This novel about the Mafia is also a mesmerizing demonstration of how that organization sustains itself. It is both a beautifully, tautly written story and a brave act of denunciation.

In the piazza, a man lies dead. No one will say if they witnessed his killing. This presents a challenge to the investigating officer, a man who earnestly believes in the values of a democratic and modern society. Indeed, his enquiries are soon blocked off by a wall of silence and vested interests; he must work against the community to save it and expose the truth. The narrative moves on two levels: that of the investigator, who reveals a chain of savage crimes; and that of the bystanders and watchers, of those complicit with secret power, whose gossipy, furtive conversations have only one end - to stop the truth coming out.

Details

ISBN13: 9781803514420
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 128
Edition:
Publication Date: 07 Jul 2026
Publisher: Granta Books
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Leonardo Sciascia was born in Sicily in 1921 and died there in 1989. A master of lucid and accessible prose, Sciascia worked with deceptively simple forms - books about crime, historical novels, political thrillers - in order to engage with the moral and historical problems of modern Italy, especially his native Sicily. His books are rooted in a particular culture but speak to anyone who has ever wondered how people can endure unbearable injustice. Equal Danger was made into the film Illustrious Corpses by Francesco Rosi.

Reviews

The most intelligent detective story I have ever read and the ideal introduction to Sciascia's brilliant but little known oeuvre -- Thomas Wright * Daily Telegraph *
The best evocation of Sicily I've read, this is one for the crime connoisseurs -- Leslie Forbes
A very well-written page turner. This is an absorbing and compelling story * Northampton Chronicle *
One of the major writers of the age * Time Literary Supplement *
A detective story that is so much more; sharp and precise and demanding the reader to render judgement * Absolutely Chelsea *
Irresistible... The finest writer [out of these classic sleuth reissues] -- Anthony Cummins * Metro *
The accessibility and beauty of Sciascia's prose suggest he wanted it to be an antidote to the silent complicity and self-deception confronting both him and his heroes. When he wrote about crime, he was also writing about truth, solitude and belonging * Observer *
The first novel written in Italy about the mafia... Powerful and remarkable, full of telling details and uncomfortable truths * The Times *