Inspector Montalbano found himself troubled by the abduction of Susanna Mistretta, a young woman from a family whose fortunes had dwindled considerably. A ransom demand from the kidnappers placed the burden of procuring the funds on a dista…

With the passing of Girolamo Cascio, a prominent figure in local construction, Montalbano is drawn back to the unsolved murder of Giacomo Aletto, Cascio’s chief rival. Aletto was shot and killed twenty years ago, and his partner, Rocco Penn…