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Nic Costa #2
Het Bacchus Offer
In a thriller of astounding menace and power, the acclaimed author of A Season for the Dead returns to the landscape he has made his own–the seething landscape of modern-day Rome–where ancient crimes lie hidden beneath colorful, bustling avenues. Here a teenage girl has disappeared, a detective is exploring a 2000-year-old ritual–and an astonishing mystery is about to unravel in a city of secrets and rage….
The Villa of Mysteries
In Rome’s crowded Campo dei Fiori, a woman rushes up to two carabinieri lounging in their sunglasses and uniforms, insisting that her sixteen-year-old daughter has just been abducted. Detective Nic Costa sees the scene unfold and intervenes. Because Costa knows what the two officers don’t: that in the morgue at Rome’s police headquarters, a forensic pathologist is examining the strange, mummified corpse of another
girl, whose disappearance and death bear haunting similarities….
Police pathologist Teresa Lupo is Nic’s colleague, friend, and his only equal when it comes to breaking the rules to get results, whatever the cost. Now, after years of living with the dead, Teresa insists that her superiors move quickly to save a life. Poring over the body of the girl in the morgue, she has found too many similarities between the girls, including a unique, leering tattoo. Lupo is sure that the vanished girl is headed for a bizarre ancient Bacchanalia involving virgins and sacrificial murder–a ritual that is only days away.
As Nic and Teresa claw at the case from two sides–and as Nic finds himself at once puzzled and beguiled by the missing girl’s seductive mother–a chilling picture is beginning to emerge…of secret relationships and sexual depravity, organized crime and unimaginable corruption. With the clock ticking down on a young girl’s life, Nic and Teresa are about to make the most horrifying discovery of all–in a pit of human darkness, where an age-old malevolence still endures, evil has consumed innocence…and a very modern vengeance has begun.
A spellbinding mix of suspense, forensic science, and human drama, The Villa of Mysteries will catch you off guard at every turn–a novel that is at once heartbreaking and impossible to put down.
From the Hardcover edition.
The Villa of Mysteries
In Rome’s crowded Campo dei Fiori, a woman rushes up to two carabinieri lounging in their sunglasses and uniforms, insisting that her sixteen-year-old daughter has just been abducted. Detective Nic Costa sees the scene unfold and intervenes. Because Costa knows what the two officers don’t: that in the morgue at Rome’s police headquarters, a forensic pathologist is examining the strange, mummified corpse of another
girl, whose disappearance and death bear haunting similarities….
Police pathologist Teresa Lupo is Nic’s colleague, friend, and his only equal when it comes to breaking the rules to get results, whatever the cost. Now, after years of living with the dead, Teresa insists that her superiors move quickly to save a life. Poring over the body of the girl in the morgue, she has found too many similarities between the girls, including a unique, leering tattoo. Lupo is sure that the vanished girl is headed for a bizarre ancient Bacchanalia involving virgins and sacrificial murder–a ritual that is only days away.
As Nic and Teresa claw at the case from two sides–and as Nic finds himself at once puzzled and beguiled by the missing girl’s seductive mother–a chilling picture is beginning to emerge…of secret relationships and sexual depravity, organized crime and unimaginable corruption. With the clock ticking down on a young girl’s life, Nic and Teresa are about to make the most horrifying discovery of all–in a pit of human darkness, where an age-old malevolence still endures, evil has consumed innocence…and a very modern vengeance has begun.
A spellbinding mix of suspense, forensic science, and human drama, The Villa of Mysteries will catch you off guard at every turn–a novel that is at once heartbreaking and impossible to put down.
From the Hardcover edition.
316 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
61 people are currently reading
661 people want to read
About the author
David Hewson
108 books522 followersDAVID HEWSON was born in Yorkshire in 1953. His books range from the Nic Costa series set in Italy to adaptations of The Killing in Copenhagen and the Pieter Vos series in Amsterdam.
He's adapted Shakespeare for Audible and in 2018 won the Audie for best original work for Romeo and Juliet: A Novel, narrated by Richard Armitage.
