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The Carnivia Trilogy #1
The Abomination
Set in two Venices, the modern physical world and its virtual counterpart, The Abomination by Jonathan Holt is a propulsive tale of murder, corruption, and international intrigue—the first book in an outstanding new trilogy in which Carabiniere Captain Kat Tapo must unravel a dark conspiracy linking the CIA and the Catholic Church.
By the stunning white dome of one of Venice’s grandest landmarks a body with two slugs in the back of the head has been pulled from the icy waters. The victim is a woman, dressed in the sacred robes of a Catholic priest—a desecration that becomes known as the Abomination.
Working her first murder case, Captain Kat Tapo embarks on a trail that proves as elusive and complicated as the city’s labyrinthine backstreets. What Kat discovers will test her loyalties and remind her of a simple truth: Unless old crimes are punished, corrupt forces will continue to repeat their mortal sins.
The Abomination is book one of Jonathan Holt’s Carnivia Trilogy.
453 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
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2661 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 326 reviews
July 27, 2013
Dan Brown meets Stieg Larsson ... but don't let that put you off!
Sorry about the 'Dan Brown' reference: in fact, this is written by a writer who can write. It's just that conspiracy theories involving the Catholic church sort of invite the comparison. Indeed, Holt doesn't stop at the Catholic church: he throws everything at this. We are treated to corruption at the highest level also in the US military, with a dash of Mafia involvement, too, for good measure.
Big issues are tackled: murder, people trafficking, international relations, war crimes, feminism ...
Meet Katerina Tapo, Venetian carabiniere captain on her first homicide; Holly Boland, US junior military officer on her first overseas posting, returning (with fluent Italian) to the Venice of her childhood; Daniele Barbo, in the Lisbeth Salander role, almost if not quite as disfunctional as Salander, who has recreated an online Venice, useful for various intriguing plotlines. And the novel is made even more real by the existence in the real (virtual) world of the website run by Barbo itself (to be found at www.carnivia.com).
I found this a great read: complex without being over complicated, possible if not probable, likable and (mostly) credible characters doing lots of thrilling and important things. And the goodies win.
Come on, enjoy an exciting romp round Europe!
Sorry about the 'Dan Brown' reference: in fact, this is written by a writer who can write. It's just that conspiracy theories involving the Catholic church sort of invite the comparison. Indeed, Holt doesn't stop at the Catholic church: he throws everything at this. We are treated to corruption at the highest level also in the US military, with a dash of Mafia involvement, too, for good measure.
Big issues are tackled: murder, people trafficking, international relations, war crimes, feminism ...
Meet Katerina Tapo, Venetian carabiniere captain on her first homicide; Holly Boland, US junior military officer on her first overseas posting, returning (with fluent Italian) to the Venice of her childhood; Daniele Barbo, in the Lisbeth Salander role, almost if not quite as disfunctional as Salander, who has recreated an online Venice, useful for various intriguing plotlines. And the novel is made even more real by the existence in the real (virtual) world of the website run by Barbo itself (to be found at www.carnivia.com).
I found this a great read: complex without being over complicated, possible if not probable, likable and (mostly) credible characters doing lots of thrilling and important things. And the goodies win.
Come on, enjoy an exciting romp round Europe!
May 5, 2014
Lots of abominable things in this complicated but superficial thriller, which fizzles at the end
Jonathan Holt's "The Abomination" is a made-to-measure bestseller, taking a soupçon of Dan Brown, a pinch of Inspector Montalbano and sprinkling of Robert Ludlum to produce a rather indigestible stew of Vatican cabals, sex slavery, police procedure and war crimes.
With such a complicated plot, the novel is unable to penetrate any of its themes in depth, and remains relentlessly superficial, the characters and set-pieces mostly cliches drawn from other novels or films we've all seen.
The opening section, in Venice, is by the far best part of the book, and the only part to show traces of originality, though Holt's Italian police are largely a pastiche of Michael Dibdin's wonderful Aurelio Zen (Ratking etc), Donna Leon's brilliant Guido Brunetti (Beastly Things etc) and Andrea Camilleri's molto simpatico Inspector Montalbano (The Dance Of The Seagull etc).
Once we leave Venice, however, and head into the hideous world of the Balkan conflict and its abominable crimes, the narrative loses all credibility, and becomes dreary to the point that one struggles to finish the book.
It's to be hoped that further Abominations are a little more original. A three-star review, however, because of the promise shown in the opening third of the novel.
Jonathan Holt's "The Abomination" is a made-to-measure bestseller, taking a soupçon of Dan Brown, a pinch of Inspector Montalbano and sprinkling of Robert Ludlum to produce a rather indigestible stew of Vatican cabals, sex slavery, police procedure and war crimes.
With such a complicated plot, the novel is unable to penetrate any of its themes in depth, and remains relentlessly superficial, the characters and set-pieces mostly cliches drawn from other novels or films we've all seen.
The opening section, in Venice, is by the far best part of the book, and the only part to show traces of originality, though Holt's Italian police are largely a pastiche of Michael Dibdin's wonderful Aurelio Zen (Ratking etc), Donna Leon's brilliant Guido Brunetti (Beastly Things etc) and Andrea Camilleri's molto simpatico Inspector Montalbano (The Dance Of The Seagull etc).
Once we leave Venice, however, and head into the hideous world of the Balkan conflict and its abominable crimes, the narrative loses all credibility, and becomes dreary to the point that one struggles to finish the book.
It's to be hoped that further Abominations are a little more original. A three-star review, however, because of the promise shown in the opening third of the novel.
October 29, 2013
Fast Paced Murder Mystery Thriller
The Abomination by Jonathan Holt is a brilliant introduction to a new thriller trilogy series based around the Venice with two brilliant lead women and an odd ball loner who all need to join forces to solve this murder mystery. There is nothing run of the mill about this thriller as it is fast paced that takes you through a mix of emotions. All well written and planed by Jonathan Holt which happens to be a pseudonym for an already best selling British author – even more mystery!
We are introduced to Captain Katrina ‘Kat’ Tapo on the feast of the Epiphany, on the 6th January when she has been allocated her first murder as a Carabinieri under the direction of Colonel Aldo Piola. She finds that the murder victim not only is a female but dressed as a priest with all the correct vestments for one that has been ordained. Could she really be an ordained Catholic priest or as the Church would have it an abomination.
During the course of the investigation more bodies start to pile and that brings her in to contact with the USA Army in Italy and specifically Second Lieutenant Holly Boland who seems to know more than she is letting on while stalling her. Later they would need each other to solve the murders and more importantly to stay alive in another country.
They find that a lot of their answers were in and around Venice but not the Venice people see, but a virtual world an online version of version of Venice known as Carnivia. The owner of this world is on trial and about to be sentenced but only he can help Kat and Holly as the answers to the investigations are in that virtual world and it would be the virtual Venice that would eventually save them in the real Venice.
The Abomination touches many of the issues of not only Venice but of the wider world. With people trafficking, from the Balkans, for prostitution, and the unmentionable war in the Balkans, and the war crimes that were committed there. While bringing in the CIA, and those shadow private armies of the USA, running drones all over Europe watching the people. The dark world of Carnivia and its reclusive owner is the only person that can help them solve the crimes in a race against the intelligence machine of the USA.
This is a brilliant thriller with many twists and turns and wondering who Kat and Holly really can trust and this will be a very popular read and should be huge. This was one of the most enjoyable thriller reads I have had and cannot recommend this highly enough.
The Abomination by Jonathan Holt is a brilliant introduction to a new thriller trilogy series based around the Venice with two brilliant lead women and an odd ball loner who all need to join forces to solve this murder mystery. There is nothing run of the mill about this thriller as it is fast paced that takes you through a mix of emotions. All well written and planed by Jonathan Holt which happens to be a pseudonym for an already best selling British author – even more mystery!
We are introduced to Captain Katrina ‘Kat’ Tapo on the feast of the Epiphany, on the 6th January when she has been allocated her first murder as a Carabinieri under the direction of Colonel Aldo Piola. She finds that the murder victim not only is a female but dressed as a priest with all the correct vestments for one that has been ordained. Could she really be an ordained Catholic priest or as the Church would have it an abomination.
During the course of the investigation more bodies start to pile and that brings her in to contact with the USA Army in Italy and specifically Second Lieutenant Holly Boland who seems to know more than she is letting on while stalling her. Later they would need each other to solve the murders and more importantly to stay alive in another country.
