The Marshal of the Borgo

by Joseph D'Agnese

A troubled police captain. A teenaged witch. A small town's only hope for vengeance.Matteo Scarpone is a modern-day Job. A man more sinned against than sinning.Once a cool-headed logician and the pride of Rome's carabinieri, he's devastated when disaster rocks his world.He is a lost man. Beaten. Shaken. HAUNTED.Shunned as an embarrassment, he is exiled to a tiny Italian village in the sticks—a hamlet, a burg, a borgo.But in this land of vineyards and olive groves, life is far from idyllic. Murder, greed, and hate taint the soil once tread by the Etruscans.Now the young captain must unravel a series of murders that pit him against a cynical evil and force him to use a power—A GIFT—A CURSEthat he has long denied.The Marshal of the Borgo follows in the grand tradition of diabolically clever Italian mysteries—but with a fearsome twist. Part whodunit, part ghost story, The Marshal of the Borgo is a most unusual paranormal tale by a recent winner of the Derringer Award for Short Mystery Fiction.Readers who dream of the dolce vita and enjoy the work of Magdalen Nabb, Andrea Camilleri, Michael Dibdin, and Donna Leon will absolutely love this evocative, sun-drenched story in the life of Captain Scarpone.Pick up the The Marshal of the Borgo today and discover an adventure filled with vino, witchcraft, and murder!

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 13, 2014

About the author

Joseph D’Agnese is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other national publications. His work has twice appeared in Best American Science Writing (HarperCollins). His children's picture book, BLOCKHEAD: THE LIFE OF FIBONACCI, was chosen as an honor book for the Mathical Book Prize—the first-ever prize for math-themed children's books. His crime fiction has been selected by guest editor/author James Patterson for inclusion in the prestigious anthology, Best American Mystery Stories 2015, D'Agnese lives in North Carolina.

Reviews

[Michelle Olms · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tasty! The mystery is solid. The setting is Italy, deftly rendered. I could feel the wind, smell the fennel, see the olive trees. And the food! Not a book to read while hungry. Just enough paranormal to keep you on your toes. Well-drawn characters with to grow. I’d love to read more about Scarpone. Thanks to Malaprop Bookstore in Asheville for the recommendation on the book.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borgo. Captain Matteo Scarpone (Borgo PD, former Carabinieri) & his fellow officers: Belluzzi (Borgo PD), Enzo (Borgo PD), D’Orazio, (Borgo PD, aka fat cop), Rolando (Borgo PD, aka foulmouthed, aka horseface), & Claudia Cavalcanti (CSI). They all have their hands full investigating crimes such as heroin overdose/deaths, politics, witchcraft & corrupt olive/wine growers.

Can the on-going crimes get solved?

Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive to some readers.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this crime mystery book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great crime mystery movie, or a mini TV series. To be continued? A very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; MakingConnections; Nut Graph Productions LLC; paperback book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface, this novel is just a murder mystery. But there is so much more just beneath the surface, and to mention it all would give too much away, so I'll just say if you liked D'Agnese's THE MESMERIST, you'll love this book. And if you haven't read THE MESMERIST, check out both that book and this one. You'll be happy you did.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway.

A paranormal murder mystery set in Italy. Need I say more? I couldn't put it down and it was excellent in every sense. The characters are interesting, the writing is captivating, and the story overall was a unique experience that won't disappoint. I definitely recommend reading this.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't classify this book as a paranormal mystery, its a crime mystery with some paranormal bits mixed in. The Italian setting is what sets this book apart and bumps it to a 3 rather than 2 star book.

I received a copy of this book in a goodreads giveaway.