2019 sees the release of a new, full-cast Audible drama set in New York, Last Seen Wearing, and a standalone novel set in the Faroe Islands, Devil's Fjord.
Series:
Nic Costa
Pieter Vos
The Killing
He's adapted Shakespeare for Audible and in 2018 won the Audie for best original work for Romeo and Juliet: A Novel, narrated by Richard Armitage.
2019 sees the release of a new, full-cast Audible drama set in New York, Last Seen Wearing, and a standalone novel set in the Faroe Islands, Devil's Fjord.
Series:
Nic Costa
Pieter Vos
The Killing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
December 15, 2020
Book 2 in the Nic Costa series published 2003.
A 4 stars read.
The first thing that needs to be said is that whilst this a Nic Costa book Nic is almost no where to be seen. He’s there but more like a secondary character.
One dead body, that of a young female found after a sixteen year hiatus, and now a missing young woman who bares a remarkable resemblance to the dead woman. A frantic mother and a police force who seem to have better things to do.
The mystery surrounding the dead body and the missing girl seem to be pointing to a twisted group who are trying to revive the worship of the Greek God ‘Dionysus’ but when push comes to shove it’s just a bunch of sick powerful old men getting their jollies with young nubile women.
The pace is, for the most part, free flowing with lots of red herrings to keep you on your toes and enough twists and turns to satisfy most mystery lovers. Throw in a good sprinkling of the history surrounding Dionysus and what you have is a pretty entertaining read.
A 4 stars read.
The first thing that needs to be said is that whilst this a Nic Costa book Nic is almost no where to be seen. He’s there but more like a secondary character.
One dead body, that of a young female found after a sixteen year hiatus, and now a missing young woman who bares a remarkable resemblance to the dead woman. A frantic mother and a police force who seem to have better things to do.
The mystery surrounding the dead body and the missing girl seem to be pointing to a twisted group who are trying to revive the worship of the Greek God ‘Dionysus’ but when push comes to shove it’s just a bunch of sick powerful old men getting their jollies with young nubile women.
The pace is, for the most part, free flowing with lots of red herrings to keep you on your toes and enough twists and turns to satisfy most mystery lovers. Throw in a good sprinkling of the history surrounding Dionysus and what you have is a pretty entertaining read.
March 31, 2020
Mystery thriller set in ROME
The first mystery is about the publication date of the book itself! I was recently sent a copy to review by the publisher… the publication date inside is given as 2003. If you look on Amazon, then the publication date is given as 2011… yet I imagine it was intended as a new title for me to read.
It absolutely puts you in the right investigative frame of mind for the story, though. And it is a good one. A body of a young lady is found in a peat bog outside Rome. The body is well preserved in the peat and it looks as though she had been killed centuries earlier in a ritual murder linked to an ancient sex cult. But the forensic investigation soon finds that she was murdered only 15 years before the discovery – and that she was the daughter of a prominent US mafia boss living in Rome. What had happened? Detective Nic Costa, his partner Gianni Peroni, and forensic scientist Teresa Lupo, investigate.
Their investigations take them into the murky world of mafia family activities. They discover there was bad blood between the father of the murdered young lady and a local Italian mafia boss and his son. But would the Italian mafia have decided to risk a war with their American partners by killing her. And / or was there, indeed, some link back to a sex cult in ancient Rome? Were current persons somehow re-enacting the past?
The story is tense and exciting, and moves to a thrilling climax in a cave complex below Rome.
No one writes about Rome quite like David Hewson. He brings the city alive – absolutely excellent for TripFiction aficionados.
A really good read.
The first mystery is about the publication date of the book itself! I was recently sent a copy to review by the publisher… the publication date inside is given as 2003. If you look on Amazon, then the publication date is given as 2011… yet I imagine it was intended as a new title for me to read.
It absolutely puts you in the right investigative frame of mind for the story, though. And it is a good one. A body of a young lady is found in a peat bog outside Rome. The body is well preserved in the peat and it looks as though she had been killed centuries earlier in a ritual murder linked to an ancient sex cult. But the forensic investigation soon finds that she was murdered only 15 years before the discovery – and that she was the daughter of a prominent US mafia boss living in Rome. What had happened? Detective Nic Costa, his partner Gianni Peroni, and forensic scientist Teresa Lupo, investigate.