They find that a lot of their answers were in and around Venice but not the Venice people see, but a virtual world an online version of version of Venice known as Carnivia. The owner of this world is on trial and about to be sentenced but only he can help Kat and Holly as the answers to the investigations are in that virtual world and it would be the virtual Venice that would eventually save them in the real Venice.
The Abomination touches many of the issues of not only Venice but of the wider world. With people trafficking, from the Balkans, for prostitution, and the unmentionable war in the Balkans, and the war crimes that were committed there. While bringing in the CIA, and those shadow private armies of the USA, running drones all over Europe watching the people. The dark world of Carnivia and its reclusive owner is the only person that can help them solve the crimes in a race against the intelligence machine of the USA.
This is a brilliant thriller with many twists and turns and wondering who Kat and Holly really can trust and this will be a very popular read and should be huge. This was one of the most enjoyable thriller reads I have had and cannot recommend this highly enough.
October 28, 2013
Despite a lot of good reviews, I did not love this book and do not understand what people are raving about. In my opinion, there were too many plot lines, the plot twists were too complex to be fully developed - leaving a lot of holes and forcing the reader to make too many mental leaps or assumptions, and the character development was "meh". The "affair" between Kat Tapo and her commanding officer was so predictable it bordered on cliche, and it did nothing to add to the fabric of the novel. The affair ended just a few chapters after it started and the character of Pielo practically disappears from that point forward, so the whole episode could have simply been left out. Sometimes I wonder if authors include these things just to add to the "movie deal" appeal - like with out a steamy sex scene no one will buy the script. Ugh. Also, the ending dialogue on the island with the "bad guy" is terribly cheesy. I have seem soap operas with more realistic exchanges.
Overall - the book kept me interested enough to finish it, but I would have been really upset if this was the only novel I had with me on our recent vacation. It was just not as much of a page-turner as I had hoped.
Overall - the book kept me interested enough to finish it, but I would have been really upset if this was the only novel I had with me on our recent vacation. It was just not as much of a page-turner as I had hoped.
March 31, 2014
http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2014...
In Venice, a woman’s body, clothed in the robes of a Catholic priest, washes up during one of the city’s regular bouts of flooding. She’s been shot in the head twice, and mysterious tattoos point to possible occult involvement. Detective-Colonel Aldo Piola is at the scene along with his new partner, Captain Kat Tapo. She’s about to experience her first murder investigation. She admires Piola a great deal, and is eager to impress him, but her first case might be more than a straightforward murder.
Meanwhile, at the Caserma Ederle American army base, Second Lieutenant Holly Boland receives a request for information from a woman named Barbara Holton, who’s interested in atrocities committed during Operation Storm during the break-up of Yugoslavia. As Holly looks into the request, she finds information that could paint the Army in a very bad light.
Meanwhile, Piola and Tapo continue their investigation which leads them to a website called Carnivia, a virtual reconstruction of Venice. Its creator, Daniele Barbo, has just been convicted of breaking internet privacy laws by not allowing the government access to Carnivia’s user data, and is awaiting sentencing. Barbo is a genius who was kidnapped as a child. He was left disfigured and is now a recluse, unable to connect with others.
The story becomes more intricate as Piola and Tapo come into contact with various police authorities with jurisdiction in Venice – the Polizia di Stato (answering to the Interior Ministry), and the Carabinieri (part of the Ministry of Defense). There seems to be mistrust of the law on all sides, and within its own bodies in Italy, but they follow the clues and as more bodies start piling up there appears to be a link to the US military.
Upon receiving this news, the powers that attempt to cripple the investigation. Piola feels that organised crime is taking over Venice, and Tapo is inclined to agree but she wants to fight the good fight and strike out on her own to solve the crime. Further complicating matters, Kat Tapo is increasingly attracted to her boss even though he’s married, and is her superior. Some impulses are impossible to ignore, even if giving in to them could mean disaster.
In parallel, Holly Boland continues her investigation and is horrified at what she learns of Operation Storm and atrocities that occurred during the Bosnian conflict. Eventually she comes into contact with Tepo’s investigation and the IT wizard Daniele Barbo. They all team up – with explosive results.
The Abomination is the first in the Carnivia trilogy and is a fantastic debut for English author Jonathan Holt. Kat Tapo is determined, strong, and very good at her job while Holly Boland is loyal to the US Army, and her home country. However, after a childhood spent in Italy with her well-known father, she’s glad to be back in a country she also loves and is determined to do the right thing. When Holly and Kat ask for Daniele Barbo’s help, the disfigured man at last gets the opportunity to connect with other people in a meaningful way.
What unfolds is a fascinating murder mystery involving war crimes, conspiracy, human trafficking and an intriguing virtual reality world where secrets are traded. The traditions of the past meet with the technology of the future. The two very strong and smart female characters are great, but attention is required throughout since the plot has many layers to it. Its conclusion will absolutely have you on the edge of your seat.
In Venice, a woman’s body, clothed in the robes of a Catholic priest, washes up during one of the city’s regular bouts of flooding. She’s been shot in the head twice, and mysterious tattoos point to possible occult involvement. Detective-Colonel Aldo Piola is at the scene along with his new partner, Captain Kat Tapo. She’s about to experience her first murder investigation. She admires Piola a great deal, and is eager to impress him, but her first case might be more than a straightforward murder.
Meanwhile, at the Caserma Ederle American army base, Second Lieutenant Holly Boland receives a request for information from a woman named Barbara Holton, who’s interested in atrocities committed during Operation Storm during the break-up of Yugoslavia. As Holly looks into the request, she finds information that could paint the Army in a very bad light.
Meanwhile, Piola and Tapo continue their investigation which leads them to a website called Carnivia, a virtual reconstruction of Venice. Its creator, Daniele Barbo, has just been convicted of breaking internet privacy laws by not allowing the government access to Carnivia’s user data, and is awaiting sentencing. Barbo is a genius who was kidnapped as a child. He was left disfigured and is now a recluse, unable to connect with others.
The story becomes more intricate as Piola and Tapo come into contact with various police authorities with jurisdiction in Venice – the Polizia di Stato (answering to the Interior Ministry), and the Carabinieri (part of the Ministry of Defense). There seems to be mistrust of the law on all sides, and within its own bodies in Italy, but they follow the clues and as more bodies start piling up there appears to be a link to the US military.
Upon receiving this news, the powers that attempt to cripple the investigation. Piola feels that organised crime is taking over Venice, and Tapo is inclined to agree but she wants to fight the good fight and strike out on her own to solve the crime. Further complicating matters, Kat Tapo is increasingly attracted to her boss even though he’s married, and is her superior. Some impulses are impossible to ignore, even if giving in to them could mean disaster.
In parallel, Holly Boland continues her investigation and is horrified at what she learns of Operation Storm and atrocities that occurred during the Bosnian conflict. Eventually she comes into contact with Tepo’s investigation and the IT wizard Daniele Barbo. They all team up – with explosive results.
The Abomination is the first in the Carnivia trilogy and is a fantastic debut for English author Jonathan Holt. Kat Tapo is determined, strong, and very good at her job while Holly Boland is loyal to the US Army, and her home country. However, after a childhood spent in Italy with her well-known father, she’s glad to be back in a country she also loves and is determined to do the right thing. When Holly and Kat ask for Daniele Barbo’s help, the disfigured man at last gets the opportunity to connect with other people in a meaningful way.
What unfolds is a fascinating murder mystery involving war crimes, conspiracy, human trafficking and an intriguing virtual reality world where secrets are traded. The traditions of the past meet with the technology of the future. The two very strong and smart female characters are great, but attention is required throughout since the plot has many layers to it. Its conclusion will absolutely have you on the edge of your seat.
November 15, 2013
originally posted at http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2013...
Head of Zeus send over some of there finest crime novels of 2013 and The Abomination was one of them. Like I said before I have been exploring different genres of English books and found that crime/thriller was directly up my alley. There are a lot of praises going on about this book for fans of Dan Brown and others, well I haven't read those so I cant compare. But what I can judge is that The Abomination is a top notch thriller. It's the first in a thrilling trilogy.
