Gregorio, Michael [A joint pseudonym]

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Gregorio, Michael [A joint pseudonym]

PERSONAL:

Male.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Spoleto, Italy.

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

Critique of Criminal Reason (novel), Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Critique of Criminal Reason is the first novel by Michael Gregorio, described by the book's publisher as an Italian-based professor of philosophy. Gregorio is, in fact, a pseudonym for an unidentified Italian-English couple living in Spoleto, Italy. Although little is known about the book's writers, their solid knowledge base of philosophical history and principles is evident, as one of Critique of Criminal Reason's key characters is considered among the most influential philosophers of modern Europe: Immanuel Kant. The novel is set in Königsberg, the capital of East Prussia and also Kant's home, in the early nineteenth century. A Prussian magistrate is summoned to Königsberg at Kant's behest to solve a string of murders. Relying on the philosophers's guidance, in addition to early forms of forensic investigation, the magistrate uncovers a seemingly supernatural link to the murders and is forced to confront his own dark secrets in the process.

A Publishers Weekly contributor described Critique of Criminal Reason as a "twisty, fast-moving whodunit plot" with "pitch-perfect period detail and [a] psychologically complex protagonist." In a review for BookLoons, Tim Davis wrote: "Written in engaging prose, Critique of Criminal Reason is a sophisticated, thought-provoking excursion into history and the fictional origins of forensic criminology. Davis concluded that it is "a superb mystery that is intricately plotted and filled with surprises." Washington Post reviewer Patrick Anderson called the book "one of those literary thrillers that come along every year or two to provide both intellectual and visceral pleasures for readers."