Guerrieri is asked to handle the appeal of Fabio Paolicelli sentenced to sixteen years for smuggling drugs into Italy. Everything seems stacked against the appeal, not least the fact that Paolicelli initially confessed to the crime. Guerrieri's reluctance to take on the case is intensified by the fact that the accused is not unknown to him. Paolicelli was a notorious neo-Fascist thug. It is only the intervention of Paolicelli's beautiful half-Japanese wife Natsu that finally overcomes Guerrieri's reluctance. When he ends up in bed with her things get really interesting.

"In this philosophical, quirky legal thriller set in Bari, Italy, attorney Guido Guerrieri (last seen in A Walk in the Dark) is in the throes of midlife malaise when he gets an unexpected and seemingly impossible case. Fabio Paolicelli asks Guerrieri to represent him in his appeal on a drug smuggling conviction that led to a 16-year prison sentence. Despite his confession, which Paolicelli says he made to spare his lovely half-Japanese wife, Natsu Kawabata, from being convicted along with him, he's convinced he was set up — and that his first lawyer, Corrado Macr, was part of the conspiracy. Guerrieri is reluctant to take the case, but he does so for a host of mostly bad reasons, not the least of which is Kawabata's beauty. The mystery plot intrigues, but Guerrieri truly commands the reader's attention with his unflinching awareness of his own failings and his thoughtful musings on life and the law." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Carofiglio writes crisp, ironical novels that are as much love stories and philosophical treatises as they are legal thrillers." The New Yorker

"New and returning readers who enjoy an intelligent, thoughtful, and dedicated lawyer hero or a moderately paced legal thriller are sure to savor the latest entry in the Guerrieri series." Booklist

"Carofiglio writes crisp, ironical novels that are as much love stories and philosophical treatises as they are legal thrillers."-The New Yorker

"Guerrieri could have just gotten off an Alitalia flight from the land of Grisham or the Los Angeles of Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer. Sharp writing will keep readers turning the pages."-Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Guerrieri series:

"Involuntary Witnessis a stunner."-The Times

"Every character in Carofiglio's fiction has a story to tell and they are always worth hearing. As the author himself is an anti-mafia prosecutor, this powerfully affecting series benefits from veracity as well as tight writing."-Daily Mail

"Raises the standard for crime fiction. Carofiglio's deft touch has given us a story that is both literary and gritty-it speeds along like the best legal thrillers."-Jeffery Deaver

Lawyer Guerrieri is asked to handle the appeal of Fabio Paolicelli, sentenced to sixteen years for smuggling drugs into Italy. Everything seems stacked against the accused, not least because he initially confessed to the crime. His past as a neo-fascist thug also adds credence to the case against him. Only the intervention of Paolicelli's beautiful half-Japanese wife finally overcomes Guerrieri's reluctance. Matters get more complicated when Guerrieri ends up in bed with her.

Gianrico Carofiglio, born in 1961, is a judge and anti-Mafia prosecutor in the southern Italian city of Bari. Bitter Lemon Press introduced him to English-speaking readers with his best-selling debut novel, Involuntary Witness.

Carofiglio, born 1961, is an anti-mafia prosecutor in the Southern Italian city of Bari. He has been responsible for the area's most important indictments regarding organized crime, corruption and trading in human beings. He is also a best selling author, the recipient of many literary prizes.