words by Carol King
British publishing house Hersilia Press has published popular Italian crime writer Sandrone Dazieri’s ‘In a Heartbeat
Translated into English by A. Turner Mojica, ‘In a Heartbeat’ is described as being in the Italian hardboiled tradition and reminiscent of the explicit crime novels of Massimo Carlotto. It tells the story of Santo, a successful manager, who has built his fortune on a mixture of personal ruthlessness and political skill. However, Santo does not remember any of it: his memory of the previous 14 years of his life has disappeared and he can only remember the time when he was a 20-year-old cocaine dealer. Santo does not know how and when his life changed, but has lots of money, a luxury house and a brand new sports car. Unfortunately, all is not well: someone is trying to kill him and the police are accusing him of another murder.
Born in Cremona, Dazieri worked as a cook, a shop assistant and a porter before he found success in 1999 when he published ‘Attenti al gorilla’ (Watch Out For The Gorilla). It is the first novel in what has become a best-selling series, where the protagonist is a schizophrenic detective also called ‘Sandrone Dazieri’, whose alter ego is a violent and unemotional ‘partner’. A scriptwriter for cinema and TV, Dazieri’s most successful TV series, ‘Squadra Antimafia’, has been optioned by the American Broadcasting Company under the title ‘Anti-Mafia Squad’. The author has also been the chief editor of the prestigious Gialli Mondadori series.
Hersilia Press is an independent publisher that publishes Italian crime fiction from writers including Giorgio Scerbanenco, Maurizio de Giovanni and Alessandro Perissinotto. Its books have won prizes in Italy and abroad, and are written by established authors as well as rising stars.
‘In a Heartbeat’ cost £7.99 in paperback format
