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Nic Costa #7
The Dante Killings
On a warm, golden evening in Rome, celebrities and paparazzi gather at the Villa Borghese as a legendary director premieres his long-anticipated film version of Dante’s Inferno. But minutes later the scene is A man lies dead, the film’s star is missing, and a priceless relic has vanished.
As the premiere shifts locations—from Rome to San Francisco—detective Nic Costa finds himself on U.S. shores for the first time, charged with protecting a trove of rare Italian artworks and artifacts, as well as an American film actress, Maggie Flavier. When a killer indeed strikes, and with Flavier in danger, Costa races to unravel the chilling clues that connect Dante’s nine circles of Hell to the shattering revelations of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. But he may be too late. For a cunning plot is closing in around Costa, guided by a poet’s ancient vision of sin and punishment and a killer’s genius for terror.
Previously published as Dante's Numbers.
As the premiere shifts locations—from Rome to San Francisco—detective Nic Costa finds himself on U.S. shores for the first time, charged with protecting a trove of rare Italian artworks and artifacts, as well as an American film actress, Maggie Flavier. When a killer indeed strikes, and with Flavier in danger, Costa races to unravel the chilling clues that connect Dante’s nine circles of Hell to the shattering revelations of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. But he may be too late. For a cunning plot is closing in around Costa, guided by a poet’s ancient vision of sin and punishment and a killer’s genius for terror.
Previously published as Dante's Numbers.
544 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 23, 2008
44 people are currently reading
637 people want to read
About the author
David Hewson
111 books520 followersDAVID HEWSON was born in Yorkshire in 1953. His books range from the Nic Costa series set in Italy to adaptations of The Killing in Copenhagen and the Pieter Vos series in Amsterdam.
He's adapted Shakespeare for Audible and in 2018 won the Audie for best original work for Romeo and Juliet: A Novel, narrated by Richard Armitage.
2019 sees the release of a new, full-cast Audible drama set in New York, Last Seen Wearing, and a standalone novel set in the Faroe Islands, Devil's Fjord.
Series:
Nic Costa
Pieter Vos
The Killing
He's adapted Shakespeare for Audible and in 2018 won the Audie for best original work for Romeo and Juliet: A Novel, narrated by Richard Armitage.
2019 sees the release of a new, full-cast Audible drama set in New York, Last Seen Wearing, and a standalone novel set in the Faroe Islands, Devil's Fjord.
Series:
Nic Costa
Pieter Vos
The Killing
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
May 13, 2021
The older I get, the faster time seems to move. I just finished book 7 in author DAVID HEWSON’s police procedural series featuring Roman police detective, Nic Costa. The book is THE DANTE KILLINGS and it is set in Rome, Italy and San Francisco, California (on the west coast of the United States).
The storyline involves a series of murders around the premiere of a movie based on the first part of The Divine Comedy by the fourteenth century Italian poet (known by his first name), Dante Alighieri. The movie is called Inferno not to be confused with the movie based on Dan Brown’s book with the same title.
When I began the book, I thought the name Nic Costa was familiar. Turns out I had read and reviewed book one in the series, A SEASON FOR THE DEAD, two years ago. I thought it was last month! A lot has happened between book one and book seven. That means I have a lot of catching up to do.
In addition to Nic, Leo Falcone (his boss), Gianni Peroni and Teresa Lupo (forensic expert) represent the State Police of Italy. Maresciallo (Marshall) Gianluca Quattrocchi represents the Italian Carabinieri bitter rivals of the State Police. Captain Catherine Bianchi is the main representative of the San Francisco Police Department.
Roberto Tonti is the director of the movie and the producer is Dino Bonetti. Both are Italian but the former lives in San Francisco. They both have ties to the criminal side of Italian society.
Simon Harvey is the prototypical movie publicist. Maggie Flavier is the French born, now American, leading lady in the film. She lives in San Francisco. Allan Prime is the leading man in the film. Carlotta Valdes is a woman of mystery who appears in Rome and San Francisco. Bodoni is a horse mounted Carabinieri officer in the opening chapters of the book.
Tom Black and Josh Jonah are young American paper-billionaire techies who are investors in the movie. Hank and Frank Boynton are 60-year-old bachelor twins and retired San Francisco firefighters who befriend Teresa when the setting moves from the Eternal City (Rome) to the City by the Bay (San Francisco).
