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Leone Scamarcio #4
The Extremist
The fourth Leone Scamarcio thriller by CWA-longlisted rising star Nadia Dalbuono.
When a group of terrorists carry out a series of attacks in Rome, Detective Leone Scamarcio gets an unexpected call — the men, who appear to be Islamic extremists, say they will only negotiate with him.
Scamarcio is given just twenty-four hours to meet the terrorists’ demands, or their hostages will be killed, along with thousands more.
The only catch? He cannot involve the police or the security services.
Racing against both the clock and his own colleagues, Scamarcio must uncover the truth behind the attacks before it’s too late. But, as he begins to investigate, he finds that every question turns up five more … As usual for this son-of-a-Mafioso policeman, nothing is as it seems.
When a group of terrorists carry out a series of attacks in Rome, Detective Leone Scamarcio gets an unexpected call — the men, who appear to be Islamic extremists, say they will only negotiate with him.
Scamarcio is given just twenty-four hours to meet the terrorists’ demands, or their hostages will be killed, along with thousands more.
The only catch? He cannot involve the police or the security services.
Racing against both the clock and his own colleagues, Scamarcio must uncover the truth behind the attacks before it’s too late. But, as he begins to investigate, he finds that every question turns up five more … As usual for this son-of-a-Mafioso policeman, nothing is as it seems.
320 pages, Paperback
Published February 8, 2018
11 people are currently reading
142 people want to read
About the author
Nadia Dalbuono
7 books36 followersNadia Dalbuono spent 15 years working in factual TV in the UK before turning to crime writing. The Few is her first novel, with a sequel scheduled for 2015.
REVIEWS FOR THE FEW:
'Gripping, you won't be able to put down this unsettling tale.'
THE SUN
'A professional and confident foray into the realms of crime fiction . . . Nadia Dalbuono drives her complex plot as though it were [an] Alfa Romeo Spider . . . This detective has many more novels in him than the modest two-volume series planned so far.'
PICK OF THE WEEK, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD AND THE AGE
'Dalbuono has a nose for the topical and the gritty undercurrents of Italian society. And at the end there are enough unanswered questions for another enthralling tale to come.'
Verdict: Compelling, unsettling
COURIER MAIL
'One of Raven Crime's top 5 books of 2014. An astounding debut...It is a delight to encounter a protagonist who I would be keen to meet again, and given such a promising beginning to a potential series, I very much hope this will be the case in subsequent books. The Few is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking debut.
RAVEN CRIME READS
Powerful, tightly plotted and with chilling echoes of real life events, The Few is an emotive and exhilarating read, and Scamarcio a character who could quickly become another cult detective.
WE LOVE THIS BOOK.COM
Has Donna Leon met her match?
Maxim Jakubowski. LOVEREADING.CO.UK
REVIEWS FOR THE FEW:
'Gripping, you won't be able to put down this unsettling tale.'
THE SUN
'A professional and confident foray into the realms of crime fiction . . . Nadia Dalbuono drives her complex plot as though it were [an] Alfa Romeo Spider . . . This detective has many more novels in him than the modest two-volume series planned so far.'
PICK OF THE WEEK, SYDNEY MORNING HERALD AND THE AGE
'Dalbuono has a nose for the topical and the gritty undercurrents of Italian society. And at the end there are enough unanswered questions for another enthralling tale to come.'
Verdict: Compelling, unsettling
COURIER MAIL
'One of Raven Crime's top 5 books of 2014. An astounding debut...It is a delight to encounter a protagonist who I would be keen to meet again, and given such a promising beginning to a potential series, I very much hope this will be the case in subsequent books. The Few is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought-provoking debut.
RAVEN CRIME READS
Powerful, tightly plotted and with chilling echoes of real life events, The Few is an emotive and exhilarating read, and Scamarcio a character who could quickly become another cult detective.
WE LOVE THIS BOOK.COM
Has Donna Leon met her match?
