The Vendetta Tree

A Commissario Beppe Stancato novel (5)

De: Richard Walmsley

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

A Commissario Beppe Stancato novel (5)
The discovery of a man's body hanging from an ancient olive tree outside the little town of Picciano, in Abruzzo, is dismissed by the local police as a simple case of suicide, not worth investigating. An anonymous caller from Picciano to the Questura in Pescara hints at a far more sinister explanation. Beppe and two of his colleagues take one look at this solitary olive tree outside the town and come to the conclusion that a murder has been committed. A post-mortem confirms a mafia-style killing.
It does not take long for the reticence of the town-dwellers to crack - revealing an illegal take-over by the Calabrian mafia - controlling the production and bottling of the town's precious olive oil.
Beppe and his team are up against 'The Smiling Man' - a ruthless member of a clan which hails from Beppe's home town in Calabria. His own parents and his sister's family living in Catanzaro are at risk of reprisals from the mob. A host of diverse characters become involved in the investigation. But the final breakthrough comes from an unexpected and very disturbing source.