Three-Card Monte

When a Japanese scientist dies in a Tuscan resort town, four old card players and their favorite bartender investigate in this comic Italian mystery.

In the Italian resort town of Pineta, along the Tuscan coast, one might find the sleepy Bar Lume inhabited by its owner Massimo and its elderly regulars engaged in a game of cards. But this is merely a cover for the true activities of this senile squad. In truth, they are at work analyzing, postulating, gossiping, and chronicling every event that occurs in their small Tuscan town, using the most colorful language and Tuscan slang possible.

When a chemistry conference at a local hotel is interrupted by the suspicious death of a Japanese scientist, Massimo is obliged to investigate on behalf of his all-too-curious clientele. The old-timers provide running commentary, demonstrating a cunning for sniffing out lies that can only be honed through decades of playing three-card monte.

The second book in Marco Malvaldi's beloved Bar Lume series, Three-Card Monte is a comedy, a beguiling mystery, and a vivacious portrayal of small-town Italy.