End Games
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If you have tears, prepare to shed them now. This is it -- the final Aurelio Zen novel, now that death has claimed the Italian copper’s talented creator, Michael Dibdin. End Games is a fitting finale to a remarkable series of books, in which Dibdin developed the character of his difficult but tenacious Italian policeman and, inter alia, gave readers a vivid and atmospheric picture of the whole of Italy in all its splendour, colour and corruption.
This last book transports Zen to far-flung Calabria for what she appears to be a by-the-numbers assignment. But in this close-mouthed, inhospitable place, Zen discovers that there is a worm at the heart of a community and secrets that reach back over centuries. A savage killing has taken place, and investigations are compromised by the presence of people from other countries in search of a buried treasure.
In the past, Dibdin ensured that Zen repeatedly came up against a wall of silence, but none more implacable than that he encounters here. As the detective slowly but surely peels away the layers of mystery and obfuscation, he is forced to confront the very basis of the concepts by which he has tried to maintain his career: honesty, a sense of justice and firm notions of right and wrong. As always with this writer, the sense of locale is conjured up with maximum vividness, and the final effect of reading the book that writes finis to the careers of both Aurelio Zen and the man who created him is twofold: we are grateful that this final entry is a distinguished one, but saddened that we will never again go down those mean Italian streets that Zen led us down – at least not with Michael Dibdin as our guide... --Barry Forshaw
Review
"Brims with clever reveals, elegant imagery, elaborate word play, violent shocks, refined and ribald jokes. . . . Something different from the ordinary detective story."--"The Wall Street Journal" "A sterling example of why both Dibdin and Zen will be sorely missed on the crime fiction front."--"The Boston Globe" "Clever and exuberantly witty. . . . Captures . . . the Italian national character in all its unruly glory."--"The New York Times ""A terrific stylist, prolific and protean. . . . The story is a fitting conclusion to a career that ended too soon."--"The Seattle Times"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After the criminally misunderstood Back to Bologna, Dibdin returned to a more traditional (by his standards, in any case) tone for what would sadly prove to be his last Aurelio Zen novel (and, to get this straight: this is all Dibdin's work. The proofs were released a good while before he died, and, I had finished my copy the very day before he passed away. So no more mumbling about it being completed post-mortem, please.) It still has the cruel wit of the previous novel, but lacks the elements of farce and pastiche which made Back to Bologna such an unconventional work in his canon. And, as a result, is far more likely to be appreciated both by existing fans and newcomers. Indeed, in tyhat traditional sense End Games is a complete return to his novels of old, prior to And Then You Die, say, or maybe even Cosi Fan Tuti. Zen is on excellent form, more interesting in this novel than possibly ever before. Posted to Calabria to investigate the disappearance of an American ex-pat lawyer, he meets with a wall of silence and the uncomfortable presence of an American film director looking to film an interpretation of the Book of Revelations, and his backers, who themselves are hunting for something far more related to Zen's profession...
Here, if it is even possible, Dibdin conveys the best portrait of any of his chosen Itaian regions yet, the most atmospheric rendition of a time and place. With both his outsiders and insiders eye, Dibdin consistently manages to produce twistedly authentic pictures of his Italy, laid bare with a logical and sometimes wilfully baffled eye. The writing itself has absolute wit, and can be lushly biting in its description of people and their motives. His can be clear in his prose as well as being able to create sentences that writhe like vines, ripe with humour, insight, and lexical wizardy all at the same time. Above all things, Dibdin was always a supremely brilliant writer of prose, and that is why he never really put a foot wrong. The literary world has lost a great talent, but End Games - completely engaging, full of event, suspenseful and an absolute reader's treat - is a wonderful final note to leave on. In the backlists of crime fiction, long live Aurelio Zen!