The Abomination is set in Venice, Italy, now could there be any greater venue for letting an intricate murder investigation taking place? When you think of Italy and some of the bigger cities is might seem that the forefront is all well and happy in the daylight, but several Italian cities hold a specific spell for me, in the dark, narrow alley's at night odd things can happen. However the authentic Venice isn't the only place where the story of The Abomination takes place, in the story there is another - digital - Venice known as the Carnivia. Carnivia is a place on the internet where people can live there lives (think rpg kinda way) without the interference of any law's. It has been programmed by one guy, Daniele, who made sure that his site cannot be hacked in any way. Giving complete privacy to it's users. For both good and bad intents... I was very pleased with the descriptions that Jonathan Holt used to show how rich his real life version of Venice was and how interesting Carnivia was. If you think about Carnivia, you may think it as a place of doing some fun stuff, but when you really think about it combined with the character of Daniele it becomes that much more powerful and holds much more than what simply meets the surface.
In The Abomination you follow three initially separated storylines. The first is that of Captain Katerina Tapo, an officer from the Italian carabinieri, the police force, having to have done mostly grunt work before being reassigned to her first murder investigation. Katerina is thrown from the word go into an spiraling murder case. Her first case involves a gunshot victim, female and wearing priest's robes... According to the Catholic church this is not don, and women who are priests are considered to be an abomination. Just this murder scene raises a lot of question as the identity of the women is unknown as well. This first murder case for Katerina will leave a mark on her, I'm sure of that. Looking at the different characters in the storyline, I found that Katerina did make up most of the story in The Abomination and in this case not only because she is leading the murder case and stumbles upon quite a few interesting and disturbing things, her storyline isn't just about solving the case. Jonathan Holt involves much more surrounding her storyline, he delves deeper into the human side of this often times hard carabinieri. Especially the relation between her and her boss, becomes quite intense at times and proves to be complex... Exploring a different side of Katerina greatly broadend the perspective of her character and when you see her reasoning and how she deals with several subjects makes her very relatable and I am not going to say that all she has done is for the better, it's exploring her flaws and introducing perhaps a few learning moments that make her character that much stronger.
A second character that is important in The Abomination is Daniele, his storyline is quite gripping and emotionally laden. Also by his part in the story The Abomination takes a turn towards the more technical thriller bits and piece, showing high tech technology. What really got to me about Daniele's character was his past and how he is now set into the world. Daniele created Carnivia, the online-virtual world of Venice, what sets Carnivia apart from most other platforms is the fact that it is compeltely locked down, traffic is untraceable and cannot be hacked. Daniele was "kindly" asked by the Italian authorities to give them access to all that is going about in in Carnivia but he declined the offer and now faces charges at court. In the beginning of being introduced to Carnivia I wasn't thinking that much about the reason behind it but as you get to know more about Daniele's troubled past, kidnapping, mutilation and living up to a promise several things do fall into place. Daniele didn't grow up poor, it's actually quite the opposite, he grew from riches, but he isn't boasting about it or living the richboy life. He is humble and more focused on helping others, and this made his character just super to read about, yes he does have some hardheaded traits but dont we all?
Just lastly there is Holly Boland, an lieutenant of the US army. When I first read about her in The Abomination I didn't really know what to think of her and how she would play an important role in the story. She is reinstated back in Venice, which is her birthplace. Holly is tasked to investigate a different murder case, and as the story goes along a lot of things happen, the best part here is that both Holly's and Katerina's story start to link and intermingle combined with that of Daniele, this in total gave a well rounded feeling to the story that was further bolstered by the lively characters that you got to meet along the way.
OK so the setting is in Venice and the characters are great, but what makes this story gripping are several of topics that Jonathan Holt discusses. When you think murder cases, you might expect a simple straightforward plot line but The Abomination is far from it. Several topics that Jonathan Holt broaches are warcrimes and tribunals and references to tribunals in The Hague, it takes you from so far as the Balkans. Others are how he shows corruption, betrayal and even history of the Catholic Church and that not everything is as rose colored as many seems to think it is, their past is dark.. darker than I had thought. Also there is the topic of human trafficking and prostitution that add a gritty and dangerously real feeling to the story. All these themes come together nicely in the end to great an intense and gripping thriller.
The Abomination is a now stop ride through both the real and virtual Venice, it gives a scenic tour of the real deal combined with a seriously dangerous virtual tour in Carnivia. The characters are fleshed out the be the real deal, I for one started to really live along with several off them, they are far from perfect and each carry their own set of baggage of their past and have their own flaws, but this is what makes them feel great and whole, their actions reflect who they are. If you are looking for a new experience, get to reading The Abomination
Head of Zeus send over some of there finest crime novels of 2013 and The Abomination was one of them. Like I said before I have been exploring different genres of English books and found that crime/thriller was directly up my alley. There are a lot of praises going on about this book for fans of Dan Brown and others, well I haven't read those so I cant compare. But what I can judge is that The Abomination is a top notch thriller. It's the first in a thrilling trilogy.
The Abomination is set in Venice, Italy, now could there be any greater venue for letting an intricate murder investigation taking place? When you think of Italy and some of the bigger cities is might seem that the forefront is all well and happy in the daylight, but several Italian cities hold a specific spell for me, in the dark, narrow alley's at night odd things can happen. However the authentic Venice isn't the only place where the story of The Abomination takes place, in the story there is another - digital - Venice known as the Carnivia. Carnivia is a place on the internet where people can live there lives (think rpg kinda way) without the interference of any law's. It has been programmed by one guy, Daniele, who made sure that his site cannot be hacked in any way. Giving complete privacy to it's users. For both good and bad intents... I was very pleased with the descriptions that Jonathan Holt used to show how rich his real life version of Venice was and how interesting Carnivia was. If you think about Carnivia, you may think it as a place of doing some fun stuff, but when you really think about it combined with the character of Daniele it becomes that much more powerful and holds much more than what simply meets the surface.
In The Abomination you follow three initially separated storylines. The first is that of Captain Katerina Tapo, an officer from the Italian carabinieri, the police force, having to have done mostly grunt work before being reassigned to her first murder investigation. Katerina is thrown from the word go into an spiraling murder case. Her first case involves a gunshot victim, female and wearing priest's robes... According to the Catholic church this is not don, and women who are priests are considered to be an abomination. Just this murder scene raises a lot of question as the identity of the women is unknown as well. This first murder case for Katerina will leave a mark on her, I'm sure of that. Looking at the different characters in the storyline, I found that Katerina did make up most of the story in The Abomination and in this case not only because she is leading the murder case and stumbles upon quite a few interesting and disturbing things, her storyline isn't just about solving the case. Jonathan Holt involves much more surrounding her storyline, he delves deeper into the human side of this often times hard carabinieri. Especially the relation between her and her boss, becomes quite intense at times and proves to be complex... Exploring a different side of Katerina greatly broadend the perspective of her character and when you see her reasoning and how she deals with several subjects makes her very relatable and I am not going to say that all she has done is for the better, it's exploring her flaws and introducing perhaps a few learning moments that make her character that much stronger.
A second character that is important in The Abomination is Daniele, his storyline is quite gripping and emotionally laden. Also by his part in the story The Abomination takes a turn towards the more technical thriller bits and piece, showing high tech technology. What really got to me about Daniele's character was his past and how he is now set into the world. Daniele created Carnivia, the online-virtual world of Venice, what sets Carnivia apart from most other platforms is the fact that it is compeltely locked down, traffic is untraceable and cannot be hacked. Daniele was "kindly" asked by the Italian authorities to give them access to all that is going about in in Carnivia but he declined the offer and now faces charges at court. In the beginning of being introduced to Carnivia I wasn't thinking that much about the reason behind it but as you get to know more about Daniele's troubled past, kidnapping, mutilation and living up to a promise several things do fall into place. Daniele didn't grow up poor, it's actually quite the opposite, he grew from riches, but he isn't boasting about it or living the richboy life. He is humble and more focused on helping others, and this made his character just super to read about, yes he does have some hardheaded traits but dont we all?
Just lastly there is Holly Boland, an lieutenant of the US army. When I first read about her in The Abomination I didn't really know what to think of her and how she would play an important role in the story. She is reinstated back in Venice, which is her birthplace. Holly is tasked to investigate a different murder case, and as the story goes along a lot of things happen, the best part here is that both Holly's and Katerina's story start to link and intermingle combined with that of Daniele, this in total gave a well rounded feeling to the story that was further bolstered by the lively characters that you got to meet along the way.
OK so the setting is in Venice and the characters are great, but what makes this story gripping are several of topics that Jonathan Holt discusses. When you think murder cases, you might expect a simple straightforward plot line but The Abomination is far from it. Several topics that Jonathan Holt broaches are warcrimes and tribunals and references to tribunals in The Hague, it takes you from so far as the Balkans. Others are how he shows corruption, betrayal and even history of the Catholic Church and that not everything is as rose colored as many seems to think it is, their past is dark.. darker than I had thought. Also there is the topic of human trafficking and prostitution that add a gritty and dangerously real feeling to the story. All these themes come together nicely in the end to great an intense and gripping thriller.
