Involuntary Witness by
Gianrico Carofiglio
pbk out July 05
(Bitter Lemon Press)
at £8.99
Guido Guerrieri, a criminal lawyer, has become increasingly sickened by the work he does.
Separated from his wife and after months of living life in the fast lane he becomes subject to
terrifying panic attacks, insomnia and depression and phobic about using the lift. When a
nine-year-old boy is found murdered at the bottom of a well, near a beach resort in
Southern Italy, Guerrieri becomes defence lawyer for the Senegalese peddler who is
accused of the crime. Battling small-town racism and his own demons, Guerrieri has little
hope of winning the case. However, he doggedly picks his way through the legal processes
and working harder than he ever has, he begins to turn the tables on the prosecution. A
wonderful, moving but utterly unsentimental story of redemption which brings a unique Italian
flavour to the court procedural and also stands as a powerful indictment of racism.
Carofiglio is himself a renowned anti-Mafia judge with experience of trials concerning
corruption, organised crime and people trafficking. Involuntary Witness has been a
bestseller in Italy and is the subject of a television series there.
(
Cath Staincliffe
author of the popular Sal Kilkenny mysteries and the series creator of TV Blue Murder)
Involuntary Witness by
Gianrico Carofiglio
