Copyright © 2014 by Tim Parks

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Arcade Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

First North American Edition 2015

This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Arcade Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Arcade Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or arcade@skyhorsepublishing.com.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Painting death : a novel / Tim Parks.

—First North American edition.

pages; cm.—(Duckworth and the Italian girls; take 3)

ISBN 978-1-62872-593-3 (hardcover: acid-free paper)—ISBN 978-1-62872-620-6 (ebook) 1. Serial murderers—Italy—Fiction. 2. Verona (Italy)—Fiction. I. Title.

PR6066.A6957P35 2015

823’.914—dc23

2015019650

Cover design by Marion Blomeyer

Cover illustration: Getty Images

Cover photo: Shutterstock

Printed in the United States of America