Puppies (Bastards of Pizzofalcone Series #4)

by Maurizio de Giovanni, Antony Shugaar (Translator)

Overview

The next installment in Maurizio de Giovanni’s bestselling “Bastards of Pizzofalcone” series unfolds during the crisp beginning of April in contemporary Naples as a new evil spreads throughout the city.

A baby is left abandoned beside a dumpster. A young Ukranian maid fights the torrents of greed and frustration with the world around her. Small animals begin to disappear off the streets. The task of solving these mysteries is entrusted to a team of policemen in which few believe: the Bastards of Pizzofalcone. Complete with stirrings in the city’s criminal underbelly and a fight against a seemingly inhuman evil, this novel is sure to delight fans of de Giovanni’s previous works.

De Giovanni is one of Europe’s most renowned and versatile mystery writers. His award-winning and bestselling novels, all of which take place in Naples, engage readers in gripping tales of Europe’s most fabled, atmospheric, dangerous, and lustful city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609456047
Publisher:	Europa Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	07/21/2020
Series:	Bastards of Pizzofalcone Series , #4
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	304,892
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Maurizio de Giovanni’s Commissario Riccardi books are bestsellers across Europe, with sales of the series approaching 1 million copies. De Giovanni is also the author of the contemporary Neapolitan thriller, The Crocodile. He lives in Naples with his family.

Editorial Reviews

★ 05/18/2020

A rich ensemble cast lifts de Giovanni’s funny, poignant fourth police procedural featuring the “losers and pariahs” who man the little Pizzofalcone police station located in the heart of Naples (after 2019’s Cold for the Bastards). Early one morning, Officer Francesco Romano, who has anger management issues, is hurrying to work when he hears a noise from beside a dumpster outside the precinct. Inside is a newborn baby, dressed in a pink onesie, who’s barely breathing. The search for the mother leads the detectives to the mother’s body. Meanwhile, Officer Marco Aragona, who likes to imagine himself the dashing protagonist of an American TV cop show, is approached by a neighborhood boy, who says, “I want you, a first-class detective, to find my dog and bring him back to me.” Ever susceptible to flattery, Aragona agrees, though he hasn’t a clue as to how to proceed. The endearing, idiosyncratic characters change from book to book in little ways that make total sense and enrich the backstories. De Giovanni is a master of the witty, elegantly plotted fair-play mystery. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Puppies

★ “Funny, poignant...De Giovanni is a master of the witty, elegantly plotted fair-play mystery.”—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“[de Giovanni] illustrates that Naples is not only made up of camorra and mandolins, but also of the desire for commitment and redemption, for hidden beauties, and the capacity for hospitality and dignity.”—CrimeReads

“With the latest entry in his crime series set in Pizzofalcone, a precinct high atop a hill in Naples, author Maurizio de Giovanni adds another layer to the characters who have made themselves so intriguing to readers of the previous four novels in this series.”—Mary Whipple, Seeing the World Through Books

“De Giovanni is a smart and skillful plotter, but his novel’s strength is its compelling cast of colorful characters, cops, and criminals […] As the plots and subplots are connected and interwoven in Puppies, [De] Giovanni [develops] an insightful and compassionate commentary on society’s strays, the left out, and the left behind.”—Mystery Scene

Praise for Maurizio de Giovanni

“Engrossing...Colorful, fully drawn characters and several intriguing subplots help propel the plot to a satisfying resolution.”—Publishers Weekly on The Bastards of Pizzofalcone

“This series of Italian noir [is] filled with passion and danger that you’d expect from the dark side of Naples.”—Inside Hook on Cold for the Bastards of Pizzofalcone

“In de Giovanni’s novels, the detective story is just a pretext for exploring society’s many facets. He illustrates that Naples is not only made up of camorra and mandolins, but also of the desire for commitment and redemption, for hidden beauties, and the capacity for hospitality and dignity.”—Elisabetta Bolondi, Solo Libri

“A thoroughly enjoyable work. If you love Italy or if you just love a solid procedural, look out for Maurizio de Giovanni’s books.”—Mark Rose, Bookgasm on Cold for the Bastards of Pizzofalcone

“The police characters are flawed, lovable, and believable – you cannot but take to them.... Naples comes through loud and clear in the story.”—Tripfiction on Darkness for the Bastards of Pizzofalcone

From the Publisher