Michael Dibdin(1947-2007)

Best known for his Italian detective Aurelio Zen. His first Aurelio Zen novel, "Ratking", was inspired by four years spent teaching English in Italy. It won the Gold Dagger award for crime fiction in 1988. After the success of Ratking, he wrote a further 10 novels starring the world-weary detective, including his most recently-completed story, End Games, which will be published posthumously in 2007.