The Abomination is a now stop ride through both the real and virtual Venice, it gives a scenic tour of the real deal combined with a seriously dangerous virtual tour in Carnivia. The characters are fleshed out the be the real deal, I for one started to really live along with several off them, they are far from perfect and each carry their own set of baggage of their past and have their own flaws, but this is what makes them feel great and whole, their actions reflect who they are. If you are looking for a new experience, get to reading The Abomination
November 1, 2013
Every once in a while you get the opportunity to read a book that completely takes you to another world. If you’re lucky you’ll be swept away by an atmospheric storyline, characters ever so vibrant and real they will make you forget about your own troubles, the rotten weather outside and the fact that Christmas is approaching faster than Santa on an Italian moped. The Abomination by Jonathan Holt is one such book.
Predominately set in Venice this is without question a magical book. I absolutely adored it. There’s very little I’d change, if indeed anything. It transports you effortlessly to Venice and although I’ve never been to the fair city I am determined, more than ever, to go – the only thing stopping me is the Mafioso!
I’m not going to waste time talking about characters, religion, murders, rape, sex trafficking because it’s all in the book and more. Wonderful, explosive and scintillating if there’s one book you read this year then please make it be The Abomination, I’ll let the book do the talking because I sure won’t do it justice! One of the best openings to a trilogy I’ve read for a long time.
Predominately set in Venice this is without question a magical book. I absolutely adored it. There’s very little I’d change, if indeed anything. It transports you effortlessly to Venice and although I’ve never been to the fair city I am determined, more than ever, to go – the only thing stopping me is the Mafioso!
I’m not going to waste time talking about characters, religion, murders, rape, sex trafficking because it’s all in the book and more. Wonderful, explosive and scintillating if there’s one book you read this year then please make it be The Abomination, I’ll let the book do the talking because I sure won’t do it justice! One of the best openings to a trilogy I’ve read for a long time.
June 27, 2022
4,5 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Hoe is de oorlog in Joegoslavië eigenlijk begonnen?
Een Amerikaanse soldate, twee Venetiaanse carabinieri en een absolute nerd gaan in deze thriller op zoek naar de waarheid.
Beelden van een winters Venetië met alta aqua, lekkere lokale recepten, het Venetië met de zo typische maskerades.
Mag een second life bestaan zonder controle door de overheid, als daar illegale zaken gebeuren, die niet te herleiden zijn naar individuen?
Wat is de rol geweest van de NAVO in het voormalig Joegoslavië ? Een speurtocht die ons voert naar huiveringwekkende conclusies. Die wel heel dicht aan de realiteit lijken te liggen?
Deel twee en drie wil ik direct gaan lezen. De uitgever weet nog niet wanneer deel drie vertaald wordt uitgegeven! Jammer!
Hoe is de oorlog in Joegoslavië eigenlijk begonnen?
Een Amerikaanse soldate, twee Venetiaanse carabinieri en een absolute nerd gaan in deze thriller op zoek naar de waarheid.
Beelden van een winters Venetië met alta aqua, lekkere lokale recepten, het Venetië met de zo typische maskerades.
Mag een second life bestaan zonder controle door de overheid, als daar illegale zaken gebeuren, die niet te herleiden zijn naar individuen?
Wat is de rol geweest van de NAVO in het voormalig Joegoslavië ? Een speurtocht die ons voert naar huiveringwekkende conclusies. Die wel heel dicht aan de realiteit lijken te liggen?
Deel twee en drie wil ik direct gaan lezen. De uitgever weet nog niet wanneer deel drie vertaald wordt uitgegeven! Jammer!
July 24, 2013
If The Davinci Code and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo had a baby, and that baby grew up and had a baby, that grandchild would be The Abomination. The plot, theme and level of suspense in The Abomination is a diluted version of Code and Tattoo. It's a fun read just not a must read.
May 16, 2014
Absolutely BRILL opening to a trilogy - very exciting and a great story and premise. Full review to come next couple of days.
July 25, 2017
polisiye okumaya alışkın olmasam da gönül rahatlığıyla tavsiye edebileceğim bir kitap "yüz karası": carnivia üçlemesinin ilk cildi. bu demek oluyor ki keskin yorumlar yapmadan önce diğer ciltleri de okumam gerekecek.
venedik'in maskeli, ıslak ve karanlık sokaklarında gizemli bir cinayetle başlıyor roman. şaşırtıcı ve merak uyandıran biçimde kiliseyi, ABD dış politikasını, 90'larda Balkanlardaki savaş suçlarını, italyan polis sistemini ve sosyal medya kavramlarını içiçe geçirerek kuruyor hikayesini ve ritmini hiç düşürmüyor.
2 kadın kahraman üzerinden yürümesini, kadın papazlar ve kadın ticareti gibi konulara parmak basmasını da yazarın feminist duruşu açısından övgüye değer buldum.
venedik'in maskeli, ıslak ve karanlık sokaklarında gizemli bir cinayetle başlıyor roman. şaşırtıcı ve merak uyandıran biçimde kiliseyi, ABD dış politikasını, 90'larda Balkanlardaki savaş suçlarını, italyan polis sistemini ve sosyal medya kavramlarını içiçe geçirerek kuruyor hikayesini ve ritmini hiç düşürmüyor.
2 kadın kahraman üzerinden yürümesini, kadın papazlar ve kadın ticareti gibi konulara parmak basmasını da yazarın feminist duruşu açısından övgüye değer buldum.
February 7, 2019
Venedik’te ölüm ile başlayıp, Yugoslavya’nın parçalanması sonrası İç savaşa, Gladio’ya, insan ticaretine, kaşın eşitsizliğine uzanan bir alanda geçen iyi bir polisiye...
Konusu belgeler üzerinden geliştirilmiş, arka planda kadın(lık) hikayeleri de anlatan bir roman.
Konusu belgeler üzerinden geliştirilmiş, arka planda kadın(lık) hikayeleri de anlatan bir roman.
May 7, 2013
Review:
This book was my latest foray outside my reading comfort zone. I'm not a big reader of crime fiction and it takes something special to make me pick it up, and after all the feedback the lovely ladies at Head of Zeus had given me on this one, well I didn't really have a choice but to read it...(a no brainer).
Its a book I'm glad I picked up, the writing is clean, crisp and has a nice steady pace that draws you (the reader) in. The plot switches between the various characters builds and adds pace and makes this a book that's hard to put down. If I had to pick fault with any of the writing it's that the authors love of Venice/ Italy and the food/ culture can bleed though too much, there are a few bits that feel like a tourist guide and gourmet cookbook. That said the authors love of the country is infectious, I wanted to book a plane ticket and pop out for some Italian food every time I picked the book up.
The plot is skilfully blended together, multi layered with the ancient (religion), the violent (crime lords, Serb/ Croatian war) the modern (Carnivia social media) and the romance blossoming between characters. Throw in some deep political and international conspiracy add a soups-ant of the occult and religion and you get a dish as fine as those served in the restaurants of the book.
would I recommend it?
Yes, it was a really good read, it didn't set my world alight, but then I'm new to the genre. for me it was a 3.5/5 stars.
I can however see it being a 5 star for many fans of the genre.
so go buy it, it will repay the cover price many times over.
(Parm)
Go see the book trailer:
http://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/2...
This book was my latest foray outside my reading comfort zone. I'm not a big reader of crime fiction and it takes something special to make me pick it up, and after all the feedback the lovely ladies at Head of Zeus had given me on this one, well I didn't really have a choice but to read it...(a no brainer).
Its a book I'm glad I picked up, the writing is clean, crisp and has a nice steady pace that draws you (the reader) in. The plot switches between the various characters builds and adds pace and makes this a book that's hard to put down. If I had to pick fault with any of the writing it's that the authors love of Venice/ Italy and the food/ culture can bleed though too much, there are a few bits that feel like a tourist guide and gourmet cookbook. That said the authors love of the country is infectious, I wanted to book a plane ticket and pop out for some Italian food every time I picked the book up.
The plot is skilfully blended together, multi layered with the ancient (religion), the violent (crime lords, Serb/ Croatian war) the modern (Carnivia social media) and the romance blossoming between characters. Throw in some deep political and international conspiracy add a soups-ant of the occult and religion and you get a dish as fine as those served in the restaurants of the book.
would I recommend it?