There are several murders of people close to the film. Who is the murderer and what is the motive are the questions that Nic, Leo, Gianni and Teresa must figure out. Adding to the intrigue are references to director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s thriller movie, Vertigo. Tonti had served as a minor technician on that film to begin his career.
The story has romance (Leo/Catherine; Nic/Maggie). There are seven or so dead people with ties to the movie. The author does a wonderful job in setting and describing the various scenes in the book. The dialogue is crisp. The characters are strong. The readers will learn about “tontines” sort of like a Ponzi scheme.
Fans of movie history, international mysteries and police procedurals will enjoy this Nic Costa mystery. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!
The storyline involves a series of murders around the premiere of a movie based on the first part of The Divine Comedy by the fourteenth century Italian poet (known by his first name), Dante Alighieri. The movie is called Inferno not to be confused with the movie based on Dan Brown’s book with the same title.
When I began the book, I thought the name Nic Costa was familiar. Turns out I had read and reviewed book one in the series, A SEASON FOR THE DEAD, two years ago. I thought it was last month! A lot has happened between book one and book seven. That means I have a lot of catching up to do.
In addition to Nic, Leo Falcone (his boss), Gianni Peroni and Teresa Lupo (forensic expert) represent the State Police of Italy. Maresciallo (Marshall) Gianluca Quattrocchi represents the Italian Carabinieri bitter rivals of the State Police. Captain Catherine Bianchi is the main representative of the San Francisco Police Department.
Roberto Tonti is the director of the movie and the producer is Dino Bonetti. Both are Italian but the former lives in San Francisco. They both have ties to the criminal side of Italian society.
Simon Harvey is the prototypical movie publicist. Maggie Flavier is the French born, now American, leading lady in the film. She lives in San Francisco. Allan Prime is the leading man in the film. Carlotta Valdes is a woman of mystery who appears in Rome and San Francisco. Bodoni is a horse mounted Carabinieri officer in the opening chapters of the book.
Tom Black and Josh Jonah are young American paper-billionaire techies who are investors in the movie. Hank and Frank Boynton are 60-year-old bachelor twins and retired San Francisco firefighters who befriend Teresa when the setting moves from the Eternal City (Rome) to the City by the Bay (San Francisco).
There are several murders of people close to the film. Who is the murderer and what is the motive are the questions that Nic, Leo, Gianni and Teresa must figure out. Adding to the intrigue are references to director Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s thriller movie, Vertigo. Tonti had served as a minor technician on that film to begin his career.
The story has romance (Leo/Catherine; Nic/Maggie). There are seven or so dead people with ties to the movie. The author does a wonderful job in setting and describing the various scenes in the book. The dialogue is crisp. The characters are strong. The readers will learn about “tontines” sort of like a Ponzi scheme.
Fans of movie history, international mysteries and police procedurals will enjoy this Nic Costa mystery. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
GO! BUY! READ!
April 15, 2018
"Directors win Oscars, " Costa (Nic Costa, the central character/detective) said. "Producers don't win anything." That's not true, and therefore a central premise for revenge and murder goes out the window. (The producer of a film is presented with the Oscar for Best Picture and David Hewson should know this. Now, perhaps, Nic Costa might not know it, but still. And anyway, why would Italiain film-makers be upset about the American Oscars?) And who in their right mind is going to spend $150 million on a film of Dante's "Divine Comedy" in this century? Maybe in the 1950s and 1960s, when epic religious films were huge hits. And the author tells us the film version of Dante's work here is entitled "Inferno." Hewson also tells us the film is controversial, but not once does he tell us why, nor does he tell us anything about the film itself. Oh, and things get worse. The American premiere is going to be in a big tent in San Francisco! What, no theatres? Hewson also builds a series of tents that get larger and larger, each with museum-type exhibit related to Dante. That set piece is right out of Dan Simmon's "The Terror" in which a series of tents are built by stranded sailors for entertainment. Hewson goes to a lot of trouble to get the premiere moved to San Francisco, to have all these tents built, and some editor no doubt says, "Ummm...David...sorry...you can't use that as your epic grand finale, Simmons did this same scene in "The Terror" (and he did it spectacularly). So Hewson throws in a last minute character out of nowhere to come up with a different ending. This book is a total, absolutely mess. I've read the first seven in this series. The characters are great. Rome and the Italian countryside are fantastic. But Hewson totally blows this one to bits. Why, he even tries to compare Hitchcock's film "Vertigo" to Dante's poem. Why? I recommend you skip this one and move on to the 8th in the series if you're reading them straight through. I might read the next one, but it's going to take a while to get past this stinker. Hewson, Delacorte Press, and everyone associated with this one is to blame for a pointless publication. Oh, and why is Bosch used to illustrate the cover instead of Gustave Dore, whose set of illustrations for several editions of "Divine Comedy" are sensational? I'll take a guess: Dore's estate wanted nothing to do with this tragic tragedy of a book.
