A beautiful young woman, a member of the Florentine jet set, is found dead - choked to death - in her apartment. She has been left naked on her bed, a black rose between her legs. Chief Superindendent Michele Ferrara, just back from Rome, is all too familiar with the dark side of Florence. But he is up against a mysterious, powerful enemy who would do anything to hide his identity, and manages to controls events at every turn. As more violent deaths occur, Ferrara has to face the most insidious investigation in all his career and have to face his own past...

After enduring years at the mercy of an infamous serial killer, the people of Florence are relieved at the news of his death - until a senator and his butler are found brutally murdered. Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara suspects that the case isn't closed and as he becomes trapped in a spiral of vendettas and corruption, a powerful adversary is conspiring against him from the shadows. When he's confronted with dead ends and unreliable theories, discovering the truth is only the beginning for Ferrara as he finds himself face-to-face with something rotten at the heart of the city ...The Dark Heart of Florence is a stunning work of detective fiction, written with incomparable authenticity by former Florentine police chief Michele Giuttari. Evocative, gripping and atmospheric, it has been a major bestseller in Italy and across Europe.

A new crime series full of Italian flavor―the first novel in the Inspector Bordelli series, set in 1960s Florence.Florence, summer 1963. Inspector Bordelli is one of the few policemen left in the deserted city. He spends his days on routine work and his nights tormented by the heat and mosquitoes.Suddenly one night, a telephone call gives him a new sense of purpose: the suspected death of a wealthy signora. Bordelli rushes to her hilltop villa and picks the locks. The old woman is lying on her bed―apparently killed by an asthma attack, though her medicine has been left untouched.With the help of his young protégé, the victim’s eccentric brother, and a semi-retired petty thief, the inspector begins a murder investigation. Each suspect has a solid alibi, but there is something that doesn't quite add up . . .

When Marshal Guarnaccia, a Florentine policeman, uncovers the identity of a strangled, naked woman found floating in the river, he begins to unravel a tale of international intrigue and personal betrayal

Product Description: Florence, October 1966. When a young boy vanishes, the police fear the worst, which brings Inspector Bordelli into an increasingly desperate investigation, in the new mystery from critics' favorite Marco Vichi. Florence, 1966. The rain is never-ending...read more

The police in Florence, Italy investigate a particularly puzzling case of kidnapping in which no ransom note is sent

In the picturesque Tuscan hill town of Scandicci, the body of a girl is discovered, lying by the edge of the woods. The local police investigate the case-but after a week, they still haven't even identified her, let alone got to the bottom of how she died. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Chief Superintendent Michele Ferrara, head of Florence's elite Squadra Mobile, decides to step in. Because toxins were discovered in the girl's body, many assumed that she died of a self-inflicted drugs overdose. But Ferrara quickly realises that the truth is darker than that: he believes that the girl was murdered. And when he delves deeper, there are many aspects to the case that convince Ferrara that the girl's death is part of a sinister conspiracy-a conspiracy that has its roots in the very foundations of Tuscan society...

Summoned by the elderly Signor Giusti to investigate noises in a neighboring apartment, Marshal Guarnaccia discovers a dying Dutchman and is plunged into a mystery from the past

It is just before Christmas and the marshal wants to go South to spend the holiday with his wife and family, but first he must recover from the flu (which has left the Florentine caribinieri short-handed) and also solve a murder. A seemingly respectable retired Englishman, living in a flat on the Via Maggio near the Santa Trinita bridge, was shot in the back during the night. He was well-connected and Scotland Yard has despatched two officers to "assist" the Italians in solving the crime. But it is the marshal, a quiet observer, not an intellectual, who manages to figure out what happened, and why.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Exploring Language remains the market-leading language reader. Despite this thorough revision of the 9th edition, the original objective remains the same - to bring together exciting readings that explore the various ways language and American society are interconnected - while reflecting on the new and fascinating language issues that exist in our culture today. The provocative selections, organized around ten major language areas, demonstrate the subtle complexities and richness of English. They also invite students to debate current social and cultural issues that are inseparable from language.

Product Description: Book by Nelson, Daniel

Praise for the Marshal Guarnaccia series: "It takes a writer as good as Magdalen Nabb to remind us how subtle the art of the mystery can be. . . . Nabb has Simenon's knack."-The New York Times Book Review "Nabb's uncanny portrayal of Florence, its pace, scents, sounds, the rhythm of its language . . . is so vivid."-The Boston Globe "If you didn't make it to Florence this summer, don't despair. It was probably too crowded anyway-and there's a new Marshal Guarnaccia investigation to keep you abreast of the sights, smells, tastes, and traffic problems of that great Italian city."-Chicago Tribune "There is no other series quite like the Guarnaccia stories . . . in their moody charms. . . . His tender heart casts a wide net; people trust him, talk to him, seem to feel he is more prescient than he knows he is. The result is a narrative in which the marshal serves as a mirror to the world around him."-The Washington Post Book World "Strongly recommended for readers who like sophisticated, literate mysteries in foreign settings."-Library Journal The body of a woman has been found half-submerged in an ornamental fish pond high up in Florence's Boboli gardens. At first, the woman cannot be identified; only her skull remains. The marshal must use her clothing and a shoe to trace her. She turns out to be a young Japanese woman apprenticed to one of Florence's legendary custom shoemakers, crotchety old Peruzzi. Could he have killed his protégé? Or did jealousy drive his other apprentice to murder? The neighbors have seen Akiko with a lover-a brilliant young carabinieri-who has disappeared. Has he fled to avoid arrest? The marshal must go to Rome to complete his investigation. When he returns to Florence he can identify the killer, but can he bring him to justice?

Product Description: From Lucretia Grindle, author of VILLA TRISTE, comes a novel of lives lost and found, as intricate and mysterious as the Italian streets where the story's secrets begin.When American student Kristin Carson enrolls in a study abroad program in Florence, she's sure it will be the best year of her life, a chance to explore art, poetry, and romance in the arms of her new Italian boyfriend...read more

While teaching his wife to drive, Marshal Guarnaccia encounters a half-naked madwoman named Clementina, who is later murdered, and he becomes involved in solving the mystery of her death

Marshal Guarnacci, the kindly, perceptive Italian cop, investigates the murder of a beautiful young Swiss woman in a small village

Summoned to the Villa Torrini to investigate the curious death of British expatriate author Celia Forbes, who has drowned in six inches of bathwater, Marshal Guarnaccia finds a drunken, grief-stricken husband and a web of dark secrets and betrayal.

Product Description: The eighth Marshal Guarnaccia investigationA member of one of the oldest aristocratic families in Florence is dead. When Marshal Guarnaccia arrives at the scene, in the courtyard of the crumbling Palazzo Ulderighi, he knows instinctively that something is amiss...read more

Summoned to investigate an apparent suicide at the ancestral home of one of the oldest families in Florence, Marshal Guarnaccia is convinced that there has been foul play