Massimo Carlotto has been described as “the reigning king of Mediterranean noir” (Boston Phoenix), “more noir than even the toughest American noir” (Josh Bazell, author of Beat the Reaper), “about as gritty as they come” (The New York Times), and “the best living Italian crime writer” (Il Manifesto). Here, making his American debut, is Carlotto’s most famous and beloved serial character: ex-con turned private investigator Marco Buratti, a.k.a The Alligator.

Closing the door on a crime ridden past, Marco Buratti plans to spend the rest of his days in the darkness of a seedy nightclub sipping Calvados and listening to the blues. But things don’t quite work out as he planned: though he may be through with his past, his past isn’t through with him. When his gangster friend, Beniamino Rossini’s girlfriend is kidnapped, Buratti is forced to investigate a case of international drug dealing. He will be thrown headfirst into the underworld he had struggled to escape. Here, new and old criminal organizations collide and innocent bystanders are as hard to find as straight cops.

Marco “The Alligator” Buratti is not only one of the most fully realized characters in contemporary crime fiction but also the ideal vivisector of a world in which criminals hold all the cards.

Massimo Carlotto
Massimo Carlotto was born in Padua, Italy. In addition to the many titles in his extremely popular “Alligator” series, he is also the author of The Fugitive, Death’s Dark Abyss, Poisonville, Bandit Love, and At the End of a Dull Day. He is one of Italy’s most popular authors and a major exponent of the Mediterranean Noir novel.

• Nov 18 2010
  The Austin Chronicle: "Some crime novels are really books about the workplace, and they pay meticulous attention to how a criminal does his job. This is not such a book...Carlotto has a bigger agenda and more expansive concerns."
  
• Nov 13 2010
  The Daily Beast: "Packs plenty of plot into a slim volume, with space set aside for elaborate northeast Italian meals, musings on women, and plenty of Calvados drinking."
  
• Oct 1 2010
  Kirkus Reviews: "Top-notch Mediterranean noir."
  
• Sep 13 2010
  The Complete Review: "Full of noir swagger."
  
• Aug 23 2010
  Publishers Weekly: "A lean, taut crime novel."