August 26, 2012
This book had a name change- it was originally published as Dante's Numbers but now goes by the name of The Dante Killings. I picked it for my little mystery group and, as it turns out, I am the only one of the group who read it. I would have liked to have someone to bounce ideas and opinions around with... because, frankly, I found this book confusing and annoying and thrilling and clever and frustrating as hell.
I had a great deal of difficulty getting into the story. I had to re-read passages because I had no idea what was going on. I don't know if it was because of the Roman locale or because of something else. I did not realize that this was #7 in a series- perhaps I was missing vital storyline from prior books that would have made this one more enjoyable. Regardless, had I not been reading for my group discussion, I probably would have tossed it after 100 pages.
However, despite my initial dislike of the book, from a theory of one of the characters there came one of those fabulous and juicy "Holy Crap!" moments. From that point on, the story moved with the intensity of a Category 5 hurricane. The action was fast and furious and I could not have put the book down if I had wanted to. The twists and turns were way too fascinating and required every ounce of focus I possessed.
But then... the climax occurred (lots of thrills and chills and horror and stuff) and the book abruptly ended. I mean BOOM- the door has been shut in my face, the curtain has closed, good night and go home. I tried to thumb through the back cover, positive that there must be one more chapter somewhere. But, no, there was nothing else. I felt a bit cheated for a while until it dawned on me that the author left the details for me to suss out on my own. So I suppose I'll have to think about it for a while and come up with suitable disposition for everyone involved.
Or maybe I'll just read the next one in the series...
I had a great deal of difficulty getting into the story. I had to re-read passages because I had no idea what was going on. I don't know if it was because of the Roman locale or because of something else. I did not realize that this was #7 in a series- perhaps I was missing vital storyline from prior books that would have made this one more enjoyable. Regardless, had I not been reading for my group discussion, I probably would have tossed it after 100 pages.
However, despite my initial dislike of the book, from a theory of one of the characters there came one of those fabulous and juicy "Holy Crap!" moments. From that point on, the story moved with the intensity of a Category 5 hurricane. The action was fast and furious and I could not have put the book down if I had wanted to. The twists and turns were way too fascinating and required every ounce of focus I possessed.
But then... the climax occurred (lots of thrills and chills and horror and stuff) and the book abruptly ended. I mean BOOM- the door has been shut in my face, the curtain has closed, good night and go home. I tried to thumb through the back cover, positive that there must be one more chapter somewhere. But, no, there was nothing else. I felt a bit cheated for a while until it dawned on me that the author left the details for me to suss out on my own. So I suppose I'll have to think about it for a while and come up with suitable disposition for everyone involved.
Or maybe I'll just read the next one in the series...
January 6, 2018
I would give this book 4,5/5 stars if possible, but as it's not, 4 it is.
Why 4,5? I ended up scoring each of the seven parts of the book separately, and then divided it by 7.
I really enjoyed this book. It's not my preferred genre, and yet it sucked me in completely and I flew through it. I haven't read any of the other Nic Costa novels, and while they make a few references to them, this one at least works like a perfect stand alone. Even without lengthy introductions to the regular characters you feel connected to them in no time, and their personalities are very well defined.
My favorite character was Teresa, by far. Her determination to figure out the case and her refusal to take any bullshit from the men was a blast to read. Then come the twins: Hank and Frank. Initially I was suspicious about them, but I was very glad to be proven wrong.
In terms of plot it was quite surprising. It was obvious (to me) about a few characters who were sketchy and definitely involved, but near the end Hewson throws a few plot twists at you that turns the entire story upside down. I was glad I was at least right to not trust that particular character! Yes, the whole motivation was a bit cliché, but I can overlook that because it was just brilliantly done.
The only downside of this book (besides some terrible editing issues in the Dutch translation) was the romantic subplot. In my opinion that wasn't even remotely necessary and it just annoyed me immensely, and part 3 isn't as great as the others. The ending is also really abrupt, but I'm not sure yet if I mind that all too much.