Their investigations take them into the murky world of mafia family activities. They discover there was bad blood between the father of the murdered young lady and a local Italian mafia boss and his son. But would the Italian mafia have decided to risk a war with their American partners by killing her. And / or was there, indeed, some link back to a sex cult in ancient Rome? Were current persons somehow re-enacting the past?
The story is tense and exciting, and moves to a thrilling climax in a cave complex below Rome.
No one writes about Rome quite like David Hewson. He brings the city alive – absolutely excellent for TripFiction aficionados.
A really good read.
March 13, 2021
A book that I enjoyed reading. A lot of characters, different storylines, unexpected actions and a bit of a confusing last part. Can't say much more about it without giving away spoilers. So, if I've made you curious? Go get a copy & read it🙂
February 21, 2015
I bought the Dutch translation of the book, but it didn't read well. Usually I tend to read a book in its native language, but I bought this book cheap.
I liked it at first, but later on I lost compassion and feeling with the characters. They are a bit too shallow and cliché for me. I lost interest in the story quickly and now I've decided to stop reading and hand the book over to my mom.
I liked it at first, but later on I lost compassion and feeling with the characters. They are a bit too shallow and cliché for me. I lost interest in the story quickly and now I've decided to stop reading and hand the book over to my mom.
December 29, 2014
Perhaps too many twists for a normal thriller. Nothing special for this book, not even a main character (Costa or Perroni? or Teresa? or Falcone?) None of them lead enough.
October 17, 2019
4.5. Disturbing but loved the twists and multiple character viewpoints. I will definitely continue with this series.
June 1, 2021
I didn't get what the synospis promised. I wanted ancient rituals, Roman mythology, an exciting chase for the Bacchus cult... And it turned out to be not that. I was disappointed.
May 1, 2019
Dit boek las niet echt lekker. De vele hoofdpersonen waren mij te vlak en clichématig. Geen van de hoofdpersonen hadden een echt leidende rol.
Verwarrend en teleurstellend.
Verwarrend en teleurstellend.
October 11, 2017
it could be very good book, but i was lost. In my opinion all characters playing big role and it's definetely not the book about Costa, but in my opinion more about Theresa. this is confusing
May 10, 2009
Now here is the opposite of what Archer Mayor does...an inaccessible series. I am not sure if it was the fact that there were so many assumptions that you had read other books in the series, they way it read as if it had been translated from another language using one of those semi-poor free translation sites, the confusing array of characters or the fact that it took place in a legal/police system so different from our own but I finally gave up trying to slog my way through this.
I saw a newer novel by the author on the shelf at the Burnham Library and thought I would pick up something older of his to start with. The inside flap of both books were SO intriguing, but when push came to shove, it took me nearly a week to get through 73 pages before I bagged it.
Save yourself the time and energy.
I saw a newer novel by the author on the shelf at the Burnham Library and thought I would pick up something older of his to start with. The inside flap of both books were SO intriguing, but when push came to shove, it took me nearly a week to get through 73 pages before I bagged it.
Save yourself the time and energy.
December 12, 2013
Mysterious events behind an ancient mythical cult that sparks interest to some people in Italy who wish to reenact it crudely and perversely. Some things go wrong, facts and events and some memories of it get buried over time until a dead girl shows up and makes the police dig up events of the past.
Ive read better novel. Beginning is engaging but makes you loose interest easily. A bit dragging and just an ok climax. If you've got nothing else to read, its worth your time. A little below average.
Ive read better novel. Beginning is engaging but makes you loose interest easily. A bit dragging and just an ok climax. If you've got nothing else to read, its worth your time. A little below average.
January 25, 2009
Depraved, debauched, debased. The writing was inconsistent and confusing and sometimes just outright bad. It all starts with Romulus and Remus, and then centuries later there was this party (go ask Alice) that sets more trouble in motion. Although the characters and writing are pitifully inconsistent, the one thing the writer does well is surprises. One last thought: If this story was anything to go by; gangsters shouldn't have kids, they make terrible (!) parents.
