Exquisitely written in a quietly elegant style, and dotted with nuggets of coal-black humour

Irish Times

Alec Blume is an inspired creation. An American who has become a commissioner in the Italian police, he's a sly, sardonic loner who gives the impression of knowing Rome better than its natives ... Fitzgerald is an elegant, visual writer

Guardian

The American-born Blume is an engaging hero who might just have to potential to fill the gap left when Michael Dibdin's death ended his Italian detective Aurelio Zen's investigations

Sunday Times

I'm putting my money on Alec Blume becoming the most popular detective of the coming decade

Belfast Telegraph