All in all I would definitely recommend this, unless you want to be spoiled for the movie Vertigo from Hitchcock. Then you should probably watch that first, as the movie is quite important in the book.
Why 4,5? I ended up scoring each of the seven parts of the book separately, and then divided it by 7.
I really enjoyed this book. It's not my preferred genre, and yet it sucked me in completely and I flew through it. I haven't read any of the other Nic Costa novels, and while they make a few references to them, this one at least works like a perfect stand alone. Even without lengthy introductions to the regular characters you feel connected to them in no time, and their personalities are very well defined.
My favorite character was Teresa, by far. Her determination to figure out the case and her refusal to take any bullshit from the men was a blast to read. Then come the twins: Hank and Frank. Initially I was suspicious about them, but I was very glad to be proven wrong.
In terms of plot it was quite surprising. It was obvious (to me) about a few characters who were sketchy and definitely involved, but near the end Hewson throws a few plot twists at you that turns the entire story upside down. I was glad I was at least right to not trust that particular character! Yes, the whole motivation was a bit cliché, but I can overlook that because it was just brilliantly done.
The only downside of this book (besides some terrible editing issues in the Dutch translation) was the romantic subplot. In my opinion that wasn't even remotely necessary and it just annoyed me immensely, and part 3 isn't as great as the others. The ending is also really abrupt, but I'm not sure yet if I mind that all too much.
All in all I would definitely recommend this, unless you want to be spoiled for the movie Vertigo from Hitchcock. Then you should probably watch that first, as the movie is quite important in the book.
February 9, 2015
Dante’s Numbers, the seventh in David Hewson’s series featuring Rome detective, Nic Costa and his colleagues, takes us to San Francisco and a story involving a mega-movie based on Dante’s Inferno. I must admit I miss the Rome and Venice settings I associate with these characters, but Hewson, as usual, takes us on a wild ride, full of more twists and turns than the Amalfi Drive, and finishes up with one of his usual shocker endings.
These books are so cinematic that I wonder why they haven’t yet appeared as a movie or a mini-series. As always Hewson’s writing is compelling and literate (although as a minor quibble, using “apostrophe” three times in one book to describe something having nothing to do with grammar is a bit of over-kill).
I give this book full points as a hard-to-put-down read. However I must caution that the e-book version is full of misprints of the kind that slow the reader down significantly. Words are frequently run together, “hangerson”, “tonow”, “friendlylocal”, “triedtoimagine”. These four examples may be found in just five successive pages. Similar ones occur through-out the book in the Amazon Kindle version. I am quite sure they didn’t originate with the literate Mr. Hewson. Some copy editor somewhere didn’t earn his/her pay. MacMillan, please take note.
These books are so cinematic that I wonder why they haven’t yet appeared as a movie or a mini-series. As always Hewson’s writing is compelling and literate (although as a minor quibble, using “apostrophe” three times in one book to describe something having nothing to do with grammar is a bit of over-kill).
I give this book full points as a hard-to-put-down read. However I must caution that the e-book version is full of misprints of the kind that slow the reader down significantly. Words are frequently run together, “hangerson”, “tonow”, “friendlylocal”, “triedtoimagine”. These four examples may be found in just five successive pages. Similar ones occur through-out the book in the Amazon Kindle version. I am quite sure they didn’t originate with the literate Mr. Hewson. Some copy editor somewhere didn’t earn his/her pay. MacMillan, please take note.
August 4, 2012
This book and its characters just didn't really grab me and I didn't finish it. It wasn't a bad story, in fact it was a pretty decent murder mystery, so it may just not have been the right book for me, but by half-way through when I realized I was forcing myself to read it, I decided to send it back to the library and move on to the next book on my list.
The premise of murders based on Dante's circles of hell from the Divina Commedia was very intriguing, but the plot dragged a bit for me in the set up, the development seemed slow to me and allowed me to get distracted, and the conflict the author creates between various law enforcement teams involved - some from America and others from Italy - really didn't add anything to the story for me and seemed unnecessarily irritating
The premise of murders based on Dante's circles of hell from the Divina Commedia was very intriguing, but the plot dragged a bit for me in the set up, the development seemed slow to me and allowed me to get distracted, and the conflict the author creates between various law enforcement teams involved - some from America and others from Italy - really didn't add anything to the story for me and seemed unnecessarily irritating
July 28, 2014
This is kind of weird...it starts boring...get better in the middle...but then gets boring again...and I would say...not really surprising and even cliche for some of the situations...
