Critique of Criminal Reason - (Hanno Stiffeniis Mysteries) by Michael Gregorio (Paperback)

About the Book

"Sherlock Holmes himself would struggle to keep up with the master sleuth Gregorio brings to life." ---Booklist (starred review)

Book Synopsis

An International Bestseller and Playboy Best Book of 2006

It has been years since Immanuel Kant's landmark philosophical work, Critique of Pure Reason, brought him fame throughout Europe and made him Königsberg's best-known citizen. Now, rumors have begun to surface of a new work by this aging but still acute mind. Yet unlike his earlier work, this book will not examine the mind of the average man, but the mind of the serial killer.

Detective Hanno Stiffeniis has been called to the city to find the culprit in an enigmatic string of murders. Are they part of a plot formed by Napoleon's spies to undermine the Prussian king, or the work of a solitary killer? The case would seem unsolvable, were it not for the assistance and unmatched intellect of his mentor, Immanuel Kant. Together the young detective and the elderly, eccentric philosopher must track down the killer who has the city by the throat.

Atmospheric, entertaining, and intelligent, this acclaimed novel is sophisticated, page-turning crime at its best.

Review Quotes

"One of those literary thrillers that come along every year or two to provide both intellectual and visceral pleasures for readers who neither move their lips nor fear weighty concepts." --The Washington Post

"Readers who seek substance along with thrills in their mystery reading will enjoy The Critique of Criminal Reason." --Houston Chronicle

"Admirers of quality intellectual fiction should embrace this book, with its pitch-perfect period detail and psychologically complex protagonist." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Sherlock Holmes himself would struggle to keep up with the master sleuth Gregorio brings to life." --Booklist (starred review)

"A marvelous highbrow thriller. It combines a tremendous gift for describing a place and time in history--in this case, Konigsberg in the winter of 1804--with a hard-driving plot." --C.J. Sansom, author of Dark Fire and Dissolution

About the Author

Michael Gregorio is the pen name of Michael G. Jacob and Daniela De Gregorio. She teaches philosophy, he teaches English. They live in Spoleto, Italy. Michael Gregorio was awarded the Umbria del Cuore prize in 2007.