One hot summer, as world-weary bloodhound Lieutenant Chiti spends sleepless nights hunting for the serial sex attacker terrorising the city, trainee lawyer Giorgio is befriended by dangerously charismatic Francesco and his life is forever changed. Slowly Giorgio is lured into a world of beautiful women, casual violence and card sharps in dingy poker dens and luxury villas. Then one night Francesco suggests a way of expressing the deepest form of friendship. A kind of ritual sacrifice...

The Past is a Foreign Country is a stunning psychological thriller from a master of noir at the height of his powers. Francesco is one of crime fiction's most seductive anti-heroes, while Carofiglio's spare, compulsive style leads the reader inexorably to a shocking and violent finale.