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Published Nov 2006
400 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
It has been years since Immanuel Kant's landmark philosophical work, Critique of Pure Reason, brought him fame throughout Europe and made him Königsberg’s best-known citizen. Now, rumors have begun to surface of a new work by this aging but still acute mind. Yet unlike his earlier work, this book will not examine the mind of the average man, but the mind of the serial killer.
Hanno Stiffeniis, a young magistrate, has been called to Königsberg to assist in the investigation of an enigmatic string of murders. Is it part of a plot formed by Napoleon's spies to undermine the Prussian king or the work of a solitary, unknown killer? The case would seem unsolvable, were it not for the assistance and unmatched intellect of his mentor, Immanuel Kant. Together Stiffeniis and the elderly, eccentric philosopher must track down the killer who has the city of Königsberg by the throat.
"Starred Review. Admirers of quality intellectual fiction should embrace this book, with its pitch-perfect period detail and psychologically complex protagonist." - Publishers Weekly.
"Starred Review. Only a killjoy would reveal the denouement, but readers can expect stunning--and thought-provoking--reversals before the last clue is deciphered." - Booklist.
"[Gregorio's] re-creation of the starched world of nineteenth-century Prussia, the gothic crimes that take place, and the man trying to track down the killer, are refreshingly different and satisfyingly complex." - Publishing News (UK).
"... there's very little pleasure to be had in this dark, grotesque and, yes, rather illogical novel." - Kirkus Reviews.
"[O]ne of those literary thrillers that come along every year or two to provide both intellectual and visceral pleasures for readers who neither move their lips nor fear weighty concepts … an impressive piece of intellectual mayhem." - The Washington Post.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Jeffrey Isaac
Michael Gregorio is the pen name of Michael G. Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio. Michael and Daniela have been married for 36 years, and live in Spoleto, Italy, where Daniela teaches Philosophy, and Michael teaches English and the History of Photography. They were awarded the Umbria del Cuore prize in 2007.
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