Maxim Jakubowski. LOVEREADING.CO.UK
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 26, 2018
More thriller than police procedural and with a different 'feel' than the preceding books in the series, the fourth book to feature Flying Squad Detective Leone Scamarcio is a race-against-the-clock shot of adrenaline which brings terror to the Detectives front door.
When three locations across Rome are simultaneously targeted by terrorists, the police seem to have their hands tied, that is, until one of the extremists requests Scamarcio in person.
Thrown into the proverbial lions den, Scamarcio is brought face to face with an unusual extremist, one with an odd demand that only Scamarcio fulfill.
The Extremist makes for entertaining and high octane reading as Scamarcio at once becomes the hunter and hunted. Known for blurring the lines between law and lawlessness, Scamarcio once again relies on his underworld connections as much, if not, more than those on the thin blue line of justice alongside him.
The book flows freely and introduces an interesting new character who is sure to have an impact in future installments. Much like the other books in the series, The Extremist is new-reader friendly but series readers will enjoy the continuity.
My rating: 3/5 - not as good as the other books in the series but very enjoyable nonetheless. Looking forward to reading the next book!
When three locations across Rome are simultaneously targeted by terrorists, the police seem to have their hands tied, that is, until one of the extremists requests Scamarcio in person.
Thrown into the proverbial lions den, Scamarcio is brought face to face with an unusual extremist, one with an odd demand that only Scamarcio fulfill.
The Extremist makes for entertaining and high octane reading as Scamarcio at once becomes the hunter and hunted. Known for blurring the lines between law and lawlessness, Scamarcio once again relies on his underworld connections as much, if not, more than those on the thin blue line of justice alongside him.
The book flows freely and introduces an interesting new character who is sure to have an impact in future installments. Much like the other books in the series, The Extremist is new-reader friendly but series readers will enjoy the continuity.
My rating: 3/5 - not as good as the other books in the series but very enjoyable nonetheless. Looking forward to reading the next book!
January 16, 2018
I really enjoyed reading The Extremist. Characters in this story are thrown into extreme terrifying situations. An horrific violence explodes. A boy entered a McDonald's he gives a sign and guns start firing. Full of terror people start running. Screaming, falling on food. Another chunk of violence roars through with men in balaclavas enter a toddlers in a class room . Detective Leone Scamarcio is given just twenty-four hours to meet the terrorist's demands, or their hostages will be killed , along with thousands more. I have read The Hit, but The Extremist is my scariest favourite. As this book is extremely well written I really highly recommend all thriller fans to read The Extremist .
February 9, 2018
This is the fourth book in Nadia Dalbuono’s Detective Leone Scamarcio thrillers, and I’ve been lucky enough to have read and reviewed them all. This means that I’ve seen Leone Scamarcio grow as a character, and have followed his story arch throughout the series. While this undoubtedly heightens my enjoyment of the series, each book is a self-contained story in its own right, and unlike some series, you don’t have to have read the previous outings to enjoy each book.
The Extremist begins with coordinated jihadi attacks on the streets of Rome: gunmen storm a McDonalds, a school, a coffee bar near the coliseum, taking hostages at each location. Leone Scamarcio works in the Rome Flying Squad, nothing to do with terrorism. So it’s a shock to him and his colleagues, all gathered around the television watching the horrific events unfold, when a phone call comes in to say that the hostage takers have demanded to talk to him and him alone.
Scamarcio is whisked to the scene of the coffee shop where he’s hustled inside. There a young terrorist, Ifran, demands he travel to a villa in a town thirty kilometres outside of Rome, go to the end of the back garden and dig up a box. He’s then to bring the contents of the box back to Ifran. Oh, and have a CNN film crew in tow to witness the handover of the contents which can be beamed to the world.
This is an intriguing premise and sets up the rest of the novel. Scamarcio is suspicious of the Italian intelligence agencies for reasons made clear in the previous novels. The reader of The Extremist doesn’t need to know the specific reasons for this, but it is made clear that it’s due to previous cases he’s worked on. The Intelligence agencies are crawling all over the scene and he decides to go it alone. What follows is a pursuit thriller where Scamarcio tries to find out what’s in the box, why Ifran wanted him in particular to bring it to him, all the while evading the police, the Carabinieri and the intelligence agencies who’ve listed him as wanted.