September 16, 2014
I will give this series another try because I really liked the protagonists - Nic, Theresa, etc. But the bad guys were unpleasant reading. I know, I know, they are bad guys. I'm not supposed to like them. But mobsters just don't do it for me. And the plot was borderline preposterous. And what about the couple that found the body at the beginning of the book?! Way too much about them if they are just going to disappear from the story. Of course they weren't likeable either.
February 6, 2017
More like 3.5. He pointed out the black character's race while we are just to assume everyone else is white, that's one thing, but did we really have to read about his "black hands", "black figure", "black face", etc., every few paragraphs? Seriously.
September 25, 2017
Way too much was happening. It should have been straightforward then it would have been a racy read. Instead they kept setting the tone for the Nic Costa character even though the guy was not anything extraordinary. It’s going on and on forever. Not even sure why.
February 29, 2008
I had read a few other books by this author and this one wa his worst. The story never grabed me...
July 31, 2011
David Hewson just misses the mark. I don't like his detective. Perhaps Hewson should be writing about an English rather than an Italian policeman?
September 4, 2012
It could be better.
December 1, 2015
Misschien goed in zijn genre maar... niet mijn genre, zo'n mafiaverhaal.
February 7, 2016
A very disappointing David Hewson book
November 12, 2023
I don’t usually read modern mysteries, but I thought this one might have more of a historical tie-in, as implied in the dust jacket synopsis. It only sort of did, which was a little disappointing. It was a decent enough story, with some good twists and turns. I hadn’t realized it’s the second in a series with the same protagonist, but thankfully it wasn’t necessary to have read the first one. There were some things about this book that I found frustrating or annoying though. Although Nic is nominally the main character, I never felt like I really got to know him - he felt a bit flat to me, and a lot of other characters got as much or more page time - many of them also felt either like caricatures or kind of one-dimensional. We don’t get tons of back story on anyone, except what is absolutely necessary to explain relationships that are established as part of the narrative. Also some of the action is actually unclear - the abduction that kicks off a lot of the action is kind of vaguely hinted at rather than explained clearly.
I had a really hard time hearing the characters’ voices in my head - it felt like the author wasn’t really clear on how to write dialogue involving people with different language/accent backgrounds. I ended up hearing all the mafia characters as New Jersey Italian-American in my mind, because of the way they were written. There were a lot of little things that bugged me, like “storeys” in reference to the Americans’ house, or how the author repeatedly misquoted a really famous Jefferson Airplane song (it’s “larger”, not “bigger” - this is not a hard thing to get right). It annoyed me that every female character except Teresa was described as unbelievably attractive (although the reason for that does become clear by the end of the book) and most/all of the men are ugly. Still, it was a little much. It *really* bothered me that Wallis was repeatedly described as black, like over and over and over again. Like, yes, we get it. I don’t like to ascribe racist motives when I don’t have solid evidence for it, but I got increasingly uncomfortable with this one unnecessarily repetitive detail.
Anyway, decent mystery, didn’t hate it but didn’t love it. Probably won’t read anything else by this author.
I had a really hard time hearing the characters’ voices in my head - it felt like the author wasn’t really clear on how to write dialogue involving people with different language/accent backgrounds. I ended up hearing all the mafia characters as New Jersey Italian-American in my mind, because of the way they were written. There were a lot of little things that bugged me, like “storeys” in reference to the Americans’ house, or how the author repeatedly misquoted a really famous Jefferson Airplane song (it’s “larger”, not “bigger” - this is not a hard thing to get right). It annoyed me that every female character except Teresa was described as unbelievably attractive (although the reason for that does become clear by the end of the book) and most/all of the men are ugly. Still, it was a little much. It *really* bothered me that Wallis was repeatedly described as black, like over and over and over again. Like, yes, we get it. I don’t like to ascribe racist motives when I don’t have solid evidence for it, but I got increasingly uncomfortable with this one unnecessarily repetitive detail.
