"Previously published as Veleno. Una storia vera by Giulio Einaudi editore s.p.a. in Italy in 2019. Translated from Italian by Elettra Pauletto. First published in English by Amazon Crossing in 2022."--Title page verso

The accusations. The suspicions. The devastating impact. This is the true story of the Devils of the Bassa Modenese--the most notorious Satanic Panic investigation in the history of Italy. In 1997 a six-year-old boy questioned by authorities relayed disturbing stories of abuse. The more he talked, the more people were implicated in his shocking revelations. And he was only the first child to come forward. Within a year, fifteen more children with similar tales were transferred out of the Bassa region of Italy to protected locations. Their parents were accused of belonging to a satanic sect that performed sex rituals under the aegis of beloved local priest Don Giorgio Govoni. With each child's confession, the network of monsters grew. Families were torn apart. Lives were forever destroyed--and some ended--as allegations of kidnapping, torture, sacrifice, and murder escalated beyond comprehension. But what was really happening in the Bassa Modenese? In this gripping account of the Satanic Panic of the 1990s, investigative journalist Pablo Trincia returns to the scene of the crimes to find the answer. And the truth he uncovers is as terrifying as the lies

Translated from the Italian