake Lugano. He keyed in the number, then turned to face the hillside behind the villa. The land rose precipitously, the contours marked by the looping line of Via Totone and its accompanying homes and gardens. There was no one in sight. When a group of Austrian cavers in the Italian Alps come across human remains at the bottom of a deep shaft, everyone assumes the death was accidental - until the still . Read More. 348 393 9028: MEDUSA. After the heated pool, the air was distinctly cool, even down here in the sheltered terraces above lake Lugano. He keyed in the number, then turned to face the hillside behind the villa. The land rose precipitously, the contours marked by the looping line of Via Totone and its accompanying homes and gardens. There was no one in sight. When a group of Austrian cavers in the Italian Alps come across human remains at the bottom of a deep shaft, everyone assumes the death was accidental - until the still unidentified body is stolen from the morgue and the Defence Ministry puts a news blackout on the case. The whole affair has the whiff of political intrigue. The search for the truth leads Zen back into the murky history of post-war Italy and obscure corners of modern-day society to uncover the truth about a crime that everyone thought was as dead and buried as the victim. If you enjoyed the Inspector Zen Mystery series you may also like The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, another crime novel by Michael Dibdin. Read Less. All Copies ( 96 ) Softcover ( 75 ) Hardcover ( 21 ) Alternate Editions ( 1 ) Choose Edition ( 5 ) Book Details Seller Sort. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 0571219853 ISBN-13: 9780571219858 Pages: 288 Edition: Main Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 01/2003 Alibris ID: 16603182004 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 1400076080 ISBN-13: 9781400076086 Pages: 288 Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 02/2005 Language: English Alibris ID: 16678907663 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Hardcover, Good Details: ISBN: 0571216587 ISBN-13: 9780571216581 Pages: 288 Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 08/2003 Alibris ID: 16638621972 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Hardcover, Good Details: ISBN: 0571216587 ISBN-13: 9780571216581 Pages: 288 Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 08/2003 Alibris ID: 16624173667 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Very Good Details: ISBN: 0571219853 ISBN-13: 9780571219858 Pages: 288 Edition: Main Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 01/2003 Alibris ID: 16545226098 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Very Good. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 0571219853 ISBN-13: 9780571219858 Pages: 288 Edition: Main Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 2004 Alibris ID: 16644788857 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99 Trackable Expedited: $7.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Good Details: ISBN: 0571219853 ISBN-13: 9780571219858 Pages: 288 Edition: Main Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 01/2003 Alibris ID: 16455089159 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Interlochen, MI, USA. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Fair Details: ISBN: 1400076080 ISBN-13: 9781400076086 Pages: 288 Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 2005 Language: English Alibris ID: 16472321023 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99 Trackable Expedited: $7.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fair. The item is very worn but continues to work perfectly. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, and folded page corners. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials. ► Contact This Seller. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Fine/Like New Details: ISBN: 1400076080 ISBN-13: 9781400076086 Pages: 288 Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 2005 Language: English Alibris ID: 16649129934 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fine. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. 2004, Faber & Faber. Edition: 2004, Faber & Faber Mass-market paperback, Fine/Like New Details: ISBN: 1400076080 ISBN-13: 9781400076086 Pages: 288 Publisher: Faber & Faber Published: 2005 Language: English Alibris ID: 16659695689 Shipping Options: Standard Shipping: $3.99. Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination. Seller's Description: Fine. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. Medusa. Available. Expected delivery to the Russian Federation in 9-21 business days. Description. 