Someone is murdering Italy's Right wing politicians, shooting them through the heart and then leaving a calling card depicting a raven on their chest above the wound. The Italian parliament is in uproar with members of the Right accusing the Left of organising the hits while the Left are affecting cries of outrage, suggesting acts of terrorism as the motive. Whatever the case, the Chief of Police in Rome is under enough pressure to call on the best in the business - Inspector Anders.

With the full backing of Vice-Questore Zanini in Milan, Anders begins his work on the case going over the files that had been produced so far. With two dead members of parliament already, he could do with as few distractions as possible. But distractions are exactly what he is plagued with right from the outset. No sooner does he begin his investigation than he develops a doozey of a cold leaving him sluggish and feverish. Add to this the fact that his presence in Milan is leaked to the press reducing drastically the time he will have before the Mafia start to move in on him. There is a small matter of a book that he has been working on for around 15 years and is just about ready for publication and, finally, a bunch of revolutionary copycats have picked up on the assassination idea and it has become open season on politicians.

Inspector Anders is an unusually likable protagonist. Unusual because everything about him suggests that you should dislike him. He rarely speaks, is dismissive of others and is often lost in thought, ignoring those around him and is forever prone to going off on to unexpected tangents without explanation. Yet it's this nature of unexpectedness that makes him such a fascinating detective to follow as he latches onto obscure clues and draws them into his investigation with startling results.

Pushed by the Italian government, many of whom are in fear for their lives, and a growing social unrest sparked by a general industrial strike, Anders is really under the pump to come up with the identity of the killer. But he won't be rushed by anyone and proceeds through his investigation at his own logical pace regardless of the fact that he is short on time and long on suspects.

Marshall Browne writes with a wonderfully engaging style, slowly introducing and familiarising us with his characters by revealing their subtle personalities and hidden agendas. Significant complexity is added to the story through a couple of side stories such as the near-completion of the book Anders has spent many years writing and the role that it plays in the course of the investigation, plus the renewed working relationship with Sergeant Matucci. Both of these aspects of the book humanise Anders where his usually taciturn demeanour do not.

Inspector Anders and the Blood Vendetta is an extremely well-constructed mystery that has been nicely structured. Fans of the series will appreciate Anders' return to Italy and the genius with which he solves crime.