Falsches Spiel am Lago di Como
FINAL PRAYER ON LAKE COMO. A Case for Giulia Cesare
A Crime Novel ca. 300 pages, Spring 2022
A terrible murder in a holiday paradise – and a search for a killer among monks and puppeteers
The fourth case for the unlikely duo, Commissario Giulia Caesare and Brutus the postman
Tension, humour, and plenty of bella Italia
Foul play at the Lago di Como
A mild summer evening at Lake Como: the scent of cypresses and oleanders hangs in the air; you’re enjoying a glass or two of vino with your risotto al formaggio. The high point of the evening is a performance by a troupe of puppeteers who are visit-ing the lake. Though the players are giving it their all, the play itself is more than a little curious: it’s about two men – one of them a monk – who are fighting over a peach. At the end, one of the men hacks the other’s head off.
The next day, nearby, in the Abbey of Piona, a monk is found dead, clearly mur-dered: the holy man has had his head cut off. The murder weapon, an axe, lies half-hidden in the garden of the cloisters, beneath a peach tree. Why did the innocent monk have to die such a gruesome death? And what do the puppeteers have to do with it all?
Giulia Cesare and her friend Brutus follow the trail of clues under the watchful eyes of the local Comaschis, and their investigations lead them once again into Italy’s dark past.
A Crime Novel ca. 300 pages, Spring 2022
A terrible murder in a holiday paradise – and a search for a killer among monks and puppeteers
The fourth case for the unlikely duo, Commissario Giulia Caesare and Brutus the postman
Tension, humour, and plenty of bella Italia
Foul play at the Lago di Como
A mild summer evening at Lake Como: the scent of cypresses and oleanders hangs in the air; you’re enjoying a glass or two of vino with your risotto al formaggio. The high point of the evening is a performance by a troupe of puppeteers who are visit-ing the lake. Though the players are giving it their all, the play itself is more than a little curious: it’s about two men – one of them a monk – who are fighting over a peach. At the end, one of the men hacks the other’s head off.
The next day, nearby, in the Abbey of Piona, a monk is found dead, clearly mur-dered: the holy man has had his head cut off. The murder weapon, an axe, lies half-hidden in the garden of the cloisters, beneath a peach tree. Why did the innocent monk have to die such a gruesome death? And what do the puppeteers have to do with it all?
Giulia Cesare and her friend Brutus follow the trail of clues under the watchful eyes of the local Comaschis, and their investigations lead them once again into Italy’s dark past.
Rights inquiries
Clara Bernardi
Clara Bernardi is the pen name of the author Julia Bruns who has already published four crime novels about Thuringia with Emons. Julia Bruns studied...
Clara Bernardi is the pen name of the author Julia Bruns who has already published four crime novels about Thuringia with Emons. Julia Bruns studied politics, sociology and psychology. After obtaining her PhD, she worked for many years as a speech writer and in PR. The author lives in county Sömmerda with her family.