Anyway, decent mystery, didn’t hate it but didn’t love it. Probably won’t read anything else by this author.
June 22, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed David Hewson's novel, the second of his Nic Costa series. It is a police thriller, set in Rome, which is action from the get go with the discovery of a body, preserved in peat and believed to be part of an ancient Roman ritual.
But is it?
With the advent of the disappearance of another girl, very similar in appearance to the body in the morgue, questions are asked about whether or not the two could be linked.
Nic Costa is presented, by the name of the series, as the main character but actually, there are many characters who have a fair chunk of the action in the book and I would argue that Costa is not the dominant one of them all. Peroni is Costa's new partner, an ugly cop, demoted due to a disgrace; Falcone is their boss, an older, more dour figure, world weary and lonely; Teresa Lupo is the pathologist with more than an anatomical interest in the bodies on the table infront of her.
The four of them are meant to work together but there are the usual conflicts and banter between them due to over ambition and overstepping whilst on duty but generally, there is a sense of a team, working together and looking out for each other.
Running alongside the investigation, Hewson gives us the story of ageing mobster Emilio Neri, a man who is on the wind down but is reluctant to pass his business over to his spoilt son, Mickey, and is consistently being harangued in his own home by the constant arguing between his new wife, Adele, and Mickey. It wouldn't be an Italian thriller without some mob action and of course, there are rivals and so we see Neri trying to evaluate what best to do to ensure that his empire endures and his men can continue with their nefarious practices.
Likewise, set in Rome, it wouldn't be unusual to assume a connection with either the Catholic Church or the resurgence of an ancient Roman cult and with a title of The Villa of Mysteries, it's not difficult to guess the association in this book.
There are twists and turns; it has a well-developed and executed plot; the banter between Nic et al is realistic and at times, funny; and the ending surprised me, which for this jaded reader was the best twist of all.
But is it?
With the advent of the disappearance of another girl, very similar in appearance to the body in the morgue, questions are asked about whether or not the two could be linked.
Nic Costa is presented, by the name of the series, as the main character but actually, there are many characters who have a fair chunk of the action in the book and I would argue that Costa is not the dominant one of them all. Peroni is Costa's new partner, an ugly cop, demoted due to a disgrace; Falcone is their boss, an older, more dour figure, world weary and lonely; Teresa Lupo is the pathologist with more than an anatomical interest in the bodies on the table infront of her.
The four of them are meant to work together but there are the usual conflicts and banter between them due to over ambition and overstepping whilst on duty but generally, there is a sense of a team, working together and looking out for each other.
Running alongside the investigation, Hewson gives us the story of ageing mobster Emilio Neri, a man who is on the wind down but is reluctant to pass his business over to his spoilt son, Mickey, and is consistently being harangued in his own home by the constant arguing between his new wife, Adele, and Mickey. It wouldn't be an Italian thriller without some mob action and of course, there are rivals and so we see Neri trying to evaluate what best to do to ensure that his empire endures and his men can continue with their nefarious practices.
Likewise, set in Rome, it wouldn't be unusual to assume a connection with either the Catholic Church or the resurgence of an ancient Roman cult and with a title of The Villa of Mysteries, it's not difficult to guess the association in this book.
There are twists and turns; it has a well-developed and executed plot; the banter between Nic et al is realistic and at times, funny; and the ending surprised me, which for this jaded reader was the best twist of all.
July 6, 2020
The Villa of Mysteries (Nic Costa #2), David Hewson.
This is book two of Nic Costa series but Costa is sketchy in this storyline. He is in the beginning still recovering from his injuries in book one, the death of his father and drinking way too much. He is in a wheelchair and Falcone convinces him to return to work and therapy. Nic is teamed up with a former vice squad detective Peroni, who is in disgrace.
A female body is discovered in a peat bog by two totally objectionable American tourists searching for Italian treasures and generally acting as tourists seem to do in Europe nowadays! Pathologist Teresa Lupo thinks it is a very old body preserved from some old Roman ritual but Leo Falcone, chief inspector returns from vacation and recalls a missing young woman, a cold case! Another young woman goes missing and everyone including the DIA ..... gets involved. Teresa steps out of her role as pathologist in her quest to get answers and almost gets herself killed. There are many secrets being kept and some will work hard to kept them hidden.