Yes, it was a really good read, it didn't set my world alight, but then I'm new to the genre. for me it was a 3.5/5 stars.
I can however see it being a 5 star for many fans of the genre.
so go buy it, it will repay the cover price many times over.
(Parm)
Go see the book trailer:
http://parmenionbooks.wordpress.com/2...
February 11, 2015
The first quarter of this book was really enjoyable and I was impressed that the main female characters were, unusually for a thriller, pleasingly complex and nuanced. It opened with a couple of intriguing storylines that appeared to be weaving in and out of one another quite neatly so I was settling in for an enjoyable ride. Then a few more storylines were added and suddenly everything was spread too thin to be enjoyable.
This novel attempts to simultaneously tackle murder, church corruption, clerical and theological misogyny, sex trafficking, war crime, surveillance and privacy, police obstruction and the mafia. Add to that a few other awkward and predictable thriller inclusions () and you're completely burnt out by about halfway through. I gave up shortly thereafter on page 250.
This novel attempts to simultaneously tackle murder, church corruption, clerical and theological misogyny, sex trafficking, war crime, surveillance and privacy, police obstruction and the mafia. Add to that a few other awkward and predictable thriller inclusions () and you're completely burnt out by about halfway through. I gave up shortly thereafter on page 250.
April 2, 2018
Das Buch hat mir gefallen, wenn es mich auch nicht umgehauen hat. Es hat sich gut gelesen und war spannend. Leider habe ich zwischendurch auch große Pausen gemacht, ohne dieses Kribbeln zu Verspüren unbedingt weiterzulesen. Dennoch war es ein guter Roman und ich werde mir wahrscheinlich auch die anderen Teile (ich wusste vorher nicht dass es eine Trilogie ist) anschauen :)
November 29, 2017
I have to admit that what first drew me to this book was the setting. Venice is a place I have never been but I know a few people who have and they go on about what an amazing place it is if you can get around all the other tourists ha ha. The other thing is it being in my favourite genre which is to say crime and mystery fiction. Now I realise that Venice is part of a deeply catholic country so I was slightly intrigued by the premise of our victim being left for all to see dress as a priest. While I realise that the church of my country allows women to be ordained I know that most if not all other do not. I'm still not entirely sure what the reason for this but hey ho. So why was our victim wearing the robes and who could have want to make a spectacle of the murder.
This is the first in a trilogy of books and my first meeting with the three leads there in. First is Captain Kat Tapo this is a women who has for the most part fought tooth and nail to get to where she is. In a heavily male dominated career she is already fighting an uphill battle. I like her a lot she's cautious with out being afraid and does her best to try and get to the bottom of things. Having said that at times she seems to throw caution to the wind and jump headlong into things with out much thought. For me this makes her come to life and more realistic of what we as people are like never truly being one thing or the other. Thought out the case she comes into contact with and untimely teams up with Second Lieutenant Holly Boland. She is another great example of a women in a very male dominated world They both come across as very strong people willing to fight for every thing they can get. At time suffering from harassment from there colleagues even when they are simple trying to do there jobs. Holy came across as being wise beyond here years trying to connect the various threads together. She seemed good in a pinch as was willing to think her way out of situations that would have left me dumbfounded. And the last in our little band is Daniele Barbo the creator of the website Carnivia.com. He I suppose is the most mysterious of the three. Someone who mostly keeps to him self and I get the impression does things just to see if he can with out much thought to what happens after the fact. He has managed to create a virtual Venice right down to the cats sleeping on windowsills. Having done so seem complete uninterested in how its users interact with it and what they do while they are in it. Babro strikes me as someone who has little time for others but through the events of the book comes to trust our two heroines enough to let them in. The three play of each other well be it in terms of friendships or camaraderie in the pursuit of the truth.
This is definitely a great thriller it ties together so many different strands along the way. The author picks up many topics that are difficult to deal with and some would rather not discus all together. The use of the Bosnian war was one that took me by surprise. It's one that I think many have chosen to forget. A war in the heart of Europe that now most have little time for or chose to forget. The story ties into many of the atrocities that where carried out during this time period. Be it the ethnic cleansing or the systematic rape of thousands of women by both sides. When every I read about such subjects I find it greatly troubling. How is it always women that seem to suffer so greatly at times like these. Rape is a subject that comes up time and again in crime thrillers an acts so atrocious that it takes everything away from some one. I suppose here it is used as it is a widely known fact that this crimes took place. While the details that come through are shocking it is not used in a way that would seem exploitational. The author also tackles the subject of organised religion The third if you like of world controlled by men I guess you can see the theme running though this. To be specific the ability of women to become priests and as such the word of god. I would imagine this is probably a view the author has strong views on as shown by the way Kat confronts the catholic churches representatives on the topic. Its great to read a book with strong female leads in it Although this may also be down to the type of books I chose to read. This is a book in which our heroines don't need to be rescued by a white knight. Every time the author backs them into a corner and you start to wonder if they will get out alive he chooses to have them figure away out of it for them selves. Its interesting to start a book and think you have some idea of where its head only to be turned completely around and thrown off on completely a different course. The subject matter he has chosen to tell his story around is for obvious reason very dark but he manages to bring you into this world and make it all seem far to possible. I would also like to point out that his use of the virtual world plays to great effect allowing the story to take on another twist in a story already full of them.
By the time I reach the end of this book my minds was going full tilt. There is a lot going on between these pages but I never real lost my place with these people or the events that took place. It also brought up past of history that I never real gave much thought to much to my own shame I guess we all just carried on and forgot about these very tragic events. If you into your fast paced thrillers this is defiantly one to check out. I'm sure it will not be to long before I pick up the next in this series of books to find out what our heroes have gotten them selves mixed up in.
This is the first in a trilogy of books and my first meeting with the three leads there in. First is Captain Kat Tapo this is a women who has for the most part fought tooth and nail to get to where she is. In a heavily male dominated career she is already fighting an uphill battle. I like her a lot she's cautious with out being afraid and does her best to try and get to the bottom of things. Having said that at times she seems to throw caution to the wind and jump headlong into things with out much thought. For me this makes her come to life and more realistic of what we as people are like never truly being one thing or the other. Thought out the case she comes into contact with and untimely teams up with Second Lieutenant Holly Boland. She is another great example of a women in a very male dominated world They both come across as very strong people willing to fight for every thing they can get. At time suffering from harassment from there colleagues even when they are simple trying to do there jobs. Holy came across as being wise beyond here years trying to connect the various threads together. She seemed good in a pinch as was willing to think her way out of situations that would have left me dumbfounded. And the last in our little band is Daniele Barbo the creator of the website Carnivia.com. He I suppose is the most mysterious of the three. Someone who mostly keeps to him self and I get the impression does things just to see if he can with out much thought to what happens after the fact. He has managed to create a virtual Venice right down to the cats sleeping on windowsills. Having done so seem complete uninterested in how its users interact with it and what they do while they are in it. Babro strikes me as someone who has little time for others but through the events of the book comes to trust our two heroines enough to let them in. The three play of each other well be it in terms of friendships or camaraderie in the pursuit of the truth.
This is definitely a great thriller it ties together so many different strands along the way. The author picks up many topics that are difficult to deal with and some would rather not discus all together. The use of the Bosnian war was one that took me by surprise. It's one that I think many have chosen to forget. A war in the heart of Europe that now most have little time for or chose to forget. The story ties into many of the atrocities that where carried out during this time period. Be it the ethnic cleansing or the systematic rape of thousands of women by both sides. When every I read about such subjects I find it greatly troubling. How is it always women that seem to suffer so greatly at times like these. Rape is a subject that comes up time and again in crime thrillers an acts so atrocious that it takes everything away from some one. I suppose here it is used as it is a widely known fact that this crimes took place. While the details that come through are shocking it is not used in a way that would seem exploitational. The author also tackles the subject of organised religion The third if you like of world controlled by men I guess you can see the theme running though this. To be specific the ability of women to become priests and as such the word of god. I would imagine this is probably a view the author has strong views on as shown by the way Kat confronts the catholic churches representatives on the topic. Its great to read a book with strong female leads in it Although this may also be down to the type of books I chose to read. This is a book in which our heroines don't need to be rescued by a white knight. Every time the author backs them into a corner and you start to wonder if they will get out alive he chooses to have them figure away out of it for them selves. Its interesting to start a book and think you have some idea of where its head only to be turned completely around and thrown off on completely a different course. The subject matter he has chosen to tell his story around is for obvious reason very dark but he manages to bring you into this world and make it all seem far to possible. I would also like to point out that his use of the virtual world plays to great effect allowing the story to take on another twist in a story already full of them.
