THE ITALIAN PARTY

Narrator Edoardo Ballerini's appealing voice and flawless Italian pronunciation make Lynch's entertaining first novel a likely hit. It is 1956, and American newlyweds Michael and Scottie arrive in Siena--ostensibly for Michael's new job as a Ford tractor salesman. But Michael is, in fact, a CIA operative tasked with ensuring that communists are defeated in local elections. A colorful array of eccentrics populates the story: the superstitious crone, the crooked politician, and a spunky adolescent named Robertino, who knows everyone's business. When Robertino, Scottie's ersatz Italian teacher, suddenly goes missing, Scottie decides to investigate, starting a dangerous chain of events that leads to a surprising conclusion. D.G.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2018]