The Garden Of Evil

Nic Costa #6

by David Hewson

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Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Italy, Audiobook, Ebooks

532 pages, Paperback

First published December 18, 2007

About the author

DAVID 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

Reviews

[Kirsten McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one took my breath away in places. So much art, and depravity. Set in Rome, in the streets that Caravaggio haunted in his youth, this book had everything - tension, artistic genius, death, mystery, troubled women, angry police, inept government officials, wealthy elite. A thriller by any definition. I especially loved the author's note at the end. Made me want to delve into every art book I could lay my hands on. Worth a read if you love art, history, the renaissance or police procedurals, especially if you love a mixture of all three.

[Rajish Maharaj · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a thriller for art lovers. Of which I am not one, apparently. I like art, but I roll my eyes at the rhapsodizing about all the little details of Caravaggio's art that was found here. Ugh. I love things set in Italy, but for some reason, this one just didn't work all that well for me. The author took himself far too seriously, as did all of the characters, and it turned me off. Since there's hardly a mystery, it seemed like just a way to show off all the knowledge about painting, painters, Italy, etc. Well done, but just not that enjoyable.

[Edwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een goede mix van feiten en fantasie. Vol met informatie over het oude Rome, Caravaggio, de De' Medici en meer.
Raakte wel eens de 'weg' kwijt met al de kunstwerken die genoemd werden, en de personages.

Op een dag, een paar maanden na zijn huwelijk met Emily, raakt Nic Costa betrokken bij een moordonderzoek. Een man en een vrouw werden dood gevonden bij een onbekend schilderij van Caravaggio. Tijdens de achtervolging van de gemaskerde dader, komt Emily om het leven.

Een zuster die kunstgeschiedenis kent helpt Nic Costa en zijn team met het verklaren van het kunstwerk. Het team doet, onder leiding van Falcone, verder onderzoek.

Een nader onderzoek levert nog meer lichamen van dode vrouwen op. Allemaal zwarte vrouwen die illegaal in het land waren.

In dit boek was de dader al bekend, maar viel het moeilijk om de bewijzen aan hem te koppelen. De dader was namelijk een zeer invloedrijke man in Rome, en had al met succes eerdere pogingen tot vervolgen tegen gehouden.

[Koen De Feyter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Voor liefhebbers van Carravaggio en Rome

[Lindig · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely dense thriller, full of arcane knowledge about the history of Rome and Caravaggio and painting and Italian history and the Medicis etc etc. It was great in this respect. The author has cleverly blended fact and fiction; it's difficult to tell which is which unless you already have some knowledge in these areas. There is an author's note at the end which gives some clues to what's real and what isn't.

This is a thriller for adults. Not only is it dense but it's sophisticated in its illumination of history's impact, racism, art's meaning, sexual obsession, and faith. Some parts of the plots are a little rushed, especially toward the end; and some plot points are introduced a little cavalierly, as though to extend the story-line for "fun."

I will keep this author in mind when I'm looking for something new to read. This is sixth in the Roman detective Nic Costa series.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading these in order and I most enjoy David Hewson's characters and the atmosphere of Rome, always so very creepy in Hewson's world. In his "Author's Notes" Hewson tells us that much of the information contained in this novel about the artist Caravaggio is true. And for these reasons (the characters, the atmosphere, Caravaggio) I liked this book. However, many of the characters do exactly what one is afraid they will do: the wrong thing. I do understand these characters have many personal problems (as we all do), but I could see the final scene approaching by page 200 or so (of a total of 464). But I kept reading anyway until about 3am this morning. To Newson's credit, he can certainly tell an interesting story! And, I plan to read all of the books in this series. Sometimes, we forget that a three-star rating (I liked it!) is actually a pretty good recommendation.

[Claudio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sempre fantastico leggere uno dei suoi libri. In questo le emozioni iniziano fin da subito con un gran colpo di scena. La fine inoltre evidenzia ancor più, se mai ce ne fosse stato bisogno, la genialità e bravura di David Hewson.

[Jeanette Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book before The Seventh Sacrament which was not a good thing to do. However, the criminal underworld of Rome kept me enthralled, and I now want to read more of David Hewson's novels set in Rome, but perhaps I should read them in the order they were written!

[Mei · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't wait to start this one because I loved the last one so much. However I didn't enjoy this one as much as the last, sadly, it lacked some undefinable element that made the last one unputdownable. It was still a very good read and the faux history was well woven together.

[Hrn1947 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history lesson

[Tiina · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who like Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code etc), David Hewson makes it better! A chilling page-turner thriller for those who like history, art and Italy - Rome in particular.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good thriller. A little confusing at first because this is #6 in a series. I wondered why I didn't understand the relationships of people and previous events!

