Siena, one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, is feverishly preparing for the Palio, a horse race dating back to the Middle Ages, held every summer in the centre of the town.

Tempers flare, rivalries between the competing neighbourhoods intensify. Milanese lawyer Enzo Maggione and his wife Valeria are unwittingly caught up in the death of a jockey and a maelstrom of plots, counterplots and bribes surrounding the race.

What begins as a listless excursion to a medieval equestrian competition turns into a hallucinatory nightmare for Maggione and his wife, awakening their dormant libido, for each other but, more dangerously, for others in their entourage.

*****

The annual Palio horse race is due to take place in Siena. Days before, Avvovato (Enzo) Maggioni and his wife Valeria end up at a strange house after taking a wrong turn. What they find is intrigue and before long, they get mixed up in a murder.

The premise of this book did catch my attention. I had no previous knowledge of the Palio and its history so it was interesting to discover it through this novel. Although I’m not sure I want to witness the race, I’d love to visit Siena.

Continue reading →

by