Springtime proffers fragrant temptations to the men and women of Naples. But evi
l also lurks in the sweet-smelling spring air. It is one week before Easter, Nap
les, 1932. At the high-class brothel in the center of town known as Paradiso, Vi
per, the most famous prostitute of all, is found dead. Suffocated with a pillow.
Her last client swears that when he left her she was alive and well. But when h
er next client arrived, he found her dead. Who killed her and why? Ricciardi has
to untangle a complex knot of greed, frustration, jealousy and rancor in order
to solve the riddle of Viper's death. As he does so, he will discover no end of
conflicting emotions just beneath the surface of a city that lives on passion.
De Giovanni's mysteries unfold with such sinuous ease that they seem to write t
hemselves. They enchant, surprise; they hold readers enthralled. Commissario Ric
ciardi, whose dubious gift of being able to see and hear the last seconds in the
lives of those who have suffered a violent death, is one of the most fascinatin
g investigators to make his appearance in the world of international crime ficti
on in recent years. And in "Vipers," the lustful and boisterous city of Naples h
as never been more seductive.