By the time I reach the end of this book my minds was going full tilt. There is a lot going on between these pages but I never real lost my place with these people or the events that took place. It also brought up past of history that I never real gave much thought to much to my own shame I guess we all just carried on and forgot about these very tragic events. If you into your fast paced thrillers this is defiantly one to check out. I'm sure it will not be to long before I pick up the next in this series of books to find out what our heroes have gotten them selves mixed up in.
February 10, 2015
A ripping yarn! I can't summarise the plot it is too complicated! It involves the Venetian police force, the American military, computer hackers and the Catholic church and unravels war abuse in Yugoslavia and human trafficking. Brilliant read.
March 6, 2016
Not great literature but a fun little mystery, filled with international intrigue. The characters were deftly drawn and complicated. Even at the end, I was not quite sure who to trust. I'll definitely continue with the series when I'm in the mood for the junk food equivalent of books.
April 28, 2013
Great thriller - ideal for anyone who liked Dan Brown's plots but hated his terrible writing style as this is well-written and exciting.
December 21, 2013
Having got to the end, I am still not sure what the hell is going on. Shall probably read the other two as I like the ridiculous characters.
February 8, 2024
The book was recommended to me by a friend and I absolutely loved it. It was so hard to put it down.
I loved how actual events and historical facts were woven into a story that screamed conspiracy theory, but still made you wonder : could this be real?
I loved how actual events and historical facts were woven into a story that screamed conspiracy theory, but still made you wonder : could this be real?
June 21, 2023
3.5/5 A well-crafted thriller that initially felt like a combination of Dan Brown and Stieg Larsson. It was not and the author has chosen a setting that was new for me - Venice. And the actual story revolved around the Yugoslav civil wars which again I knew little about. Worth a read !
January 4, 2018
2½ stars.
July 31, 2013
This review originally posted on www.lazyday.ca! For the full review with special LazyDay.ca additions please visit http://lazyday.ca/abomination-jonatha...
This book was sent to us by our friends at The Savvy Reader, HarperCollins Canada and Johnathan Holt. Thanks to all for sending this out!
The Abomination is Johnathan Holt‘s first novel and I must say he debuted extremely well. I would compare him to a more modern and tech savvy Dan Brown. They seem to share somewhat similar plot elements but are all strung together in a much more interesting fashion. The story begins when the body of a woman in priests robes washes up on the flooded streets of Venice, Italy. She is not only found in a Catholic priest’s robe but also with many strange symbols around and upon her body.
The story progresses into an “international” thriller with aspects of the plot originating from seemingly unrelated and unexpected places. The twisted plot lines unravel to reveal the truths of still very high ranking people involved in atrocities committed during the Bosnian war and modern day. They all share the same goal of cleaning up after themselves as effectively as possible. When all levels of the legal system, church, military and government seem to be corrupt, our heroes band together to fight for the truth. Holt’s plot twists are something to behold. A few times I was slack-jawed, flipping back to re-read a page saying “What? No way!” What?”. At one point he hits with such a good double punch plot twist in the matter of a few lines that I had to laugh at the misdirection.
The book revolves around three main characters all of whom have their own ways of thinking as well as agendas. Holt’s ability to bring these character’s together was extremely fluid. The low level female cop, Kat, who get’s assigned her first murder case. Holly, a member of the U.S. Military who seems to have something to prove. Daniel, my personal favourite, the autistic computer programmer, hacker and nerd. Both Holly and Daniel consistently intrigued, but I can’t say Kat did so to the same degree. She at times seemed like that puppy who was always tagging along behind the others. Their unique skills combined nicely and were very effective at keeping the overall story exciting.
As I have extensive knowledge of Venice, via weeks of Assassins Creed 2 game play, I realized the author took great care in planning out his settings. Or maybe, like me, he is a fully trained assassin. Many of the places, ideas or historical facts were extremely well-placed and interesting. A cool aspect of this book pertains to the virtual “double” of Venice known as Carniva which was created by Daniele. Carniva is a mix between an MMO (Massively-Multiplayer-Online game) and social networking site. All activity is encrypted and anonymous with people also being able to use it as a modern day “bocche dei leoni” or local rumor board. At points these two worlds are used simultaneously only to even further tickle my inner nerd.
The Abomination is an enjoyable and fast-paced read. It’s a book where before the end you are already Googling the release date for the next book in the series. The neat mixture of corruption, suspense, history, modern feel and good old back-stabbing makes for a very entertaining story. Thanks once again to @SavvyReader @HarperCollinsCA and Jonathan Holt for sending this. You already have one reviewer ready to sign up for the next book!
- Fatman
This book was sent to us by our friends at The Savvy Reader, HarperCollins Canada and Johnathan Holt. Thanks to all for sending this out!
The Abomination is Johnathan Holt‘s first novel and I must say he debuted extremely well. I would compare him to a more modern and tech savvy Dan Brown. They seem to share somewhat similar plot elements but are all strung together in a much more interesting fashion. The story begins when the body of a woman in priests robes washes up on the flooded streets of Venice, Italy. She is not only found in a Catholic priest’s robe but also with many strange symbols around and upon her body.
The story progresses into an “international” thriller with aspects of the plot originating from seemingly unrelated and unexpected places. The twisted plot lines unravel to reveal the truths of still very high ranking people involved in atrocities committed during the Bosnian war and modern day. They all share the same goal of cleaning up after themselves as effectively as possible. When all levels of the legal system, church, military and government seem to be corrupt, our heroes band together to fight for the truth. Holt’s plot twists are something to behold. A few times I was slack-jawed, flipping back to re-read a page saying “What? No way!” What?”. At one point he hits with such a good double punch plot twist in the matter of a few lines that I had to laugh at the misdirection.
The book revolves around three main characters all of whom have their own ways of thinking as well as agendas. Holt’s ability to bring these character’s together was extremely fluid. The low level female cop, Kat, who get’s assigned her first murder case. Holly, a member of the U.S. Military who seems to have something to prove. Daniel, my personal favourite, the autistic computer programmer, hacker and nerd. Both Holly and Daniel consistently intrigued, but I can’t say Kat did so to the same degree. She at times seemed like that puppy who was always tagging along behind the others. Their unique skills combined nicely and were very effective at keeping the overall story exciting.
As I have extensive knowledge of Venice, via weeks of Assassins Creed 2 game play, I realized the author took great care in planning out his settings. Or maybe, like me, he is a fully trained assassin. Many of the places, ideas or historical facts were extremely well-placed and interesting. A cool aspect of this book pertains to the virtual “double” of Venice known as Carniva which was created by Daniele. Carniva is a mix between an MMO (Massively-Multiplayer-Online game) and social networking site. All activity is encrypted and anonymous with people also being able to use it as a modern day “bocche dei leoni” or local rumor board. At points these two worlds are used simultaneously only to even further tickle my inner nerd.
The Abomination is an enjoyable and fast-paced read. It’s a book where before the end you are already Googling the release date for the next book in the series. The neat mixture of corruption, suspense, history, modern feel and good old back-stabbing makes for a very entertaining story. Thanks once again to @SavvyReader @HarperCollinsCA and Jonathan Holt for sending this. You already have one reviewer ready to sign up for the next book!
- Fatman
July 31, 2016
Someone said, "If you like Dan Brown, you'll like this." They were wrong. I like Dan Brown, but I loved this. I did really enjoy this book for several reasons.
First, the plot was fantastically intriguing. Three seemingly unrelated incidents happen to different people in different parts of Venice. The author then skilfully takes us on a journey where we are invited to link the incidents together and then use that knowledge to resolve the ending. What I particularly liked is that, for the most part, it seemed credible. The plot doesn't depend on anything that stretched the imagination beyond reason, and its complexity keeps you on your toes right to the end.
The second reason for enjoyment was that unlike some novels that race across the world and back, this book, for the most part, was firmly grounded in Venice (despite the fact that Venice is sinking). The stink of the city was both literal and metaphorical. It provides a reinforcing backdrop to the corruption and crime in the place involving the police, the mafia, the church, the criminals, and the spies. But the reality of the city also gave space for the reader to pause and enjoy, and to learn about Venetian life. It gave time for the characters to eat at the restaurants, and to occasionally make love. And of course, the duplicity of the Venetian mask also provided another overarching metaphor for the plot.
