Ratking

Michael Dibdin (1947-2007) was a British crime fiction author best known for his Aurelio Zen series of 11 novels set in Italy, beginning with Ratking (1988), which won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel. Born in Wolverhampton, England, and raised partly in Northern Ireland, he studied at Sussex University and the University of Alberta before living in Italy and eventually settling in Seattle, Washington. His works are noted for their insightful portrayals of Italian society, irony, and black humor.