To be honest...I just start reading it because I had finished Dan Brown's Inferno and this book was about Dante as well...if you can figure out...it took me forever to finish it because I just choose to read other books and leave this unattended...but...I had to finish it...the ending wasn't what I expected...It feel kind of dull...wouldn't recommend its reading...go better find something else...
To be honest...I just start reading it because I had finished Dan Brown's Inferno and this book was about Dante as well...if you can figure out...it took me forever to finish it because I just choose to read other books and leave this unattended...but...I had to finish it...the ending wasn't what I expected...It feel kind of dull...wouldn't recommend its reading...go better find something else...
July 31, 2021
Volgens de marketing is deze schrijver belangrijk en zou dit boek de moeite lonen. Dat klopt niet. Het is behoorlijk slecht geschreven. 'Deze schrijver schuwt het cliché niet', om terug te koppelen naar de marketing. Er zit weliswaar een zekere spanning in het boek maar dat belet niet dat het verveelt. De vertaling bevat bovendien talrijke fouten. Heeft deze uitgever geen redacteurs? Voor mij dus geen David Hewson meer.
November 17, 2011
I wonder what it is in the human character that we are drawn to parallels, to plans, to revelations of hidden congruence and sympathy? Nowhere can it be better manifested than in religion, but number two has got to be The Serial Killer With A Plan. He's alphabetic! He's calendrical! Every serial killer in this genre has a system, and the book is basically the necessary artifact to present the cleverness of the plan to the public.
In "Dante's Numbers", the killer's thematic inspiration is a parallel drawn between a Hitchcock movie and Dante's Inferno. All this is set against the opening of a movie adaptation of Dante's Inferno, the competing investigations of the Italian military police (carabinieri) and civilian police (the protagonists), and the cast and crew of the movie. A high concept, indeed, but oh how slowly it is developed. My pulse was not elevated, the characters failed to engage me, and I remained uninterested. I will not be chasing more Mr Hewson novels, even if the killer has a plan drawn from the hidden parallels between attendees at the Last Supper, the timing of the Euro bailout, and the use of the flattened fifth in popular music played on the electric guitar and it's nothing but supermodels and astronauts being killed.
In "Dante's Numbers", the killer's thematic inspiration is a parallel drawn between a Hitchcock movie and Dante's Inferno. All this is set against the opening of a movie adaptation of Dante's Inferno, the competing investigations of the Italian military police (carabinieri) and civilian police (the protagonists), and the cast and crew of the movie. A high concept, indeed, but oh how slowly it is developed. My pulse was not elevated, the characters failed to engage me, and I remained uninterested. I will not be chasing more Mr Hewson novels, even if the killer has a plan drawn from the hidden parallels between attendees at the Last Supper, the timing of the Euro bailout, and the use of the flattened fifth in popular music played on the electric guitar and it's nothing but supermodels and astronauts being killed.
March 11, 2012
I have read all Hewson's books in this series to date. My issue is that I LOVE the cast of main characters and love all books centered in Italy. The problem is that David Hewson's plots are so convoluted that over the course of reading the books, I've simply grown weary of plowing my way thru the maze. It sometimes seems as though there is a hugh stretch to make the story connect with some of the characters he introduces.......like 'hank and frank' in this 7th book. They were a pleasant diversion and Hewson ended up logically connecting them to the story but it seemed for awhile that they were just interjected into the story and eventually a way was devised to tie them into the plot.
I need to take a break from Nic Costa and his cohorts even though I love each and every one of them
I need to take a break from Nic Costa and his cohorts even though I love each and every one of them
August 22, 2009
This is the second of David Hewson's books that I've read and it was, far and away, dramatically inferior. I read the summary on the cover and it sounded interesting--a movie based on Dante's Inferno, a murder, mystery. It turned into a story about characters infatuated with Dante and Hitchcock's Vertigo. Huh? I couldn't believe it but that's what it really was about. I had such high hopes that were drowned in the bay.
October 3, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, the first I've read by David Hewson. Realized a little way through that I was reading a series out of order but that didn't impinge on my appreciation of the stories and the characters, who are all completely convincing. The sense of place is terrific, taking us from Rome to San Francisco and the mystery at the heart of the story is deeply satisfying.
May 26, 2009
The characters did not have any redeeming features and the story didn't make sense. Couldn't finish.
July 22, 2012
This was not a good book. It seemed like a contractual obligation piece. Meh.