A criticism of this novel might be that’s it’s unrealistic that Scamarcio would go it alone, that it would have been easier for him to alert his superiors to what Ifran wanted, that they could have collected the box. Perhaps the siege could have been brought to a close, special forces dressing as a CNN film crew and launching a raid to rescue the hostages. This criticism would be valid and to be sure that’s how things would probably play out in real life. But Nadia Dalbuono writes very Italian thrillers, where conspiracies are around every corner. Her previous books have tackled the infiltration of Italian society by organised crime - the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra, the ‘Ndrangheta; Operation Gladio, the stay behind armies set up by the CIA in the case of a Soviet invasion which soon morphed into far right terror; VIP child sex rings and more.
Like its predecessors, The Extremist tackles big subjects. There are innumerable thrillers which deal with terror attacks, but without giving away spoilers, this book is more than that, a conspiracy thriller which dares to ask big questions. It’s one of the reasons that I’m such a fan of Dalbuono’s work, her books are head and shoulders above the usual run of the mill police procedurals. They dare to look beyond the headlines and question what we take for granted. While I’m not a conspiracy theorist myself, to be sure the theories she posits in her thrillers all have a kernel of truth. There really was an Operation Gladio ( a central theme in her novel The American), Italian organised crime really is a pernicious influence on Italian politics and society, while VIP child sex rings have been investigated in a number of countries. The conspiracy at the heart of The Extremist has a similar basis in fact, whether or not it really has the influence portrayed here.
So would I recommend The Extremist? Yes, absolutely. While it’s not strictly necessary, I would also recommend readers get hold of copies of the earlier books in the series. They won’t be disappointed.
The Extremist begins with coordinated jihadi attacks on the streets of Rome: gunmen storm a McDonalds, a school, a coffee bar near the coliseum, taking hostages at each location. Leone Scamarcio works in the Rome Flying Squad, nothing to do with terrorism. So it’s a shock to him and his colleagues, all gathered around the television watching the horrific events unfold, when a phone call comes in to say that the hostage takers have demanded to talk to him and him alone.
Scamarcio is whisked to the scene of the coffee shop where he’s hustled inside. There a young terrorist, Ifran, demands he travel to a villa in a town thirty kilometres outside of Rome, go to the end of the back garden and dig up a box. He’s then to bring the contents of the box back to Ifran. Oh, and have a CNN film crew in tow to witness the handover of the contents which can be beamed to the world.
This is an intriguing premise and sets up the rest of the novel. Scamarcio is suspicious of the Italian intelligence agencies for reasons made clear in the previous novels. The reader of The Extremist doesn’t need to know the specific reasons for this, but it is made clear that it’s due to previous cases he’s worked on. The Intelligence agencies are crawling all over the scene and he decides to go it alone. What follows is a pursuit thriller where Scamarcio tries to find out what’s in the box, why Ifran wanted him in particular to bring it to him, all the while evading the police, the Carabinieri and the intelligence agencies who’ve listed him as wanted.
A criticism of this novel might be that’s it’s unrealistic that Scamarcio would go it alone, that it would have been easier for him to alert his superiors to what Ifran wanted, that they could have collected the box. Perhaps the siege could have been brought to a close, special forces dressing as a CNN film crew and launching a raid to rescue the hostages. This criticism would be valid and to be sure that’s how things would probably play out in real life. But Nadia Dalbuono writes very Italian thrillers, where conspiracies are around every corner. Her previous books have tackled the infiltration of Italian society by organised crime - the Sicilian Mafia, the Camorra, the ‘Ndrangheta; Operation Gladio, the stay behind armies set up by the CIA in the case of a Soviet invasion which soon morphed into far right terror; VIP child sex rings and more.
