""This letter is your death sentence. To avenge what you have done you will die." But what has Manno the pharmacist done? Nothing that he can think of. He takes the letter for a joke. The next day he and his hunting companion are both dead.".

"The police investigation is inconclusive. However, Professor Laurana, a modest high school teacher with a literary bent, has noticed a clue that, he believes, will allow him to trace the killer. Patiently, methodically, Laurana begins to untangle a web of erotic intrigue and political calculation. But the results of his amateur sleuthing are unexpected - and tragic."--BOOK JACKET.