Liar Moon

Set in German-occupied Italy in the fall of 1943, Pastor’s second novel featuring Wehrmacht Maj. Martin Bora (after 2011’s Lumen) finds Bora assigned by German headquarters in Verona to assist Italian Centurion Gaetano De Rosa in investigating the murder of a Fascist party notable, Vittorio Lisi. The death has been spun as resulting from natural causes in keeping with the facade that no one commits murder or suicide in Mussolini’s Italy. In fact, the wheelchair-bound Lisi was struck by a car, and since his wife Clara’s vehicle has a dent in its front fender, she’s an obvious suspect. Lisi’s dying message—scrawling the letter C in the gravel—also points to his widow, but Bora must consider others with motive for the killing, including political adversaries. Pastor succeeds at painting a memorable picture of Fascist Italy through the lens of ordinary police procedure carried out under extraordinary circumstances. Agent: Meryl Zegarek, Meryl Zegarek PR. (Mar.)