Runaway Horses

Siena, one of Italy’s most beautiful cities, visited by all discerning travelers to Tuscany, is feverishly preparing for the Palio, a horse race dating back to the Middle Ages held every summer in the center of the town.  Milanese lawyer Enzo Maggione and his wife Valeria are unwittingly caught up in the maelstrom of plots, counterplots and bribes surrounding the race. They are even witnesses to the violent death of Puddu, the Palio’s most celebrated jockey, found dead the day before the race. A murder mystery, a vivid description of Siena and its Palio, a hilarious portrait of a fading marriage and a decadent society, all rolled up into one brilliant novel.