In a small town in Sicily, two respectable men, pharmacist Mano and doctor Rosso, are murdered while out hunting on a summer day. Since Mano had recently received an anonymous threatening letter, the authorities are quick to attribute the crime to a love rivalry and to cover up the case.

Only Professor Paolo Laurana believes that something else is hidden behind this story. But in his attempt to find the truth, he will touch upon a web of dealings and corruption, disturbing the powerful people of the area…

Leonardo Sciascia, one of the most important Italian writers of the 20th century, masterfully illustrates the microcosm of a provincial town, with its passions, gossip, shared secrets, and the wrongdoings that no one dares to mention. And he reveals the dark side of a Sicily held captive by crime and omertà.

A landmark novel for Italian crime literature, one of the first to address the subject of the all-powerful mafia and its destructive influence on Italian society.