Augusto Ghites is a junkie. His the ashes of the dead. His reliving the lives of those whose ashes he sniffs and interacting with their ghosts. To obtain those ashes - to get his fix - he needs money. And there’s no better job for someone who can talk to ghosts than that of a private eye. When an old prostitute hires him to investigate the death of her colleague, Ghites thinks that it's just an average, everyday case. But together with the King Lizard, he will discover that there are forces at play that are well beyond his capabilities to control. Set in a decadent Milan and told in perfect noir style, this horror tale introduces a dark and self-destructive occult detective in the best hard-boiled tradition. "Samuel Marolla has done a great job of creating some dark imagery that will stick with you when you are done reading. Reading this book was like looking at a work of art" - HORROR ADDICTS "The writing was beautiful. It was just too creepy for me. [...] It's almost like art" - A NOVEL GLIMPSE "This is a beautifully written combination of noir and urban horror : rather like Dashiel Hammett with a bit of Poe and with a wholly original depiction of Milan." - ELANA GOMEL - Writer and professor of English literature at Tel-Aviv University (Israel)