"Crisp yet lyrical, simple yet intelligent...haunting, shocking, and tense."--"Booklist" The locals in the Italian village where he lives call him Signor Farfalla--Mr. Butterfly--for he appears to be a discreet gentleman who paints rare butterflies. But as inconspicuous as Farfalla tries to make himself, his real profession is deadly, unbeknownst to the sometime brothel worker, Clara, with whom he sleeps. Of a certain age, and as his feelings for Clara intensify, Farfalla has resolved to make his next job his last--all the while sensing a treacherous circle closing in on him. "With Farfalla, Booth has a created a rich, conflicted antihero whose clever rationalizations mask a soul weary with self-doubt...making us question our own moral values, our sense of right and wrong--and where exactly to draw the line."--"Boston Globe" "A psychological suspense thriller invested with life-and-death gravitas."--"Seattle Times" "There are echoes of Nabokov in this in this tense and poetic mystery."--"Today" (UK)