The Lizard's Bite
David Hewson
Delacorte, Nov 2006, $22.00
ISBN 0385339550

The fire in the Archangeli family glassmaking factory on the Island of Morano off Venice led to two deaths that of Uriel Archangeli and his wife Bella. The local police want to write it off as an accident, but some insist a murder suicide occurred.

Rome Police Detectives Nic Costa and Gianni Peroni are sent to Venice to rubber stamp either "truth". Instead the pair finds evidence to the contrary especially when seeking a motive as to to why Uriel would kill Bella or for that matter visa versa especially torching their beloved glassworks factory; an accident has been relegated to the realm of fantasy. The sleuths soon learn that Isolo di Archangeli glassworks was in the middle of a somewhat hostile takeover bid with Uriel as the toad in the road. Could someone wanted to remove the obstacle to the sale and is that the motive for a double homicide?

In their latest Italian police procedural, Costa and Peroni get in trouble with the brass for doing their job of running a valid inquiry. Fans of the series will enjoy the top rate investigation into whether an accident, a suicide, or a homicide covered up by arson occurred. Newcomers will become engrossed with this superior thriller and seek out their previous caseload (see The Sacred Cut).

Harriet Klausner