Book excerpt: A new series of hardboiled crime fiction set in contemporary Naples by the author of the internationally bestselling Commissario Ricciardi series. They've made a fresh start at the Pizzofalcone precinct of Naples. They fired every member of the investigative branch after they were found guilty of corruption. Now, there's a new group of detectives, a new commissario, and a new superintendent. The new cops immediately find themselves investigating a high-profile murder that has the whole town on edge. Heading the investigation is Inspector Lojacono, known as the Chinaman, a cop with a chequered past and a reputation as crack investigator. Lojacono's partner is Aragona, who wants to be known as Serpico, but the name doesn't stick. Luigi Palma is the Commissario, Francesco Romano, aka Hulk, the self-deluded lieutenant. Lojacono, Aragona, Palma and Romano are joined by a cast of cops portrayed by de Giovanni with depth and intimate knowledge of the close-knit world of police investigators. De Giovanni is one of the most dexterous and successful writers of crime fiction currently working in Europe. His award winning and bestselling novels, all set in Naples, offer a brilliant vision of the criminal underworld and the lives of the cops in Europa's most fabled, atmospheric, dangerous, and lustful city.