Thirdly, and partly related to my previous point, I enjoyed the detail which gave the text a convincing authority. For example, we learn about the influence of the Mafia on the city, the techniques used by people traffickers, the protocols for paperwork on a US military base, the operation of drones, the Italian justice system, some of the conventions used by computer hackers. I knew I was reading a novel, but for the most part, the detail encouraged me to believe wholeheartedly in the world I was being invited to inhabit. The book was interesting.
My fourth reason for enjoyment was the flesh that the author gave to the main characters. I cared about them. I enjoyed watching their relationships develop. They weren't cardboard cut-outs, but were "real" people capable of subtle feelings and interaction. The female detective was interestingly different. I really wanted them to be ok.
The reasons I gave this four stars and not five are for two minor reasons. First, I have read all of Dan Brown and most of Scott Mariani and one of the things I really dislike about their novels is that they sometimes have to employ completely unrealistic solutions to getting their characters out of plot conundrums that they have written them into (survival despite being ridiculously outnumbered, for example). Personally, I was unconvinced by how the author got two of his characters back to Venice after they had briefly left it. It didn't seem credible to me, and was a weakness. Secondly, I was invited to care for a major character for most of the book, and the relationship that he was forming, and then this person was summarily dismissed towards the end. I felt very let down. Perhaps this thread will be picked up in a future novel.
First, the plot was fantastically intriguing. Three seemingly unrelated incidents happen to different people in different parts of Venice. The author then skilfully takes us on a journey where we are invited to link the incidents together and then use that knowledge to resolve the ending. What I particularly liked is that, for the most part, it seemed credible. The plot doesn't depend on anything that stretched the imagination beyond reason, and its complexity keeps you on your toes right to the end.
The second reason for enjoyment was that unlike some novels that race across the world and back, this book, for the most part, was firmly grounded in Venice (despite the fact that Venice is sinking). The stink of the city was both literal and metaphorical. It provides a reinforcing backdrop to the corruption and crime in the place involving the police, the mafia, the church, the criminals, and the spies. But the reality of the city also gave space for the reader to pause and enjoy, and to learn about Venetian life. It gave time for the characters to eat at the restaurants, and to occasionally make love. And of course, the duplicity of the Venetian mask also provided another overarching metaphor for the plot.
Thirdly, and partly related to my previous point, I enjoyed the detail which gave the text a convincing authority. For example, we learn about the influence of the Mafia on the city, the techniques used by people traffickers, the protocols for paperwork on a US military base, the operation of drones, the Italian justice system, some of the conventions used by computer hackers. I knew I was reading a novel, but for the most part, the detail encouraged me to believe wholeheartedly in the world I was being invited to inhabit. The book was interesting.
My fourth reason for enjoyment was the flesh that the author gave to the main characters. I cared about them. I enjoyed watching their relationships develop. They weren't cardboard cut-outs, but were "real" people capable of subtle feelings and interaction. The female detective was interestingly different. I really wanted them to be ok.
The reasons I gave this four stars and not five are for two minor reasons. First, I have read all of Dan Brown and most of Scott Mariani and one of the things I really dislike about their novels is that they sometimes have to employ completely unrealistic solutions to getting their characters out of plot conundrums that they have written them into (survival despite being ridiculously outnumbered, for example). Personally, I was unconvinced by how the author got two of his characters back to Venice after they had briefly left it. It didn't seem credible to me, and was a weakness. Secondly, I was invited to care for a major character for most of the book, and the relationship that he was forming, and then this person was summarily dismissed towards the end. I felt very let down. Perhaps this thread will be picked up in a future novel.
March 19, 2014
There is a strange, Serbia-shaped hole at the center of this fast-reading airport thriller. If one were writing a novel about the aftermath of the Balkan wars, and purportedly interested in the use of rape as an instrument of war, it is mystifying that one would ignore the well-documented and overwhelming evidence of Serbian atrocities and mass rape. In fact, astonishingly, almost no Serbians appear at all in this book except in one brief flashback.
No, the bogeymen of this novel are Americans and Croats who (allegedly) dream up mass rape to keep American troop levels high in Europe following the end of the Cold War. Yes, this is a thriller, a genre not known for hewing close to realism, but it is such a bizarre and offensive premise that it really drew me out of the story. Even worse, if you go to the promotional Carnivia website, you'll find that the author (or his publishers) has posted a list of web articles as "evidence" that this premise has merit.
I'm not sure if a Croat stole Mr. Holt's car once or if he has the Serbian Ministry of Tourism on his client list at his real-life ad agency, but he really seems to have an irrational grudge against Croatia. All the villains are Croats, the inventors of mass rape are Croats. It is not explicitly stated, but one gets the feeling that if the Serbs did any raping and murdering at all, surely it was surely the fault of the Croats! They must have given them the idea! Srebrenica? Never heard of it! Mladic who?
All of the preceding complaints are political in nature and I feel I should address the substance of the book itself. While a fairly standard thriller, I felt it suffered from a split in focus. In the beginning, we are left uncertain whether the shadowy conspiracy involves the Catholic church, the US military or both. About half way through, Holt drops the religious angle almost completely and it becomes a standard Secret Para-Governmental Agency versus the world thriller. And while it is a thriller, having multiple Predator drones drop missiles all over northern Italy seemed to stretch the bounds of verisimilitude.
The computer website angle of the book (Carnivia) also felt extremely underdeveloped and unrealistic to me. It is supposed to be a groundbreaking and important website, but little seems to happen there except occasional gossip-mongering and church attendance. And why would ANYONE, joining an anonymous website, a website whose chief claim to existence is its anonymity, allow said website to scan their hard drive and emails? It was such a bizarre detail that I have to question if the person who wrote it is even computer literate. I suppose if Mr. Holt had the idea for a game-changing, earth-shattering social network, he'd be working on that and not writing thrillers, but come on! Carnivia desperately needs some extra depth or at least some mystery. (And not the mystery of who is going to church.)
Other than these points, it is a perfectly standard airport thriller. I probably won't be checking out the coming sequels though I am mildly curious about where the author will be going next.
No, the bogeymen of this novel are Americans and Croats who (allegedly) dream up mass rape to keep American troop levels high in Europe following the end of the Cold War. Yes, this is a thriller, a genre not known for hewing close to realism, but it is such a bizarre and offensive premise that it really drew me out of the story. Even worse, if you go to the promotional Carnivia website, you'll find that the author (or his publishers) has posted a list of web articles as "evidence" that this premise has merit.
I'm not sure if a Croat stole Mr. Holt's car once or if he has the Serbian Ministry of Tourism on his client list at his real-life ad agency, but he really seems to have an irrational grudge against Croatia. All the villains are Croats, the inventors of mass rape are Croats. It is not explicitly stated, but one gets the feeling that if the Serbs did any raping and murdering at all, surely it was surely the fault of the Croats! They must have given them the idea! Srebrenica? Never heard of it! Mladic who?
All of the preceding complaints are political in nature and I feel I should address the substance of the book itself. While a fairly standard thriller, I felt it suffered from a split in focus. In the beginning, we are left uncertain whether the shadowy conspiracy involves the Catholic church, the US military or both. About half way through, Holt drops the religious angle almost completely and it becomes a standard Secret Para-Governmental Agency versus the world thriller. And while it is a thriller, having multiple Predator drones drop missiles all over northern Italy seemed to stretch the bounds of verisimilitude.
The computer website angle of the book (Carnivia) also felt extremely underdeveloped and unrealistic to me. It is supposed to be a groundbreaking and important website, but little seems to happen there except occasional gossip-mongering and church attendance. And why would ANYONE, joining an anonymous website, a website whose chief claim to existence is its anonymity, allow said website to scan their hard drive and emails? It was such a bizarre detail that I have to question if the person who wrote it is even computer literate. I suppose if Mr. Holt had the idea for a game-changing, earth-shattering social network, he'd be working on that and not writing thrillers, but come on! Carnivia desperately needs some extra depth or at least some mystery. (And not the mystery of who is going to church.)
Other than these points, it is a perfectly standard airport thriller. I probably won't be checking out the coming sequels though I am mildly curious about where the author will be going next.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2021
This book brings me back to Venice. Early morning and a body is washed up from the canal on a high tide. The victim is a woman dressed in priests robes, an abomination. The story centers around Kat Tapo a capitano on her first murder investigation and Holly Boland a US Army second lieutenant on her first foreign assignment.
