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Product Description
Product Description
In this, the fifth book in the acclaimed Aurelio Zen series, Zen finds himself in Naples, in disgrace - and having the time of his life. Like the rest of Italy, Naples is concerned about its image and trying to clean up its act.
Unfortunately it seems that someone is taking this rather too literally. Corrupt politicians, shady businessmen and eminent mafiosi are disappearing off the streets at an alarming rate. This is all very tedious for Zen, whose commitment to his work is at an all-time low. He would far rather amuse himself by sorting out the romantic entanglements of his landlady's nubile daughters and putting the fidelity of their unsuitable lovers to the test. But in the end he discovers that even in the 'New Italy' of the 1990s, some things, above all love and deception, never change.
From the Back Cover
Posted to Naples – at his own request – Aurelio Zen is more than content with his life. At work he comes late and leaves early. His staff are loyal and he ensures that they have a vested interest in being so. He has a strong friendship with a lady of many charms, Valeria Squillace, who knows him as Alfonso Zembla, an accidental pseudonym that is proving invaluable. And then, in a way that our unconventional policeman could not have anticipated, everything falls apart.
A knifing, a series of vanished persons, a lost American, suspected Mafioso, a plot to destroy two romances and, finally, Aurelio’s missing mother, all come together to shatter his comfortable new life.
Michael Dibdin is in sparkling form in 'Cosi Fan Tutti', twisting his plot with panache.
Read by Martin Shaw
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The fifth novel in the series sees Zen sent to Naples, and having a whale of a time. All he has to do is keep out of the way, check in at the office once in a while, and enjoy himself. It would all go swimmingly were it not for an awkward murder that seems to be undue political attention, and the sudden disappearance of a number of prominent local citizens from the cities streets.
These Zen novels just get even more superb as the series goes on, and I'm amazed at how Dibdin does it. Cosi Fan Tutti is a sun-drenched melodrama of a story, told in an absolutely charming style, rather reminiscent of an opera (Dibdin's intention, clearly). It has a completely different tone and tenor to the previous novels; it has a lighter feel to it that suits the series even better than the previous one. Of all the novels, this is the one I've enjoyed most so far, and it's mostly because of this shift in style, this melodramatic, operatic touch (the final 10 pages are an absolute triumph!) Zen is, as always, his usual brilliant self: cynical and cunning, his every endeavour aimed at giving himself an easy life. Until a bit of inconvenient crime shows up, anyway.
Really, I've got to plead with you: read this series! If you're a fan of crime fiction (if you like Rankin or Connelly, or if you adore the disenchanted eye of Donna Leon) then you can't let Zen and Dibdin pass by. Start with Ratking, and then sit back and enjoy. You won't regret it for a minute.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I picked up this work with some diffidence - the title was a give-away, but I was gradually seduced into growing interest in the way in which Dibdin exploited the plot of Mozart's opera and applied it to a city and society that most merited its worldly cynicism. I lived in Naples for a number of years and revisit it regularly. The author has caught the modern flavour of Naples and its people; its characters are recognisable and its setting, both topographical and social, evocative and convincing. If this is a lighter Aurelio Zen than we have hitherto known, then this does not lessen the skill of the author in his depiction of contemporary Italy. To those who love Italy, opera and above all Naples, this is to be heartily recommended!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Written like a Victorian melodrama or, indeed, an opera, this is a novel that brings a big smile to the face. It is a joy to read and has a very exciting climax. I think one book like this is perfect and I welcome the return to the blacker humour of the other books.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
One of Michael Dibdin's best Aurelio Zen books
The late Michael Dibdin's Zen series was one of my favorite "comfort" reads. Always original and rarely repetitive, despite the recurring appearance of the phlegmatic inspector in... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Blue in Washington
Not one of Michael Dibdin's better ideas.
I'm currently reading my way through the "Zen" series and really enjoying it.
I am however a bit baffled by this one. Read more
I am however a bit baffled by this one. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Oldbiker
Disappointing
I've arrived a little late to the Zen series encouraged to look further by the BBC dramatisation of the first three novels (which I rather like but which seems to have been... Read more
Published 6 months ago by The Lamb
I was embarrassed for the author.
Having seen Rufus Sewell looking so uncomfortable in the BBC's Zen (stilted dialogue, wooden acting, Sewell looking like he was thinking 'get me out of this turkey'... Read more
Published 14 months ago by moby-dick
book review
Lighter detective novel good as ever plot book only drawback was the small text height i'd go for a slightly dearer one next time for bigger print.
Published 15 months ago by G. Kissick
It's not a crime thriller, more comic opera without the music!
He goes off into fantasy a bit trying to copy the opera plot. The farcical ending scene should be sung in true comic operatic style where every character in the book enters... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Doberman
Pretentious, Mr Dibdin. Stick to the crime writing!
I am reading the Aurelio Zen novels in their chronological order, and enjoyed the first four much more than this. Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2007 by Max Reed
dud
Aurelio Zen is one of the more interesting fictional inspectors tramping their beats in various parts of the world at present. Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2006 by B. Lowe
Aurelio Zen in Naples
Aurelio Zen has been dispatched from Rome to Naples to help the Polizia dello Stato responsible for law enforcement within the port area. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2006 by HORAK
Slightly disappointing addition to the Zen series
Sandwiched between the brilliant Dead Lagoon and A Long Finish in the Aurelio Zen series, this is, in comparison, a fairly lightweight piece of work. Read more
Published on 22 Jan 2002 by Dave Thomas
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