A city vanishing, a concerned major, a smart detective. Will the city of Calvino be saved? Palomar, Calvino's major, is in trouble: just the hydraulic skeleton of the city is left because of an infestation… of Marco Polos. This is a mystery that needs a detective who keeps up with the situation. And Palomar has the right phone number to call. The absurdity investigator Sampietro Mischief is back. This time he is up against an army of Marco Polos... With minimal help from Chives, his assistant and pet monster, can he prevail against the metafictional obstacles he is sure to encounter? Or not? A story with a lot of clones and some brandy. ABOUT THE AUTHOR «Influenced by Borges, Calvino and Stanislaw Lem, Hughes' fiction is both intellectual and hilarious with plenty of jokes, puns and satirical side-swipes to keep the reader constantly amused» (Fantasticfiction.co.uk) [+/- 6300 words]