348 393 9028: MEDUSA. After the heated pool, the air was distinctly cool, even down here in the sheltered terraces above lake Lugano. He keyed in the number, then turned to face the hillside behind the villa. The land rose precipitously, the contours marked by the looping line of Via Totone and its accompanying homes and gardens. There was no one in sight. When a group of Austrian cavers in the Italian Alps come across human remains at the bottom of a deep shaft, everyone assumes the death was accidental - until the still unidentified body is stolen from the morgue and the Defence Ministry puts a news blackout on the case. The whole affair has the whiff of political intrigue. The search for the truth leads Zen back into the murky history of post-war Italy and obscure corners of modern-day society to uncover the truth about a crime that everyone thought was as dead and buried as the victim. If you enjoyed the Inspector Zen Mystery series you may also like The Last Sherlock Holmes Story, another crime novel by Michael Dibdin. show more. Michael Dibdin, 60, Detective Novelist, Is Dead. Michael Dibdin, an internationally acclaimed British crime novelist whose best-known books feature the brooding Italian police detective Aurelio Zen, died on March 30 in Seattle. He was 60 and had lived in Seattle in recent years. Mr. Dibdin died after a short illness, his stepdaughter, Emma Marris, said. Police Commissioner Aurelio Zen starred in 10 novels, among them “” (Bantam, 1989); “” (Pantheon, 1994); “Medusa” (Pantheon, 2003); and, most recently, “” (Vintage, 2006). Mr. Dibdin’s 11th Zen novel, “,” is scheduled to be published in hardcover by Pantheon Books this fall. Each Aurelio Zen novel took its hero to a different part of Italy, from Zen’s native Venice to Rome, Milan, Naples, Perugia, Tuscany, Sicily, Sardinia and elsewhere. The books were notable for their intricate plots, psychological complexity, mordant humor and acute social observation. Above all, the novels were read avidly for Mr. Dibdin’s masterly distillation of Italy, whether he was writing about its politics (read: corruption), the church, the Mafia, fashion, truffles, wine or old stones. Where else, after all (with the possible exception of France), would a detective witness a cook-off between a celebrity chef and a semiotician, something Zen does in “Back to Bologna”? Reviewing “” (Pantheon, 1999), the seventh installment in the Zen series, in The New York Times Book Review, Marilyn Stasio wrote: “Dibdin has always been a master at adapting his style to the various Italian provinces where he sets his stories. In Piedmont, his voice was elegiac; in Venice, menacing; in Rome, cynical and sad. Sicily, where life is lived as ‘ritual theater,’ brings out the Greek tragedian in him.” What makes Zen a likable character is his unlikability. He is gloomy and cynical. He can be dour and dyspeptic. He has trouble sustaining intimate relationships. (In the first few novels, he lived with his mother.) Mr. Dibdin also wrote several stand-alone crime novels, among them “The Tryst” (Summit, 1990); “Dirty Tricks” (Summit, 1991); “The Dying of the Light” (Pantheon, 1993); and “” (Pantheon, 2001). Michael John Dibdin was born on March 21, 1947, in Wolverhampton, in the Staffordshire district of England. His father was a physicist turned folklorist, and the family spent years wandering Britain so that the elder Mr. Dibdin could collect folk songs. At 7, Michael put his foot down, and the family stayed where they were, which happened to be Lisburn, Northern Ireland. After earning an undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of Sussex in 1968, Mr. Dibdin earned a master’s degree from the University of Alberta, in Canada, the next year. He stayed in Canada for several more years, working as a house painter, before moving to London. He later relocated to Italy, where he spent four years teaching English in Perugia. Returning to England, Mr. Dibdin settled in Oxford, where he lived before moving to the United States in the mid-1990s. Mr. Dibdin’s first two marriages ended in divorce. He is survived by his wife, Kathrine Kristine Beck, who writes crime novels under the name K. K. Beck; his father, John, of Chichester, England; two daughters from his earlier marriages, Moselle Kennedy of Vancouver, Canada, and Emma Dibdin, a student at Cambridge University; and three stepchildren, Emma Marris of Washington; Andrew Marris of Seattle; and Alexander Marris, a student at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash. Drawing on his scholarly training and his Italian sojourn, Mr. Dibdin began his career with two literary pastiches. In the first, “The Last Sherlock Holmes Story” (Pantheon, 1978), Holmes takes on Jack the Ripper. In the second, “A Rich Full Death” (Vintage, 1999), Robert Browning investigates a death in Florence. While critics heaped praise on the Mr. Dibdin’s Zen novels, their response to his other books varied. To some reviewers, the scope of the non- Zen books — which ranged from an exploration of the relationship between a psychiatrist and her patient (“The Tryst”) to a dark satire of Thatcherite Britain (“Dirty Tricks”) to a sendup of English country-house mysteries (“The Dying of the Light”) — made Mr. Dibdin hard to pigeonhole. If his wide portfolio made him unclassifiable, Mr. Dibdin seemed to revel in the fact. As he wrote in an autobiographical essay for The St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writers (1996), his diversity of style “seems to have disturbed those readers who expect a crime writer’s output to be as consistent a product as Egg McMuffins.” He added: “To me the joy and challenge of working in the crime genre is the opportunity to weave one’s own counterpoint and harmonies — occasionally dissonant to some ears — around the great chorus of voices which have preceded us; to make the most rather than the least of the possibilities which they opened up.”