Thriller

L'ombrello dell'imperatore

(The Emperor's Umbrella)

Casa Editrice Longanesi&C., January 2021, pp.320

Debuted #18 in the Italian charts!

30,000 copies sold

 

Full English translation available

A crime novel set in an unusual environment, in Japan, where a mixed-race detective investigates a singular murder with just one clue that incriminates the only person in the world he can neither question nor arrest: the Emperor.

A compelling debut novel that contains the beauty and elusiveness typical of an ancient culture, while not shying away from its deepest flaws.

When faced with a murder victim killed with an ordinary, transparent plastic umbrella, like the hundreds seen in the streets of Tokyo on rainy days, Chief Inspector Takeshi Nishida has little prospect of solving the case. Both the victim and the murder weapon are too anonymous. It is therefore with little hope that he has the object examined for any relevant fingerprints. The test results are, however, beyond the imaginable. There is a clear, well-defined fingerprint. It belongs to the Emperor of Japan.  And so what seemed like a run-of-the-mill murder suddenly turns into a very delicate, complex conundrum. One, by one, Chief Inspector Nishida must identify all the fleeting owners of this umbrella, hunting for an answer that is as hoped for as it is dreaded.

Casa Editrice Longanesi&C., January 2021, pp.320

  • “The author succeeds on two fronts: in weaving an engaging plot and at the same time writing a compendium of Japanese culture and sociology for Westerners (…) fast-paced (…). For a debut novel, Scotti aims high.”

    Corriere della Sera

  • “Scotti has written a wonderful crime novel: the kind that keeps you glued to the book till the final page, alternating plot twists and narrative creations that demonstrate solid skill.”

    Felice Modica, Il Giornale

Rights Sold

Arabic World Rights: Al Arabi Publishing.

Tommaso Scotti

Tommaso Scotti (1984) is a mathematician whose passion for martial arts made him move to the Far East in 2010. He subsequently obtained a Ph.D. in Tokyo, where he now lives and works. In his free time, he devotes himself to calligraphy and playing the piano. With his novels L’ombrello dell’imperatore (Longanesi, 2021) and Le due morti del signor Mihara (Longanesi, 2022) he conquered readers and critics alike, thanks to the character of the Japanese-American Inspector Nishida, as well as the inquisitive and realistic viewpoint through which he describes an unfamiliar and often misunderstood Japan.

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