Like its predecessors, The Extremist tackles big subjects. There are innumerable thrillers which deal with terror attacks, but without giving away spoilers, this book is more than that, a conspiracy thriller which dares to ask big questions. It’s one of the reasons that I’m such a fan of Dalbuono’s work, her books are head and shoulders above the usual run of the mill police procedurals. They dare to look beyond the headlines and question what we take for granted. While I’m not a conspiracy theorist myself, to be sure the theories she posits in her thrillers all have a kernel of truth. There really was an Operation Gladio ( a central theme in her novel The American), Italian organised crime really is a pernicious influence on Italian politics and society, while VIP child sex rings have been investigated in a number of countries. The conspiracy at the heart of The Extremist has a similar basis in fact, whether or not it really has the influence portrayed here.
So would I recommend The Extremist? Yes, absolutely. While it’s not strictly necessary, I would also recommend readers get hold of copies of the earlier books in the series. They won’t be disappointed.
February 10, 2018
The Extremist stars with an explosion of horror as the reader is witness to a terror siege in Rome. One of the terrorists makes a demand – he wants to speak with Detective Leone Scamarcio and nobody else will do. This is something of a shock to Scamarcio who is required to walk into the heart of the action with no protection, no back up and no idea why he has been summoned.
Even after speaking with a nervous terrorist Scamarcio is unclear exactly what is expected of him – he does know that his own unique background (a cop with mafia connections) is the reason he was sought out.
Scamarcio is set a challenge, recover a box from a garden far from where the action is taking place then come back and speak with the terrorist again. Not easy – as soon as he leaves the scene of the siege Scamarcio is expected to update his colleagues but he is not to speak of the task he has been set and to share the detail means he will not have the chance to get to that garden…he needs to escape from the police and go it alone.
The situation in Rome is critical and Scamarcio is racing against time to meet the deadline he has been set – if he fails then innocent lives will be lost. The challenges he faces will put him in peril more than once, he cannot trust anyone and it seems the terrorists may also be pawns in a more deadly game. You need to keep your wits about you whilst reading The Extremist, it gets twisty.
The Extremist is the fourth Leone Scamarcio thriller. Do you need to have read the earlier novels? Nope….but there is a lot going on in The Extremist and I suspect that returning readers will get great enjoyment from seeing how the characters move on while new readers get a high tempo adventure.
I usually have three or more books on the go at one time, while reading The Extremist I only wanted to focus on this one story. It is fast and furious and with many of the characters not being open with Scamarcio and playing their own game it needed my full attention to ensure I was keeping up with events.
I do enjoy when I can get my teeth into a gripping tale, when characters will have me questioning their motives and especially when I cannot predict where a story is heading. The Extremist was an intense read but I was hooked so I am happy.
Even after speaking with a nervous terrorist Scamarcio is unclear exactly what is expected of him – he does know that his own unique background (a cop with mafia connections) is the reason he was sought out.
Scamarcio is set a challenge, recover a box from a garden far from where the action is taking place then come back and speak with the terrorist again. Not easy – as soon as he leaves the scene of the siege Scamarcio is expected to update his colleagues but he is not to speak of the task he has been set and to share the detail means he will not have the chance to get to that garden…he needs to escape from the police and go it alone.
The situation in Rome is critical and Scamarcio is racing against time to meet the deadline he has been set – if he fails then innocent lives will be lost. The challenges he faces will put him in peril more than once, he cannot trust anyone and it seems the terrorists may also be pawns in a more deadly game. You need to keep your wits about you whilst reading The Extremist, it gets twisty.
The Extremist is the fourth Leone Scamarcio thriller. Do you need to have read the earlier novels? Nope….but there is a lot going on in The Extremist and I suspect that returning readers will get great enjoyment from seeing how the characters move on while new readers get a high tempo adventure.
I usually have three or more books on the go at one time, while reading The Extremist I only wanted to focus on this one story. It is fast and furious and with many of the characters not being open with Scamarcio and playing their own game it needed my full attention to ensure I was keeping up with events.
I do enjoy when I can get my teeth into a gripping tale, when characters will have me questioning their motives and especially when I cannot predict where a story is heading. The Extremist was an intense read but I was hooked so I am happy.
