God's Dog

Diego Marani

I'm equally repelled by and sorry for the detective here, a fanatic in a plausible dystopian future with a tragedy in our own past and moral questions for us now. Pain and fear rule in the Catholic Republic of Italy; Salazar is tasked with rooting out those trying to relieve the suffering. At first his investigation is chilling but routine. As I learned more about him from his own writings he became fascinating - and then events exploded.

Extract

'Vicar, I have news. A man died in the hospital. At first sight it looked like a natural death, but I'm sure it was euthanasia. Unfortunately the angel of death slipped through my fingers but now I'm on the scent. I may even have a name. I know how they operate ...'
Hearing unusual sounds from behind the grille, Salazar broke off. He noticed that the curtain on the other side was half drawn. He glimpsed something glittering, then heard the click of a gun being loaded. He threw himself out of the confessional just as three bullets fired from a pistol with a silencer hissed through the brass grating and sank into the marquetry, splintering carved putti and garlands as they did so.

Parallels