'There's just some nutcase out there going around kidnapping young women and fortu­nately not harming them. Don't worry, we'll catch him.' But, deep down, he wasn't really so sure.

After a hectic morning, Inspector Montalbano finally arrives back at his office only to be met with an unnerving case. A woman on her way home from work has been held up at gunpoint, chloroformed and kidnapped, but then released just hours later - unharmed and with all her possessions - into the open countryside.

Before long, two more instances of this baffling overnight kidnapping have been reported.

As far as Montalbano can tell, there is no link between the attacker and the victims. So what exactly is this mystery assailant gaining from these fleeting kidnappings? Who are they? And what can be done to stop them?

Montalbano must use all his logic and intuition if he is to answer these questions before the overnight kidnapper finds their next victim . . .

'Among the most exquisitely crafted pieces of crime writing available today . . . simply superb' Sunday Times