The Measure of Time

One spring afternoon Lorenza, a former lover of Guerrieri, shows up in his office. Her son Jacopo stands convicted of the first-degree murder of a local drug dealer. For the appeal, Lorenza turns to Guerrieri. But he is not convinced of the innocence of Lorenza's son, nor does he have fond memories of how their relationship ended two decades earlier. Nevertheless, he accepts the case; perhaps to pay a melancholy homage to the ghosts of his youth. He soon becomes embroiled in a fascinating judicial process tainted by unreliable testimony and hasty and incomplete police work.

Carofiglio's work is rooted in his past as an anti-Mafia prosecutor in southern Italy where the series is set. He has prosecuted cases of corruption, organized crime and human trafficking. From John Mortimer to Scott Turow, quite a few courtroom stars have also shone in mystery fiction. Hardly any can have worked closer to the cutting-edge of organized crime than Carofiglio.