June 3, 2015
Boring. Not nearly as good as the other books in the series. Shame really as I loved the characters but this story was lacklustre and full.
February 3, 2015
it was OK, might read more by him. Generic detective fiction stuff set in San Francisco and Italy
June 17, 2022
4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
In dit genre een van de betere boeken. Dus als je hiervan houdt lezen!
Het verhaal bevat voor Hewson-begrippen weer nieuwe elementen zoals dat hij de stad Rome even achter zich laat laat.
Het heeft het startschot in Rome als het politie-team waar Nic Costa aan deel neemt 'n film-premiere moet beveiligen.al gauw slaat deze beveiligingsklus om in 'n drama waarbij doden vallen. als gevolg hiervan gaat het team de grote oceaan over om zich tijdelijk te vestigen in San Fransisco waar de Amerikaanse primiere plaats vind.
Dit is ook de kern van dit boek, het gaat over de Amerikaanse filmindustrie, de strijd tussen twee Romeinse politiekorpsen, persoonlijke duivels, vriendschap en het hypen van 'n bij voorbaat geflopte film.
Pas als de zaak opgelost is en het team terug wil naar Rome komt pas de echte ontknoping. Haha, ja toch terug naar Rome, met zijn warme deken en lekkere pizza- geuren, die zijn evenknie heeft in de film "Psyho".
Met al deze gegevens weet Hewson zijn beste boek neer te zetten. o ja, omdat ik het verhaal ingetrokken werd heb ik Rome totaal niet gemist. Tenminste dan in het middenstuk van het verhaal. Het slot accoord was toch in Rome.
Op naar de volgend Hewson.
In dit genre een van de betere boeken. Dus als je hiervan houdt lezen!
Het verhaal bevat voor Hewson-begrippen weer nieuwe elementen zoals dat hij de stad Rome even achter zich laat laat.
Het heeft het startschot in Rome als het politie-team waar Nic Costa aan deel neemt 'n film-premiere moet beveiligen.al gauw slaat deze beveiligingsklus om in 'n drama waarbij doden vallen. als gevolg hiervan gaat het team de grote oceaan over om zich tijdelijk te vestigen in San Fransisco waar de Amerikaanse primiere plaats vind.
Dit is ook de kern van dit boek, het gaat over de Amerikaanse filmindustrie, de strijd tussen twee Romeinse politiekorpsen, persoonlijke duivels, vriendschap en het hypen van 'n bij voorbaat geflopte film.
Pas als de zaak opgelost is en het team terug wil naar Rome komt pas de echte ontknoping. Haha, ja toch terug naar Rome, met zijn warme deken en lekkere pizza- geuren, die zijn evenknie heeft in de film "Psyho".
Met al deze gegevens weet Hewson zijn beste boek neer te zetten. o ja, omdat ik het verhaal ingetrokken werd heb ik Rome totaal niet gemist. Tenminste dan in het middenstuk van het verhaal. Het slot accoord was toch in Rome.
Op naar de volgend Hewson.
May 18, 2024
I love that series but this one was not as satisfactory as the previous instalments.
This time, Costa, Peroni, Falcone and the formidable Theresa are sent to San Francisco to assure the security of some artefacts lent to a US museum in order to offer an extra bit of Dante to go with the premiere of a film made by some shady character that causes many deaths along the way.
I was irked at the way Costa let himself be enchanted by some insipid actress who happens to be the reason for many of the bad turns of the intrigue. I suppose that my disappointment has been a mix of the gang going out of Italy and the whole gun loving vibe that it brought along.
The ending was also a bit weird, as if the author had suddenly decided to do what many Nordic authors do by having an ending that opens the door for the next instalment.
This time, Costa, Peroni, Falcone and the formidable Theresa are sent to San Francisco to assure the security of some artefacts lent to a US museum in order to offer an extra bit of Dante to go with the premiere of a film made by some shady character that causes many deaths along the way.
I was irked at the way Costa let himself be enchanted by some insipid actress who happens to be the reason for many of the bad turns of the intrigue. I suppose that my disappointment has been a mix of the gang going out of Italy and the whole gun loving vibe that it brought along.
The ending was also a bit weird, as if the author had suddenly decided to do what many Nordic authors do by having an ending that opens the door for the next instalment.
December 25, 2022
I enjoyed the start of this book but then felt I got lost in the middle
I don’t think it helped that it is the 7th in a series and the first book I had read so I was missing the characters backgrounds .
