The Salamander

An Italian general is found dead in his apartment. Next to his body is a small card inscribed with a salamander in a bed of flames. Is it suicide or murder?Dante Matucci, a captain in the Italian secret service, begins an investigation that leads him into a maze of political violence and intrigue. He meets the general's former mistress, Lili Anders, and embarks on a dangerous affair with the beautiful one-time spy. Soon he is drawn into the net of the great Salamander himself, millionaire industrialist Bruno Manzini, who is pitting his wits against the elaborate machinery threatening Italy's government. In a game of high stakes, how much is Matucci prepared to pay to survive?

Morris West was one of the great storytellers of the twentieth century. He wrote 28 novels, several of which were made into films, as well as plays and non-fiction. Australian-born, his books have sold nearly 70 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 28 languages. He is best known for his novels The Devil's Advocate, The Shoes of the Fisherman and The Clowns of God.