Michael Dibdin, 1947-2007

Word has just filtered out about the death here last week of British crime novelist Michael Dibdin, after a "short illness" at the age of 60. Dibdin was a bestselling fixture in his home country and had many fans in his adopted one as well (he moved to Seattle in 1994), mainly for his brainy, atmospheric mysteries featuring Aurelio Zen, a Venetian detective who, though sophisticated and pleasure-loving, was not entirely sympathetic; one commentator described him as "not a man with whom one would want to be marooned in a gondola." Through Zen's eyes, Dibdin was able to write a region-by-region account of the corruptions and charms of modern Italy.

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