Un assist per morire

“A book which takes the stereotypes of the noir literature and tear up them.” (Federico Pontiggia, journalist and critic)

Mark Andreani, 17 years old, football player in the Amateur League but with a sure, shiny and professional future, is dead falling down the balcony of his home. Is it misfortune, suicide or a crime connected to doping? Max Brandi, an irregular and troublesome cop, is called to investigate. Only a person  knows the truth about Mark and the little team which a group of speculators is trying to trasform in a football miracle: the goalkeeper and captain Pat Fornero, a man forty years old at the end of his career. An assist to die (Un assist per morire) is an atypical novel, which introduces crime story in docudrama structure. The death of the young football player Mark Andreani is investigated and recreated through the team captain’s eyes, through his sport history, the footballmates and managers’events. The detective breaks every rule of Italian fiction: the substitute police’s detective Max Brandi is in fact a troublesome man, an openly gay (he is in a stable relationship with Thomas Errani,a doctor) and corrupt cop who has denounced his colleagues;Max has an heart disease because of an accident, is tough and cynic, but devoted to truth. The novel shows the football behind the scenes, its secrets and tricks, doping, illegal trades and the shadow of the mafia. Un assist per morire offers a gallery of unique characters – each one with his personal voice and personality – sequences of football matches, punch-ups and an engaging soundtrack, from rock and blues to contemporary pieces. The story could be the first chapter of a series focused on Max and Thomas under development. Because of its peculiarity and its cinematographic disposition, the novel has been displayed in Rome during the festival “Cinema & Libri” and in Turin for the “Lovers Film Festival”, obtaining positive reviews from readers and experts.