Neri runs his mob operation from his villa and his young wife Adele and son Mickey live there as well has Neri’s second in command Bucci. There is another branch from the American mob, with a retired head Wallis. His step daughter went missing 16 years ago.
This storyline is very complicated and the amount of description is at times off putting. The modern Rome and ideas of sex rituals with very young virgins is really expanded upon....!
There are a few murders and photos discovered pointing to mysterious young women, connections between past events and current people high and low. But who is in charge really, what is really happening is worth the read and the twists and turns are good revealing many characters are not what they originally seem............
This is book two of Nic Costa series but Costa is sketchy in this storyline. He is in the beginning still recovering from his injuries in book one, the death of his father and drinking way too much. He is in a wheelchair and Falcone convinces him to return to work and therapy. Nic is teamed up with a former vice squad detective Peroni, who is in disgrace.
A female body is discovered in a peat bog by two totally objectionable American tourists searching for Italian treasures and generally acting as tourists seem to do in Europe nowadays! Pathologist Teresa Lupo thinks it is a very old body preserved from some old Roman ritual but Leo Falcone, chief inspector returns from vacation and recalls a missing young woman, a cold case! Another young woman goes missing and everyone including the DIA ..... gets involved. Teresa steps out of her role as pathologist in her quest to get answers and almost gets herself killed. There are many secrets being kept and some will work hard to kept them hidden.
Neri runs his mob operation from his villa and his young wife Adele and son Mickey live there as well has Neri’s second in command Bucci. There is another branch from the American mob, with a retired head Wallis. His step daughter went missing 16 years ago.
This storyline is very complicated and the amount of description is at times off putting. The modern Rome and ideas of sex rituals with very young virgins is really expanded upon....!
There are a few murders and photos discovered pointing to mysterious young women, connections between past events and current people high and low. But who is in charge really, what is really happening is worth the read and the twists and turns are good revealing many characters are not what they originally seem............
June 6, 2020
Even though this is billed as a Nic Costa mystery he doesn't really have a prominent role in the story. It is more about his boss and the coroner (Teresa). The mystery is quite involved, it starts off with an obnoxious American couple finding the mummified body of a young girl. It is thought that it is ancient but then is discovered it is only 16 years old. The hunt for who killed the girl is very involved. Theresa decides she wants to be more active than just dissecting corpses. She talks to a professor who is murdered and then she is almost killed. It shakes her but she still wants to find out who killed the girl.
Costa's boss, recognizes who the girl is and that the mob is involved which causes lots of problems. He has to deal with another Italian agency that works on mob cases and his old girlfriend (who he still has feelings for) works for them. Costa has been paired with a new partner who was demoted because of an indiscretion and it takes awhile for them to mesh. A lot of the story deals with an Italian mob boss and his family.
It comes out that the girl was killed in a similar fashion to another and that it has something to do with some ancient rituals and involves sex parties with high powered people in an underground temple. Lots of intrigue and clues going in different direction. Another young girl has gone missing and there is a lot of friction in the police department about what is more important the missing girl or finding the killer and if the two are related. The girl's mother is fairly prominent in the story. The ending is rather interesting.
Costa's boss, recognizes who the girl is and that the mob is involved which causes lots of problems. He has to deal with another Italian agency that works on mob cases and his old girlfriend (who he still has feelings for) works for them. Costa has been paired with a new partner who was demoted because of an indiscretion and it takes awhile for them to mesh. A lot of the story deals with an Italian mob boss and his family.
It comes out that the girl was killed in a similar fashion to another and that it has something to do with some ancient rituals and involves sex parties with high powered people in an underground temple. Lots of intrigue and clues going in different direction. Another young girl has gone missing and there is a lot of friction in the police department about what is more important the missing girl or finding the killer and if the two are related. The girl's mother is fairly prominent in the story. The ending is rather interesting.
