The Few: 1 (Leone Scamarcio) - Tapa blanda

'Gripping ... You won't be able to put down this unsettling tale.' The Sun 'Has Donna Leon found her match?' -- Maxim Jakubowski Lovereading.co.uk 'Nadia Dalbuono is writing this with both the detachment of an outsider and the understanding of a resident. As with Donna Leon, Dalbuono clearly sees the terrible stagnation and immorality of the system ... The Few is an exciting and compelling read.' Crime Squad '[An] unsettling detective thriller set in the dark heart of the corrupt Italian political system.' -- Chris Herde Daily Telegraph 'Dalbuono has a light hand with some very dark themes and has created a most engaging detective' FOUR STARS -- Shelley Orchard Adelaide Advertiser '[A] really good debut ... The plot is murky and messy, the pace is fast and the characters well drawn, conflicted and compromised.' Auckland Herald '[A] professional and confident foray into the realms of crime fiction ... This detective has many more novels in him than the modest two-volume series planned so far.' -- Kerryn Goldsworthy Canberra Times 'Corruption, politics, and personal agendas combine to create a murky atmosphere of confusion and chaos. Scamarcio is a complicated character, as befits such a complex storyline ... Slow burning, slow building, but ultimately rewarding.' -- Tessa Chudy Good Reading Magazine '[A] rock-solid read, with the click-clack of shoes on cobblestones and the oppressive heat of a Mediterranean summer making for a delectable spring treat.' Crime Pick of the Month -- Fiona Hardy Readings Monthly 'Packed full of twists and turns with never a dull moment ... A real page-turner.' Crime Review

Detective Leone Scamarcio, the son of a former leading mafioso, has turned his back on the family business, and has joined the Rome police force. He may be one of the last honest men in Italy. But when Scamarcio is handed a file of extremely compromising photographs of a high-profile Italian politician, and told to 'deal with it', he knows he's in for trouble. And when a young man is found stabbed to death in Rome, and a young American girl disappears on a beach in Elba, Scamarcio's job gets a whole lot more complicated. Worst of all, every lead seems to implicate the prime minister - a multi-media baron, and the most powerful man in Italy. As the case spins out of control, and his own past catches up with him, Scamarcio must navigate the darkest currents of Italian society - only to find that nothing is as it seems, and that the price of truth may be higher than he can pay.