The German Client: A Bacci Pagano Investigation

by Bruno Morchio

Overview

Private investigator Bacci Pagano can't resist taking the bait when his new client dangles a check with too many zeros. He should have known that where there's bait, there's always a hook.

In a hospital corridor, private investigator Bacci Pagano is keeping watch over Jasmìne Kilamba. If she lives, her testimony will shatter a notorious human trafficking ring. Seemingly out of nowhere, he is approached by an elderly German named Kurt Hessen who is searching for his Italian half-brother. Despite his better judgment, Pagano accepts the job. So many things, good and evil, happened when the Nazis occupied Genoa in 1944, what did it matter now? But it matters very much to someone and Pagano finds himself plunged into a world of old secrets and new lies in this wartime thriller where the bill for the sins of the past has come due . . . with interest.

Originally published in Italian as Rossoamaro, The German Client elegantly intertwines a wartime thriller about Nazi-occupied Genoa with the gritty realism of Pagano's current investigation in what La Repubblica called "a masterful tale."

Nominated for a National Book Award, The German Client spent five weeks on the Corriere della Sera best seller list and won the Azzeccagarbugli Prize for Best Mystery.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948104180
Publisher:	Kazabo Publishing
Publication date:	02/17/2020
Pages:	204
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

BRUNO MORCHIO, one of Italy's best-selling mystery writers, lives and works in Genoa as a psychologist and psychotherapist. He is the author of over a dozen novels and the recipient of multiple literary awards.

Editorial Reviews

12/16/2019

Italian author Morchio makes his English-language debut with a gripping mystery featuring his Genoa PI, Bacci Pagano. At a hospital where Pagano is waiting for news of a friend’s condition, he’s approached by a German, Kurt Hessen, who has come to Italy to ask Pagano to find his half-brother. Hessen tells Pagano, “I only know that he is the son of an Italian woman named Nicla, who died thirty years ago, and that he could live in the neighborhood of Sestri Ponente,” a suburb of Genoa. Hessen is also the son of Nicla, but his father was a German army officer stationed in occupied Italy who was killed in WWII. Pagano, who has strong ties to Sestri, accepts. The novel smoothly transitions between events that occurred in 1944 and those in the present day, providing readers with a sobering view of the dangers faced by members of the Italian Resistance movement as well as giving a visceral feel of Italy then and now. Morchio skillfully unfurls a poignant story of survival and betrayal. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

“The novel smoothly transitions between events that occurred in 1944 and those in the present day, providing readers with a sobering view of the dangers faced by members of the Italian Resistance movement as well as giving a visceral feel of Italy then and now. Morchio skillfully unfurls a poignant story of survival and betrayal.” Publishers Weekly

“For mystery fans, Bacci Pagano is one of Italy’s most beloved characters.” Vanity Fair

“In the able intertwining of the past and present, historical events in Nazi occupied Italy come to life . . . The ultimate truth, revealed in the very last pages, will stun the reader.” L’Indice

“Morchio vividly evokes the dramatic atmosphere of Nazi-occupied Genoa and the dangers faced by the Italian partisans. If you enjoyed Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan, you’ll love The German Client." Francesca Rebora, author of Teste di Maschio

“Bacci Pagano is a fixture in the Italian imagination. One grows fond of Bacci. After reading a few of these novels, you find you can no longer do without him.” Il Secolo XIX

“The plot, the twists, the suspense, the emotions and, above all, the grand finale work together to make this the best novel Morchio has written so far.” Il Giornale di Brescia

“Bacci Pagano, the noir detective with the heart of gold, always fighting for the underdog.” Il Secolo XIX

“A masterful tale.” La Repubblica

“Morchio interweaves the novel’s two temporal planes with great narrative mastery. You can taste the places and feel the drama and the emotions.” Bresciaoggi

“This is the beauty and the distinctive trait of Italian noir. There is more than just crime: history, politics, society, love, friendship.” Telegraph Avenue

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