Back To Bologna

In the latest installment in his critically acclaimed Italian mystery series, Michael Didbin sends Aurelio Zen to Italy’s culinary capital, Bologna, where he discovers that some cases are not quite what they appear to be. When the corpse of the shady Bologna industrialist who owns the local football team is found both shot and stabbed with a Parmesan knife, Aurelio Zen is summoned to oversee the investigation. Anxious for a break from his girlfriend, who attributes Zen’s slow recovery from routine surgery to hypochondria, he is only too happy to take on what first appears to be an undemanding assignment. The case quickly spins out of control, becoming entangled with the fates of a student semiotics, a mysterious immigrant claiming to be royalty, and Bologna’s most incompetent private detective. Meanwhile a prominent postmodern academic accuses Italy’s leading celebrity chef of being a fraud. Back to Bologna is dazzlingly plotted and delivers both comic and serious insights into the realities of today’s Italy.

'Pure pleasure.' Evening Standard 'An absolute treat . . . wittily and slyly written.' Euro Crime AN AURELIO ZEN MYSTERY When the corpse of the shady industrialist who owns the local football team is found both shot and stabbed, Inspector Aurelio Zen is called to Bologna to oversee the investigation. Recovering slowly from surgery, and fleeing an equally painful crisis in his personal life, Zen is only too happy to take on what at first appears to be a routine and relatively undemanding assignment. But soon a world-famous university professor is shot with the same gun, and the case threatens to spin out of control . . . 'The best of the Zen series. Exceptionally clever and witty.' 5* reader review 'A very entertaining romp with Zen.' 5* reader review 'Very funny and perceptive on Italian society. Michael Dibdin's Zen books are the top of the pile in detective fiction.' 5* reader review PRAISE FOR MICHAEL DIBDIN AND THE INSPECTOR ZEN SERIES: 'He wrote with real fire.' IAN RANKIN 'A maestro of crime writing.' SUNDAY TIMES 'One of the genre's finest stylists . . . And Zen himself is a masterly creation: he is anti-heroic and pragmatic but obstinate, cunning and positively burdened with integrity.' GUARDIAN 'Dibdin tells a rollicking good tale that you want both to read fast, because of its gripping storyline, and to linger over, to savour the evocative descriptions of place and mood.' INDEPENDENT 'One of British crime fiction's most distinguished and distinctive voices.' ANDREW TAYLOR 'Dibdin has a gift for shocking the unshockable reader.' Ruth Rendell 'Zen is one of the greatest creations of contemporary crime fiction.' OBSERVER 'I love the way these books capture the atmosphere and contradictions of Italy.' 5* reader review 'Aurelio Zen novels are a great treat.' 5* reader review 'There is no better writer than Dibdin. His books are a joy to read.' 5* reader review 'Love these books . . . I am sure you will get hooked too!' 5* reader review

The Rough Guide Snapshot to Bologna & Emilia-Romagna is the ultimate travel guide to this charming, relatively little-visited region in the north of Italy. It leads you through the region with reliable information and comprehensive coverage of all the sights and attractions, from dining out in Bologna's wonderful restaurants and marveling at the vivid mosaics at Ravenna to enjoying the pumping nightlife at Rimini and exploring majestic Rocca Viscontea castle. Detailed maps and up-to-date listings pinpoint the best cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops, bars and nightlife, ensuring you make the most of your trip, whether passing through, staying for the weekend or longer. The Rough Guide Snapshot to Bologna & Emilia-Romagna covers Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Castell'Arquato, Faenza, Brisighella, Ferrara, Po Delta, Ravenna, Rimini and San Marino. Also included is the Basics section from the Rough Guide to Italy, with all the practical information you need for travelling in and around Italy, including transport, accommodation, food, drink, costs, health, sport and festivals. Also published as part of the Rough Guide to Italy.

The Rough Guide Snapshot to Emilia-Romagna is the ultimate travel guide to this charming, relatively little-visited region in the north of Italy. It guides you through the area with reliable information and comprehensive coverage of all the sights and attractions, from dining out in Bologna's wonderful restaurants and marvelling at the vivid mosaics at Ravenna to enjoying the pumping nightlife in Italy at Rimini and exploring majestic Rocca Viscontea castle. Detailed maps and up-to-date listings pinpoint the best cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops, bars and nightlife, ensuring you have the most memorable trip possible, whether passing through, staying for the weekend or longer. Also included is the Basics section from The Rough Guide to Italy, with all the practical information you need for travelling in and around the country, including transport, food, drink, costs, health and festivals. Also published as part of The Rough Guide to Italy. Full coverage: Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma, Castell'Arquato, Faenza, Brisighella, Ferrara, Po Delta, Ravenna, Rimini, San Marino (Equivalent printed page extent 78 pages).

A Man on a Mission Ex-military man and Canadian patriot Kevin Phillips grew up in Cape St. George, where he developed a love for the traditional dishes of his Newfoundland home. After high school, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and served for thirty-three years before retiring as a master warrant officer. During that time, he never forgot the old Newfoundland recipes of his youth. So, immediately upon his retirement from the CAF, he rekindled his passion for cooking and began his new career as a chef! From Military to Culinary Kevin's initial plan was to resurrect and share some of his favourite old-time recipes online. He intended to focus on old, lost recipes, but as the number of bologna recipes increased to well over two hundred, he decided to concentrate entirely on bologna. Kevin quickly realized that bologna was not exclusive to Newfoundland. In fact, this sausage was enjoyed by people from all parts of the country, as well as by many of his readers overseas! Much Ado about . . . Bologna? The Bologna Cookbook is Kevin Phillips's first book, and the first ever all-bologna cookbook, featuring two hundred recipes whose main ingredient is . . . you guessed it . . . bologna! The cookbook outlines easy-to-make recipes for mouth-watering dishes that are a feast for the eyes and a delicious treat for the soul, such as Bologna and Eggs with Havarti, Bologna Caesar Wraps, Cheesy Bologna Calzones, Balsamic Peppercorn Bologna Steak, Bologna Stroganoff, and more!

Faith in the UK’s political system has reached new lows. Politicians and commentators are lining up to offer answers, but what if the problem goes beyond left and right, trust and bureaucracy? What if the system puts too much power in the hands of politicians in London and not enough in the hands of ordinary people? This important book addresses a key issue of our time: where should power and governance lie in our democracy? Simon Parker, a leading expert on public services and government, claims the answer is to give power away. Indeed, across the country, communities and cities are already starting to take matters into their own hands, reinventing citizenship for the 21st century. Including fascinating interviews with former ministers and officials about their experience of managing the central state, as well as illuminating international case studies, Parker offers policy recommendations and practical ideas for giving power away and creating a new kind of politics focused on unleashing society's creative potential. In so doing, he provides a route map for change, showing how decentralisation can make us happier, healthier and more equal.

When an advance scout for an American film company disappears, Aurelio Zen's most recent assignment in remote Calabria becomes anything but routine. Despite a savage attack that has scared the locals silent, Zen is determined to expose the truth. To make matters more complicated, a group of dangerous strangers, led by a rich, single-minded American have arrived to uncover another local mystery—buried treasure—and they will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. What ensues is a fiendishly suspenseful case that only Aurelio Zen could stumble into and only Michael Dibdin could have created: a wild thriller that takes us deep into a remote region of Italy and the darkest corners of human nature.