Modena

Palmer Hope

Published: 25 January 2018

Format: Paperback

Edition: 1st

Extent: 565 pp.

ISBN: 9781941634684

RRP: £8.99

Businessman Marius Ottavio and government minister Amedo Tatahou first meet in 1974 when the former arrives in Apuador to begin making business deals. Apuador is rich in oil and other natural resources, and wealth-obsessed Marius has been looking for an opportunity to make his fortune. Though sceptical of Marius’ intent, Amedo slowly falls under the spell of the flashy Italian, with encouragement from his avaricious wife who desperately desires a more luxurious life. He cannot however entirely put aside his certainty that much of what Marius does is immoral and his feelings of guilt are further complicated when he falls in love with a model in Marius’ entourage. As the years pass, Amedo grows extremely rich but also becomes increasingly entangled with Marius’ glamorous, debauched and sometimes illegal lifestyle. All kinds of secrets are going to come to the forefront as Amedo realises just how deep the corruption in Modena goes. There are many mysteries to solve as the lies start to break down.

Palmer Hope was educated in London and the USA, and spent thirty years as a banker and oilman in Tokyo and New York, where he dealt with portfolio management and large-scale investments relating to the Middle Eastern oil industry. He has now swapped his hectic city life for the rolling green hills of the English countryside, where he lives with his family. This is his first novel.