January 28, 2018
I loved this! Fast paced and gripping. Highly recommended!
April 17, 2024
Ik weet niet meer hoe ik aan dit boek kom. Klassiek heldhaftig detective verhaal. Vermakelijk en leuk in Italië.
April 11, 2018
The Extremist, written by Nadia Dalbuno, begins with a group of terrorists breaking into three separate areas in Rome and gathering hostages: a McDonalds, a children’s nursery and a bar. The negotiators soon find out that the extremists are only willing to talk to one man: Detective Scamarcio. This is a complete surprise to Scamarico because he works in the Rome Flying Squad, which has nothing to do with terrorism. One of the terrorists explains to Scamarcio that there are only two ways this day will end: either thousands of people die or Scamarcio helps them without involving any of the police force or security services.
Although this is the fourth book in the Detective Scamarcio series, each of them works perfectly well as stand-alone novels. I haven’t read any of the others yet but am now really interested in reading them. In a similar way to Agatha Christie’s books, I imagine that although there is an order it only reflects the order in the detectives life and doesn’t have any relation to the mystery.
Scamarico initially sets off alone on this mission but ends up enlisting the help of some rather unusual friends including a very enthusiastic journalist, a hippie ex-intelligence employee and gang leader. One key theme throughout the book (although it was fiction) was its realism. Scamarico was an incredibly believable character: he made some bad decisions, he struggled to work out the clues and he was disadvantaged in his career instantly because of his family relations (his father was a high up member of the Mafia).
Throughout the book I was constantly on my toes: I was confused as to which characters were on the good or bad side and also what the line was between good and bad was because it became extremely blurred. Dalbuono’s descriptions of the violence were extremely vivid and there were mentally torturous parts, which made me feel physically sick. The story was also very thought provoking and conspiracy theories concerning terrorist were discussed at length.
I am SO angry at the ending because it wasn’t an ending. It felt like the author had decided to stop writing in the middle of a story. I know that’s the way Dalbuono of encouraging me to buy the next book but it left this one feeling unfinished. I do like a good cliffhanger but this felt too abrupt and it didn’t feel like a satisfying ending.
Usually I am not a big crime reader, I normally prefer high fantasy novels, but Dalbuono’s writing and story telling ability had me hooked (I ended up finishing the book in a day). If it hadn’t been for the ending this book would easily have received a 5 star rating but the ending has left me feeling irritated that I didn’t get many answers so I give this book a 4 star rating. Even though I was irritated with the ending I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers or loves a good conspiracy theory.
Although this is the fourth book in the Detective Scamarcio series, each of them works perfectly well as stand-alone novels. I haven’t read any of the others yet but am now really interested in reading them. In a similar way to Agatha Christie’s books, I imagine that although there is an order it only reflects the order in the detectives life and doesn’t have any relation to the mystery.
Scamarico initially sets off alone on this mission but ends up enlisting the help of some rather unusual friends including a very enthusiastic journalist, a hippie ex-intelligence employee and gang leader. One key theme throughout the book (although it was fiction) was its realism. Scamarico was an incredibly believable character: he made some bad decisions, he struggled to work out the clues and he was disadvantaged in his career instantly because of his family relations (his father was a high up member of the Mafia).
Throughout the book I was constantly on my toes: I was confused as to which characters were on the good or bad side and also what the line was between good and bad was because it became extremely blurred. Dalbuono’s descriptions of the violence were extremely vivid and there were mentally torturous parts, which made me feel physically sick. The story was also very thought provoking and conspiracy theories concerning terrorist were discussed at length.
I am SO angry at the ending because it wasn’t an ending. It felt like the author had decided to stop writing in the middle of a story. I know that’s the way Dalbuono of encouraging me to buy the next book but it left this one feeling unfinished. I do like a good cliffhanger but this felt too abrupt and it didn’t feel like a satisfying ending.