Their separate investigations bring them together and lead them across Europe to find the truth if they can stay alive that long.
This book is the first in the Carnivia trilogy and I will be looking for the next book in the trilogy.
Their separate investigations bring them together and lead them across Europe to find the truth if they can stay alive that long.
This book is the first in the Carnivia trilogy and I will be looking for the next book in the trilogy.
November 8, 2013
“Venetië, 2013. Tijdens het Driekoningen-feest spoelt een dode, als priester verklede vrouw vanuit het Canal Grande aan op de trappen van de Santa Maria della Salute. Het is de eerste moordzaak voor Katerina Tapo, die net in dienst is bij de carabinieri. Het spoor van de dader leidt naar een verlaten gesticht op het eiland Poveglia. En naar Carnivia.com, het versleutelde netwerk dat de echte geheimen van de stad bevat. Maar sommige geheimen kunnen beter nooit boven water komen...”
Dit boek gaat van start met een op het eerste zicht eenvoudige moordzaak, maar al snel blijkt dat deze moord in het grotere geheel slechts een minieme tip van de ijsberg is.
We volgen het verhaal vanuit drie verschillende perspectieven. De twee sterke vrouwelijke karakters van Katerina 'Kate' Tapo, een Venetiaanse carabinieri die aan haar eerste moordzaak werkt en Holly Boland die opgroeide op legerbasissen en in navolging van haar vader nu ook naar Venetië is gezonden door het Amerikaanse leger. Maar ook de invalshoek van Daniele Barbo, een afgezonderd computergenie en tevens de geestelijke vader van Carniva, een beveiligd netwerk waar men zich anoniem kan uitleven zonder angst om ontdekt te worden.
Deze sterke personages komen in dit boek, waarvan de titel erg goed gekozen is, vermits het verhaal echt leest als een labyrint, geleidelijk aan dichter bij elkaar te staan. Samen met de lezer trachten ze zich een weg te zoeken in een doolhof van doofpot-acties, complot-theorieën, connecties, netwerken, codenamen & pseudoniemen. Ze proberen eerst elk apart om dit kluwen van losse factoren te ontwarren maar het is pas wanneer ze hun krachten bundelen dat ze kans maken om een uiterst nauwkeurig verborgen geheim te openbaren.
Het boek is erg goed uitgewerkt, maar je moet als lezer wel heel alert zijn om het overzicht op de vele details en onderlinge connecties te behouden. De sterke hoofdpersonages zijn een groot pluspunt in dit sterke debuut dat zich afspeelt in een Venetië waar de misdaad alom tegenwoordig is en de grachten geheimen lijken te verbergen waarvan men niet wil dat ze boven water komen.
Dit boek gaat van start met een op het eerste zicht eenvoudige moordzaak, maar al snel blijkt dat deze moord in het grotere geheel slechts een minieme tip van de ijsberg is.
We volgen het verhaal vanuit drie verschillende perspectieven. De twee sterke vrouwelijke karakters van Katerina 'Kate' Tapo, een Venetiaanse carabinieri die aan haar eerste moordzaak werkt en Holly Boland die opgroeide op legerbasissen en in navolging van haar vader nu ook naar Venetië is gezonden door het Amerikaanse leger. Maar ook de invalshoek van Daniele Barbo, een afgezonderd computergenie en tevens de geestelijke vader van Carniva, een beveiligd netwerk waar men zich anoniem kan uitleven zonder angst om ontdekt te worden.
Deze sterke personages komen in dit boek, waarvan de titel erg goed gekozen is, vermits het verhaal echt leest als een labyrint, geleidelijk aan dichter bij elkaar te staan. Samen met de lezer trachten ze zich een weg te zoeken in een doolhof van doofpot-acties, complot-theorieën, connecties, netwerken, codenamen & pseudoniemen. Ze proberen eerst elk apart om dit kluwen van losse factoren te ontwarren maar het is pas wanneer ze hun krachten bundelen dat ze kans maken om een uiterst nauwkeurig verborgen geheim te openbaren.
Het boek is erg goed uitgewerkt, maar je moet als lezer wel heel alert zijn om het overzicht op de vele details en onderlinge connecties te behouden. De sterke hoofdpersonages zijn een groot pluspunt in dit sterke debuut dat zich afspeelt in een Venetië waar de misdaad alom tegenwoordig is en de grachten geheimen lijken te verbergen waarvan men niet wil dat ze boven water komen.
March 20, 2013
Having grown somewhat tired of all the Dan Brown copycat titles that have flooded the market during the past few years, I was happy to try a new thriller where yes, the Church is once more involved but there are no hidden secret books, strange codes to break in or far-fetched conspiracies living amongst even more far-fetched plots.
On the contrary, “The Abomination” (still not sure about this title), very cleverly deals with contemporary issues such as the ordination of female priests or the use of social media websites to hide identities and commit cyber-crimes. All this, within the context of a bigger picture that involves the US, the NATO and the old war in Yugoslavia. It is certainly enough material to keep one hooked through its more than 400 pages and it presents such an amount of detail which is so well researched (especially in terms of military and IT jargon) that one cannot help but head straight to Google once finished to see if any of those characters, websites, events…do actually exist or have happened as Holt describes them. The two female protagonists on their part are a joy to read. Not a false-sounding dialogue or reaction in the way they are portrayed.
As with most thrillers, it also contains the classic and predictable love affair between two of the characters but in this case, I applaud the feminist way in which it is resolved. It was a pleasant surprise and, unlike other gratuitous affairs, I can see how this one fits beautifully within the plot. There are also the frequent references and descriptions of Italian food. A treat for a lover of Italian culture, I guess. A bit of a distraction to me.
I very much look forward for the next books in this trilogy.
I need to know more.
I’m still wondering whether this is all true!!
On the contrary, “The Abomination” (still not sure about this title), very cleverly deals with contemporary issues such as the ordination of female priests or the use of social media websites to hide identities and commit cyber-crimes. All this, within the context of a bigger picture that involves the US, the NATO and the old war in Yugoslavia. It is certainly enough material to keep one hooked through its more than 400 pages and it presents such an amount of detail which is so well researched (especially in terms of military and IT jargon) that one cannot help but head straight to Google once finished to see if any of those characters, websites, events…do actually exist or have happened as Holt describes them. The two female protagonists on their part are a joy to read. Not a false-sounding dialogue or reaction in the way they are portrayed.
As with most thrillers, it also contains the classic and predictable love affair between two of the characters but in this case, I applaud the feminist way in which it is resolved. It was a pleasant surprise and, unlike other gratuitous affairs, I can see how this one fits beautifully within the plot. There are also the frequent references and descriptions of Italian food. A treat for a lover of Italian culture, I guess. A bit of a distraction to me.
I very much look forward for the next books in this trilogy.
I need to know more.
I’m still wondering whether this is all true!!
July 24, 2013
It begins with death. I guess many mystery novels do. But this death is particularly unpleasant. A woman’s body has been found in Venice, clothed in the vestments of a Roman Catholic priest. In the eyes of conservative Catholics this is an abomination. Investigating this heinous crime is Captain Kat Tapo of the Carabinieri, along with her superior officer Detective-Colonel Aldo Piola. This is just the start of a twisting mystery that involves the CIA, the military, the government and the Roman Catholic Church. And secrets buried for many years.
It is also the first of the Carnivia trilogy. Carnivia is a virtual world, created by eccentric millionaire Daniele Barbo. Forces are also conspiring against him to sell his creation, forces of an unsavoury nature. Soon his fate becomes entwined with the investigation of Kat and Aldo.
It is a edge of your seat thriller with a social conscience. The plight of women in Croatia, the role of women in Italian society and the church are just some of the subtexts of this novel.Kat Tapo is a kick ass investigator, who wants to solve this case despite the pressures of her superiors, and even of her friend Det. Col. Aldo Piola. I eagerly look forward to the next book in the trilogy.
It is also the first of the Carnivia trilogy. Carnivia is a virtual world, created by eccentric millionaire Daniele Barbo. Forces are also conspiring against him to sell his creation, forces of an unsavoury nature. Soon his fate becomes entwined with the investigation of Kat and Aldo.
It is a edge of your seat thriller with a social conscience. The plight of women in Croatia, the role of women in Italian society and the church are just some of the subtexts of this novel.Kat Tapo is a kick ass investigator, who wants to solve this case despite the pressures of her superiors, and even of her friend Det. Col. Aldo Piola. I eagerly look forward to the next book in the trilogy.
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