Title:	The Murdered Banker
	Author:	Augusto De Angelis (Jill Foulston, Translator)
	Published:	2016, Pushkin Vertigo
	No. of Pages:	160
	Cover Price:	$13.95 Paperback, $9.99 Kindle

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The Murdered Banker was first published in Italian in 1935. It is reminiscent of Agatha Christie-type mysteries, and was translated to English in 2016. When a body is discovered in the apartment of Inspector De Vincenzi’s friend, Giannetto Aurigi, De Vincenzi is assigned to investigate the case. The night of the murder, Aurigi left the theater early, and visited his friend at the police station, unaware that there was a body in his apartment. Unfortunately, all of the evidence points to Aurigi, however, and De Vincenzi, must find the real murderer before his friend is convicted.

While many books that have been translated from a foreign language are difficult, the translation in this book is quite good, and it is easy to understand. The Italian culture is evident in the story, and while some of the procedures in investigating a case are different from those used in America, De Vincenzi does solve the case judiciously using common sense and clever practices. De Vincenzi isn’t a particularly likeable character; he is abrupt and pushy, and very European. At first readers will wonder just how good this negative character can be. As the story evolves, however, De Vincenzi becomes more pleasant, and since this is the first of two in the series, that will be a good reason to read the subsequent novel.

The book is clean, there is no graphic violence or sex, and the story is good. For readers who enjoy foreign suspense novels, this book is one that will most likely be enjoyed.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying an advanced review copy of this book.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
The Murdered Banker, Paperback
The Murdered Banker, Kindle