November 6, 2019
In my opinion I much enjoyed reading this book. It was filled with plot twisted and I loved the the multiple viewpoints of the characters. I very much enjoyed the protagonists - Nic, Theresa, etc. You could never tell if there was a. main character or not was it Costa or Perroni? or Teresa? or Falcone? you could never tell because none of them lead enough in the story to seem as they were the main character. Although, I did enjoyed reading about the mobsters who are the bad guy, even though your not really suppose to enjoy reading about them or like them but I enjoyed it. In the beginning of the book, I liked how it started of with the couple and the dead body but I think that there is to much information about them if in the end they just drift off and you never read about them later on in the book. Also in my opinion there were a lot of plot twists maybe a little to many that it was hard to keep up with what was happening. Over all it was an ok book to read. I wouldn't recommend it to many people but for me it was a somewhat fun experience reading this book.
June 21, 2021
Audible version narrated by Christopher Kay.
Drunk American tourists trying to "one-up" their neighbours unearth a mummified body, not the ancient statue they were hoping for.
Nic and his new partner, disgraced Vice cop Gianni, are on the case of a 16 year old murder, which seems to be recreated with the disappearance of another 16 year old girl.
Italian mob, Dionysian rituals, murder, the flu, deception, and a lot of connections between past and present.
Twists and turns in this story which are unexpected.
Really enjoyed listening to this book.
Drunk American tourists trying to "one-up" their neighbours unearth a mummified body, not the ancient statue they were hoping for.
Nic and his new partner, disgraced Vice cop Gianni, are on the case of a 16 year old murder, which seems to be recreated with the disappearance of another 16 year old girl.
Italian mob, Dionysian rituals, murder, the flu, deception, and a lot of connections between past and present.
Twists and turns in this story which are unexpected.
Really enjoyed listening to this book.
July 29, 2021
I like the author in general, and I have read one other work by the same author (not reviewed on Goodreads, but if I continue the series, I will). The book focuses on 2 police detectives and how they solve a murder mystery. However, the book is too long at 450 pages. There are multiple subplots that, while written and interesting, do not serve the book's main plot. Nor, it would seem, are they related to an overarching set of characters in future novels. Had these unnecessary plots been cut by a good editor, the book could easily have been closer to 375 pages. 2 and 3/4 stars rounded up.
June 30, 2018
Drie sterren is te weinig, vier is te veel.
Een ordinaire verkrachtingszaak binnen de Italiaanse mafiawereld met vrouwen in de hoofdrol die wraak willen nemen op de verkrachters. Overgiet dit alles met een cultuursausje (Bacchus) en dan wordt de auteur al snel vergeleken met die andere auteur Dan Brown.
Zeer onderhoudend om te lezen. Maar nu even een andere schrijver, te veel van dit genre is niet goed voor een mens.😑
Een ordinaire verkrachtingszaak binnen de Italiaanse mafiawereld met vrouwen in de hoofdrol die wraak willen nemen op de verkrachters. Overgiet dit alles met een cultuursausje (Bacchus) en dan wordt de auteur al snel vergeleken met die andere auteur Dan Brown.
Zeer onderhoudend om te lezen. Maar nu even een andere schrijver, te veel van dit genre is niet goed voor een mens.😑
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2019
Costa has a new partner, Peroni, who was demoted due to illegal activities while working. Their investigation of a girls body found in a peat bog that was murdered 16 years ago leads to a current missing girl which leads them to the mob, a war between two enemies, corrupted police, drugs, a cult dealing in sex with young girls. Their pathologist, Lupo, becomes involved in the investigation and helps open up some new information on the case. Twists and turns that lead one on a wild wide.
November 15, 2019
This book had an odd flow to it. I never realized how much I like having chapters in books until I read this book with no real breaks in it from start to finish. The book then feels like it is working at a feverish pace to the climax at the end. Set in Rome, the book follows detectives who are trying to untangle a mystery with ties to ancient Roman cult traditions, mafia intrigue, revenge, and more. It is almost too tangled of a web, though a unique amalgamation of the ancient and modern.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews