The Fatal Touch — Conor Fitzgerald

Alec Blume returns to action in this intricate and heart-pounding new novel. With the help of his associate Caterina, Blume is called to the scene of a death connected to a spate of muggings. Though the Carabinieri -- military police -- are trying to control the investigation, Blume, never one to bow to authority, pursues it his own way. Immersed in an old-world setting and written with satisfying detail about the tools of art forgery, this is a riveting novel, with rich characters and a spectacular conclusion.