Joel Backman was the most powerful lobbyist in Washington until he wasn't. Six years into a federal prison sentence for a scandal that nearly tanked the CIA, he's pardoned by a lame-duck president and smuggled to Italy under a new identity. The deal: disappear into Bologna, learn Italian, blend in. The catch: someone wants him dead, and the CIA is using him as bait to see who strikes first. Grisham ditches the courtroom for cobblestone streets and espresso bars, delivering a taut cat-and-mouse thriller where survival depends on mastering verb conjugations and reading the room. It's part spy novel, part travelogue through northern Italy — gelato, paranoia, and a man desperately trying to stay three steps ahead of whoever's coming for him. For fans of international intrigue with a dash of Italian atmosphere.
