Offside

'Because you use your centre forward to make yourselves feel like gods who can manage victories and defeats, from the comfortable throne of minor Caesars: the centre forward will be killed at dusk.' To revive its sagging fortunes, Barcelona FC has bought the services of Jack Mortimer, European Footballer of the Year.

No sooner has Mortimer taken possession of his company Porsche than death threats start arriving.

Are they a hoax, the work of a loner or are they connected to the awesome real estate speculation that is tearing Barcelona apart?

In a period of turmoil where Catalan pimps and racketeers are being hustled off the streets by crime syndicates from the Middle East, Pepe Carvalho is thinking of retirement, but the need to save the soul of his beloved Barcelona forces him to take on a case that can only end in disaster.