The Master of Knots

Set in Italy, Master of Knots has as its main character, Marco, aka Alligator, a private investigator and bar owner. Working with him are two close friends: Beniamino Rossini, a past gangster, and Max the Memory. All three men have spent time in prison, Marco for something he didn't do, and a fair amount of the book describes the horrors of life in an Italian prison in detail. A friend has sent a client, Mariano Giraldi, to Marco for help. Giraldi's wife, Helena, has been kidnapped, and in the room from which she was abducted, a rose, made from intricate knots in a silken rope, has been left. Further investigation uncovers the fact that the Giraldis were into sadomasochism, and soon other women, also involved in S & M, begin to disappear. A sadistic psychopath nicknamed Master of Knots is at work, and Marco and friends must try to discover his identity and stop him before he can kidnap again. The Master of Knots is dark, with graphic scenes and gutter language. My one complaint about the book is that everything was tied up in great haste at the end.