Here, if it is even possible, Dibdin conveys the best portrait of any of his chosen Itaian regions yet, the most atmospheric rendition of a time and place. With both his outsiders and insiders eye, Dibdin consistently manages to produce twistedly authentic pictures of his Italy, laid bare with a logical and sometimes wilfully baffled eye. The writing itself has absolute wit, and can be lushly biting in its description of people and their motives. His can be clear in his prose as well as being able to create sentences that writhe like vines, ripe with humour, insight, and lexical wizardy all at the same time. Above all things, Dibdin was always a supremely brilliant writer of prose, and that is why he never really put a foot wrong. The literary world has lost a great talent, but End Games - completely engaging, full of event, suspenseful and an absolute reader's treat - is a wonderful final note to leave on. In the backlists of crime fiction, long live Aurelio Zen!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Others who have reviewed the book already have spoken very eloquently about the plot of the book. I just wanted to add that I have read all the Zen books and there was a time when one or two became heavy weather and I nearly didn't buy any of the more recent ones. That would have been a mistake, as this, the last ever Zen novel, is back to the old almost-unputdownable. I was also relieved that Zen's personal life was happy again after the tortured state of his relationship in the previous book. If you haven't read a Zen book before - lucky you, you have a whole stack of great stuff to read. But I agree with the other reviewers who say don't start with this book. I'd advise looking at when they were all published and going in chronological order. You will end up sad when you've finished End Games and realise again that there is no more.
2008 was a bad year for fans of Italian crime with the deaths of Dibdin and Magdalen Nabb within months of each other. Of the quality writers on this subject Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri are now pretty much alone - let's hope someone emerges to fill the gap that has been left. None of the other pretenders have impressed me so far.
2008 was a bad year for fans of Italian crime with the deaths of Dibdin and Magdalen Nabb within months of each other. Of the quality writers on this subject Donna Leon and Andrea Camilleri are now pretty much alone - let's hope someone emerges to fill the gap that has been left. None of the other pretenders have impressed me so far.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
After the poor effort that was 2006's 'Back to Bologna' (ridiculous characters, silly coincidences etc), Michael Dibdin is almost back on form for this, his final (sadly) Zen novel. The plot is more complex, the characters more believable (barring an unrealistically stupid internet billionaire) and the 'personality' of the Italian location (this time Calabria in the far South) cleverly captured.
I would recommend this novel to Dibdin fans but - like the previous reviewer - would recommend first-timers start on one of Dibdin's earlier and far superior novels (eg, RatKing, Cabal or Dead Lagoon). For these alone he will be sorely missed.
I would recommend this novel to Dibdin fans but - like the previous reviewer - would recommend first-timers start on one of Dibdin's earlier and far superior novels (eg, RatKing, Cabal or Dead Lagoon). For these alone he will be sorely missed.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Quest for the Golden Menorah
This is Michael Dibdin (1947-2007)'s last police procedural with investigator Aurelio Zen (AZ). Dibdin enlightened crime readers in 11 books about Italy's regional cultural and... Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. A. Doornbos
Addio Aurelio
A grand finale for a great character! This time Aurelio Zen travels to Calabria and deals with a misterious kidnapping which turns to be a murder of an American citizen which turns... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Roman Rock
Ok setting, but one dimensional characters
Let me first say that I don't normally read crime novels, and the reason I read this book, was because I had to choose from 10 crime novels they had on an island I was staying (my... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Arctic Nomad
Goodbye Aurelio
As with (I imagine) many other hormonal middle-aged women, it was Rufus Sewell who first aroused my interest in Aurelio Zen. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ms. Fiona Allen
Almost excellent
I am an avid fan of Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen. It is a great shame that this was his last book. My only criticism of the book was some of the language he had his American... Read more
Published on 9 Feb 2010 by L'uomo chi fa
Sad that this was the last Zen book
...because it's really not very good. Cardboard characters, stilted dialogue, uninteresting plot (superficial resemblance to Lionel Davidson's "A long way to Shiloh"... Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2009 by Jezza
Michael Dibdin's Aurelio Zen books are true crime thrillers
All of the Aurelio Zen books by the late Michael Dibdin are good, and this one is no exception. It's as usual a well written gritty and violent police drama set in Italy. Read more
Published on 1 Feb 2009 by Middlec
Excellent
How sad to think that there will never be another Aurelio Zen novel, following the untimely death of Michael Dibdin. Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2008 by M. V. Clarke
M Dibdin will be sadly missed
I have a fond affection for this writer who sadly passed away earlier this year. Unfortunately I do not consider this, his last Zen novel, a fitting epitaph. Read more
Published on 4 Aug 2007 by Gerry Mccaffrey
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