A Simple Story

The first translation into English of the acclaimed mystery-writer's final detective novel serves as the perfect introduction to an important Italian writer. Published just before his death, this novel refines and condenses Sciascia's analysis of the mafia and the crucial part it plays in Sicily's political system. In a small Sicilian village, a young and inexperienced policeman receives a strange phone call from a retired diplomat. On investigating the matter, he finds the diplomat dead. What at first appears to be a simple case of suicide turns into an intricate tale of corruption that involves the Mafia, the head of police, and the entire Sicilian establishment. Sciascia's novella Candido is also included.

Leonardo Sciascia (1921–1989) was born in Sicily. One of Italy's most important modern writers, he was also a controversial commentator on political affairs, especially within Sicily. In addition to notable mystery novels, including The Day of the Owl and The Wine Dark Sea, Sciascia wrote plays, short stories, and essays. Reviewer and critic Paul Bailey has been a leading literary figure since the 1960s. He has written and edited many works, and has been shortlisted twice for the Booker Prize.