[Tisha La Bonnaise · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Garden of Evil by David Hewson is an historical fiction novel which, if done right, can immerse a reader into various, universal human motivations, present a story-line in an exciting, suspenseful way, and also, but importantly, afford the reader a better understanding of history by presenting a plausible story intersected by actual people and events.
Hewson transports the reader from the sordid, modern setting of contemporary Rome, complete with traffic jams, city crowds, tourists, petty crime, and semi-automatic weapons back to Late Renaissance, the early 1600’s when a struggling, yet talented real-life artist, Caravaggio, has found his way to that same big city, acquired a patron, and proceeds to eke out a meager reputation in the crowded, over-built city of narrow stone streets, unlit passageways, and maze of stairs and walkways that lead to huge opulent mansions, owned by the well-connected, with walled off small apartments, constructed, presumably before city ordinances. He lives an unpretentious life using “street people” as life models, and associates with a noisy, lawless group of young men in the neighborhood. At a turning point, he is implicated in and convicted of murder. All of that is factual because the Catholic Church who convicted Caravaggio, authenticates it.
As the narrative unfolds the reader learns more about the real-life Caravaggio because several of his paintings survive in museums today. They can be classified as Baroque because their subjects are commoners not Biblical figures and with his signature technique, chiaroscuro, uses high contrast between light and dark. An additional side note is that Caravaggio, we know now, puts his own self-portrait hidden in many of his compositions, and chooses close-ups of contorted facial expressions that show extreme emotion, anger or ecstasy.
Back to the contemporary murder mystery, Hewson uses an art expert to examine a fictitious painting the Evathia in Ekstasis, ekstasis referring to a provocative, lewd emotion. Conjecture leads the author to say it is likely many of Caravaggio’s paintings were pornographic for the time, and bought by private collectors for private viewing. The novel culminates in a confrontation with Franco Malaspina, sort of a Mafia figure connected by family records to contemporaries of Caravaggio and who has stolen many Caravaggio’s.
I learned a huge amount of art knowledge from the novel, but also by cross-referencing with Internet resources to ascertain what is factual and what is not. Hewson seems well-versed in art criticism and historical fiction, especially in view of the plethora of modern mystery writers who use Artificial Intelligence to flood popular fiction with shallow, forgettable plots, again, in my opinion.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two people are found dead in front of an unknown Caravaggio. The painting, oddly, points the way to a killer.

Detective Ric Costa senses a connection between the painting and a rich, influential man in Rome, and he teams up with a sister from a monastery, who is an expert in art history. The two dissect parts of the painting and parts of Rome, coming to the conclusion that there is a secret society operating that has its roots in Caravaggio's time.

Caravaggio is clearly a favorite with historical fiction writers, and secret societies - well, grist for the rumor mill.

I did not care for all the ferreting out of this secret group and the secret passages. I found it tiresome. But I know this is me; I simply do not care for this type of fantasy. I don't intend to read any more of this type. I hope that the next person who gets this book is differently inclined and appreciates it more.

What I did enjoy was the use of Rome. Having been there I know what a repository of ancient buildings and tunnels it is. If there is any place in which to investigate the nefarious plots of long-ago painters, Rome is it.

[Charles Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have an interest in fictionalized "real" crime this makes for a good read. I have no idea how much of this is made up and how much is for real but I like it all. It probably would help to have taken art history once upon a time, too. Lots of detail. Lots of characters. A good tight knot for the cops to unravel.

You will need to absorb a lot of art history and our hero's lack of remorse yet sturdy backbone. Surprisingly, I found his boss to be the good guy when in most detective/police procedurals the "captain" is always getting in the way.

[Mark Baines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good story in this series. Based in Rome, the tale does, at times, seem heavy going due to the unfamiliar geography in which the story is based. That said it describes well the various locations and 'paints a picture' of a small area of Rome. That coupled with the effort put in to describe various pieces of classical art and sculpture ensure a well rounded and interesting scenario base. No spoilers here; the book contains enough surprises in its development to keep the reader not just occupied, but quite engrossed.

[Hessa AlAtawi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of stories by Dan Brown with one little difference; details & events move in slow motion! I like the historical as well as the artistic parts even though some of them were made up by Hewson. In contrast, I didn't like the fact that the killer was well-known from page 1 of the book & all they have to do is to prove his involvement & guess the motive. In my opinion, mistery is what makes a thriller a good story to read.

[Robert Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Hewson's best so far of the Nic Costa series. Being set in Rome where there is so much history and art makes it that much more interesting. Caravaggio art is famous and Hewson portrays him as a troubled young artist. The story revolves around descendants of the Midici family and Caravaggio art. A really good read.

[Andee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a hard book to read. It was my first book to read of Mr. Hewson’s and I will admit that it is written well. I had a hard time with keeping the character names straight and there were a few instances where I was jolted back to reality because the continuity was not there.

I probably will not read it again due to my own personal preferences.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a read! So much happens in this book. Woman and man found stabbed to death in front of an unknown Caravaggio painting. This leads to finding several dead women’s corpses, a sister that can explain the history of Caravaggio‘s artwork, the death of Nic’s wife, the team going rogue...fast paced and a lot of surprises.

[Hans Brienesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with a good plot.The story ticks back and forth between centuries but everything is woven together in an almost seamless fashion. The only downside to the book is the insistence of this author to provide a hero or heroine with exceptional deductive powers. This tends to take some of the essence from the story. Overall though, this notwithstanding, a good book.

[Owen Howden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather dark but very interesting subject! One that draws you into the storyline , you feel like one of the characters in the story! A lot of thought and research into the history of the subject makes you almost believe that the storyline could almost be true!
A fantastic read and one I would recommend to those who love a dark thriller.

[Jane Muir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read with lots of twists and turns. However I am beginning to wonder how much more Nic Costa can take in his short life without it seeming too much like a soap opera. Maybe need a new "hero" series.

[Louise Fincham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author is at his eloquent most assured self in this novel. He knows Rome and now we discover too that he knows and loves Caravaggio, the great Roman artist. At times the plot felt a little tortuous, but then, on the next page, Hewson pulled it all together in his usual masterful way.

[Rory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit was moeilijker om te lezen dan gedacht: ergens leeft het verwijt naar de schrijver toe om Costa's prille geluk zo snel en zo bruut terug af te pakken.
Los daarvan heeft dit boek wel weer alles wat je kunt wensen en verwachten.

[Neha Nagda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very very shoddy copy of Dan Brown's works. Full of random information with barely any relevance to the plot. Such a waste of time. Giving it a 3 since I got at least some insights on Rome and Carravagio

[Cor · Rating 3 out of 5]

De avonturen van Nic Costa nr ..

[Marlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Kate Fletcher · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give it less than one star I would, I read over half of it and gave up!