Usually I am not a big crime reader, I normally prefer high fantasy novels, but Dalbuono’s writing and story telling ability had me hooked (I ended up finishing the book in a day). If it hadn’t been for the ending this book would easily have received a 5 star rating but the ending has left me feeling irritated that I didn’t get many answers so I give this book a 4 star rating. Even though I was irritated with the ending I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers or loves a good conspiracy theory.
June 17, 2022
Nadia Dalbuono has to be one of the most under-appreciated authors of cop novels in existence. I have read all five of her Leone Scamarcio thrillers and they are exceptional. The Extremist has Scamarcio battling the combined Intelligence agencies of Italy, the U.S. and the U.K. to prevent a mass terrorist attack in Rome. It's a great story with colorful characters, turgid settings and a roaring plot. Dalbuono is simply a terrific storyteller. Her Scamarcio novels would make a compelling TV series. Please, please Nadia, show no mercy and write some more Scamarcio thrillers.
Steele Curry
Steele Curry
October 22, 2020
Roman noir?
Leone Scamarcio leads us on a rush through the murky world of international terrorism where perhaps the terrorists are not the real villains. The old usual suspects are lurking in the background; making Leone's quest that much harder!
A really fast-paced page turner, recommended!
Stay safe,
Peter
Leone Scamarcio leads us on a rush through the murky world of international terrorism where perhaps the terrorists are not the real villains. The old usual suspects are lurking in the background; making Leone's quest that much harder!
A really fast-paced page turner, recommended!
Stay safe,
Peter
June 29, 2018
I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway.
I found this book to be a real page turner, a highly entertaining thriller set in Italy featuring a policeman trying to prevent a terrorist attack escalating by retrieving evidence of a conspiracy for one of the terrorists. There was never really a dull moment in the book.
This is apparently the 4th novel in the series and having read none of the others (a fact I am going to rectify as soon as possible) I can honestly say that nothing in this book relied on me knowing what had happened in any of the other ones so can highly recommend it to anyone.
I found this book to be a real page turner, a highly entertaining thriller set in Italy featuring a policeman trying to prevent a terrorist attack escalating by retrieving evidence of a conspiracy for one of the terrorists. There was never really a dull moment in the book.
This is apparently the 4th novel in the series and having read none of the others (a fact I am going to rectify as soon as possible) I can honestly say that nothing in this book relied on me knowing what had happened in any of the other ones so can highly recommend it to anyone.
December 22, 2023
Wow! What a rollercoaster ride. Action-packed and intriguing all the way. I read this in basically one sitting and loved every minute. It's been a while since I read the previous books in the series, but this book stands on its own, and while knowing the backstory helps, it isn't essential.
January 28, 2019
A plot as heavy as cheddar cheese! Too many characters a lag in continuity and a struggle to read . I’ve read all the scamarcio ‘thrillers ‘ and there sillier with each outing !
August 6, 2020
Another good read in this series. Happy to be taken to Roma and beyond with Scamarcio..is there another coming out ?
March 3, 2022
Just what you expect from Nadia Dalbuono's Detective Scamarcio series. Utterly gripping, detailed story with twists and turns around Italy's capital. If you loved the others you will love this.
October 27, 2024
I couldn’t put it down. Enjoyed everything, the twists and turns, the numerous characters, the conspiracies, everything. I definitely will be reading the previous books in this series.
January 15, 2021
I was hesitant to pick up this book because I knew it was a part of a series. Unfortunately, it didn’t do well as a stand alone book for me. I wasn’t attached or accustomed to the main character and therefore the plot didn’t stick for me. I forced myself to get through it. I fully blame myself for not being able to like this book more and won’t make the same mistake with other series in the future.
Read
July 24, 2018ok, se fosse scritto in italiano avrebbe molto più senso...
Read
February 9, 2019Tied up all the loose ends but was a bit hard to follow with all the toing and froing in the end. He must have travelled great distances in between his various captivities.
Frenetic activity, frantic meetings with people who were home when he rang and why the hell didn't he check his shoe earlier!
Frenetic activity, frantic meetings with people who were home when he rang and why the hell didn't he check his shoe earlier!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews