The Fatal Touch

Commissario Blume tangles with the military police while investigating an art forger’s suspicious death in this Rome-set mystery by the author of The Dogs of Rome.

“[An] exciting sequel. . . . Intriguing touches such as the tools a forger has in the kitchen and a strong sense of Rome's environs enrich the intelligent plot.” —Publishers Weekly

Alec Blume returns to action in this intricate and heart-pounding new novel. With the help of his associate Caterina, Blume is called to the scene of a death connected to a spate of muggings. Though the Carabinieri—military police—are trying to control the investigation, Blume, never one to bow to authority, pursues it his own way.

When it becomes clear that the victim is an art forger, enemies—and hidden treasures—begin to emerge. Relying on old friends and intuitions, Blume hurls himself into the center of the mystery, risking his job, his neck, and just about anyone who trusts him.

Immersed in its old-world setting and written with satisfying detail about inks and signatures and the tools of forgery, this is a riveting novel, with rich characters and a spectacular conclusion.