Synopsis

Bologna. Lupo, born Gianluca Mannari,'s life is punctuated by precious moments when he forgets about his demanding and stressful job. In the evenings, he takes refuge with the innkeeper Tonino, a 200-pound bear with a quick wit and a well-stocked cellar; on Sunday afternoons, he hides out in the playroom to stage epic dice battles with a group of more or less grown-up teenagers. One day, however, the police arrest him outside his office: he's the only suspect in the murder of a local businessman, Glauco Bonazzi, found dead on a rainy night, his body mutilated in a small provincial church. Behind the body, written in large letters, is the inscription InferIVoluntas. An invention of Lupo's, in fact: the latest miniature army he assembled had this very motto, a—ungrammatical—Latin acronym. Lupo decides to investigate for himself and starts a dangerous game. He begins dating Nina, a young and shadowy Tuscan inspector who has returned to Bologna seeking personal revenge, and Eva, the victim's sister, a charming girl with a sharp tongue. Lupo cannot remain indifferent to these two different charms... and they will cause him serious trouble. Gianluca Gualducci, making his debut, presents himself with an irreverent voice, hilarious and rigorous in his construction of a detective story. The Wolf's Vice is a novel written in a state of grace, entertaining and revealing the darkest recesses of a murderer's soul.