A long finish

About “A long finish”

Aurelio Zen, an intelligent and urbane Italian police officer, appears in several suspenseful and atmospheric novels by Michael Dibdin. In The Long Finish, Zen is motivated by self-preservation and a love of good food and wine. After a busy time in Naples, he returns to Rome and is asked by his superiors to meet a famous film director. The director, a connoisseur of Piedmontese wines, persuades Zen to arrange the release of a man jailed for killing his father. The man's release is needed to ensure the timely harvesting of the director's family's valuable grapes. Zen also hopes to avoid being sent to Sicily. In the quiet village of Alba, where vineyards stretch across the hills, Zen uncovers a complex murder. Though rare, murder here is tied to family and land. Zen must balance his police work with his enjoyment of food and wine.