In the Name of Ishmael - Softcover

Giuseppe-genna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843542676 ISBN 13: 9781843542674

Publisher: Atlantic Books, 2005

Synopsis

A savage and complex thriller set in fogbound, wintry Milan, In the Name of Ishmael is the story of a secret cult of assassins and the two detectives who set out to reveal the truth about Ishmael, the group's heavily protected and enigmatic leader. Expertly weaving apparently unmatched threads in two separate time periods - mysterious child murders, a series of seemingly unconnected assassinations, the accident that killed Princess Diana, a disturbing society of sadomasochists, and the death of an Italian press magnate - Genna crafts a chilling and utterly compelling tale of political conspiracy and serial murder. Terror and spellbinding literary gamesmanship are at the heart of this daring fiction debut. In the Name of Ishmael is a gripping whodunit and stunning work of literary fiction.

About this title

About the Author:

Giuseppe Genna was born in Milan in 1969. He has worked in Italian television and was the editor-in-chief of Poesia, a literary journal. In the Name of Ishmael (Atlantic 2004) was his first UK publication.

From Publishers Weekly:

A terrorist gang headed by the mysterious Ishmael of the title is the target of two police investigations, one in 1962 and the other in 2001, in this intricate novel of suspense and intrigue set in Milan. As Genna spins his linked stories of murder and organized crime, he weaves a web of mind games, trickery and looming threat. In 1962, the body of a 10-month-old baby boy is found on a rugby field, a "homicide with a sexual component." Inspector David Montorsi, charged with the investigation, is particularly troubled by the case because his wife, Maura, is pregnant with their first child. As he draws closer to the ring of terrorists who seem the likely perpetrators, he and his wife are entangled in their deadly schemes. In 2001, a simple murder leads Inspector Guido Lopez to an underworld of sadomasochism associated with the still-unidentified Ishmael. Meanwhile, the international participants in an economic conference-including Henry Kissinger, who is revealed to play a sinister role in Genna's tale-converge on Milan. The double plot is clever, but often unnecessarily tangled and burdened with lengthy philosophical musings. By the time the two investigations finally converge and the criminal, political and spiritual aims of Ishmael are revealed, many readers will feel stifled by the dense web of conspiracy and counter-conspiracy.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atlantic Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1843542676
• ISBN 13: 9781843542674
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 444