Trieste is a city that is used to silence, but this time it’s afraid to speak up. A nameless killer has committed two crimes, and the victims appear to have nothing in common, except for two tarot cards found near the bodies: Temperance and the Wheel of Fortune. As soon as Inspector Emma Bellini sees those, her blood runs cold; the cards come from a pack handmade by her sister Maia, an artist interested in all things esoteric, with whom Emma hasn’t spoken for years. Now she can’t put it off any longer: she has to track down Maia, question her, and understand the cards’ connection to the murders. Maia, though, is aghast. She says she destroyed the entire pack some time ago, after a traumatic event that wreaked havoc on her life and led her to give up fortune-telling, leaving one word burned into her memory, like a far-off echo, or a brand on the flesh. Safir. When a third body is found with yet another card next to it, the investigation turns into a race against time. While Emma uses logic to untangle an enigma that seems to be entirely irrational, Maia goes back to the tarot cards in an attempt to make peace with her past. And perhaps reconnect with her sister.

Barbara Baraldi is the author of thrillers and comic books. Her series Aurora Scalviati, profiler del buio came out with Giunti editore. All told, her novels have been published by Mondadori, Castelvecchi, and Einaudi, along with a series of guides to the mysteries of Bologna brought out by Newton & Compton. Since 2012, she has written for the series Dylan Dog by Sergio Bonelli Editore. Baraldi has won several literary awards, including the Gran Giallo città di Cattolica and the Nebbia Gialla. She also features in Italian Noir, a BBC documentary on Italian thrillers. Her books have been acclaimed by critics and readers alike and have been published in several countries, such as Germany, the U.K., and the United States.