The Hawthorne Season

Since his father was killed by a drunk driver, Giulio Rodari has touched alcohol only twice. The second time was the night his ex-girlfriend Patrizia was murdered, and he woke the next morning to a black hole where his memory should be, and to an accusation of murder.

A celebrated children's author, he retreats from the spotlight to the small mountain town where he grew up, held under house arrest at his mother's hotel. The village lies under an unbroken cover of winter white and is still haunted by a bridge collapse that killed seven people. As old rivalries and buried secrets come up, Giulio struggles to separate what happened from what he has been told happened, while the police close in.

The Hawthorne Season is Riccardo Bruni's Italian mystery, translated by Hillary Locke and published in English by AmazonCrossing.