I found a couple of themes overlapped with previous books I had read ( although to be fair this book came first which is why I am giving a 4 not a 3 ) one being Dan Browns inferno and the internet countdown from a chris Carter book .
The Dante theme got a bit muddled . I do now feel I need to watch Vertigo .
I may read other books by this author
I don’t think it helped that it is the 7th in a series and the first book I had read so I was missing the characters backgrounds .
I found a couple of themes overlapped with previous books I had read ( although to be fair this book came first which is why I am giving a 4 not a 3 ) one being Dan Browns inferno and the internet countdown from a chris Carter book .
The Dante theme got a bit muddled . I do now feel I need to watch Vertigo .
I may read other books by this author
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2022
A bit more Hollywood in this novel than in previous one sin the 'series'. Written around Dante's Inferno it draws an interesting parallel with Hitchcock's Vertigo to bring the table into th realm of movies and transfers smoothly although tenuously, from Rome to San Fransisco. Bringing Nic Costa forward compared to Falcone in this novel doesn't detract from the tale, and this is therefore a little less 'tidy' than usual
Decent enough; I have enjoyed the other tales more.
Decent enough; I have enjoyed the other tales more.
December 3, 2017
Another gripping tale from David Hewson, lots of twists and turns in this story which starts out in Italy and crosses the Atlantic to California. As the bodies piled up it kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing "whodunnit", almost until the end, a long read but a good one!
April 27, 2019
Fast paced with Falcone’s team leaving Rome for San Francisco. Falcone’s team is to guard Italian artifacts that are going to be used in a movie. Not only do they guard the artifacts, but they get involved in murders of people involved in the film.
April 21, 2019
Leuk plot ongeloofwaardig verhaal. wel lekker spannend
October 9, 2019
Couldn't see this one through - not many I can't finish but this was boring me on page 1. Kept trying but gave up after page 20.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
April 3, 2024
When a famed director is set to release his last film, based on Dante’s Inferno, the premiere is disrupted by the online murder of its star and the theft of an ancient death mask, that of Dante himself. The Carabinieri are in charge of the murder investigation, but Falcone and his team are given the task of guarding the remaining artifacts at the new premiere site, San Francisco. Once there, Nic becomes embroiled in the world of Hitchcock’s Vertigo, a film that has more ties to Inferno than it first appears, ties the lead to more mayhem and death….I enjoy the Nic Costa series best when it is situated in Rome, but the occasional trips outside that city are intriguing too. Unfortunately, I lived in San Francisco for many years and the inaccuracies in this book distracted me from the story: for example, one cannot see the downtown skyline with the ocean behind it from above the Haight as the ocean is in the opposite direction, and poison ivy exists on the US East Coast, not in California (where we have poison oak - a minor point, but still). Those annoyances aside, this is a solid entry in the series, while being rather less gory than some of the other novels; I don’t think that one would have to have read the earlier books to enjoy this one, except of course that it is a richer experience if one is already familiar with these characters. Recommended!
January 25, 2012
Zevende deel in de Nic Costa-serie van David Hewson. Hewson schrijft diepgaand, meeslepend en zet menselijke personages neer, die zich ontwikkelen gedurende het boek (en de serie). Dit in tegenstelling tot Dan Brown, die dan ook op bijna alle gebieden (behalve, ten onrechte, populariteit) overklast wordt door Hewson.
Het masker van Dante is een minder deel in de serie. Het verhaal loopt soms wat traag en het einde heeft net iets teveel weg van een deus ex machina. De setting (San Francisco) spreekt mij minder aan dan Rome of Italië, waar de meeste boeken spelen. Ook vind ik het idee van een nieuwe love interest voor Costa, zo snel na de dramatische dood van zijn vrouw nogal geforceerd.
Deze minpunten zorgen voor een beoordeling van vier sterren in plaats van vijf. Het boek is verder namelijk simpelweg enorm goed geschreven.
Het masker van Dante is een minder deel in de serie. Het verhaal loopt soms wat traag en het einde heeft net iets teveel weg van een deus ex machina. De setting (San Francisco) spreekt mij minder aan dan Rome of Italië, waar de meeste boeken spelen. Ook vind ik het idee van een nieuwe love interest voor Costa, zo snel na de dramatische dood van zijn vrouw nogal geforceerd.
Deze minpunten zorgen voor een beoordeling van vier sterren in plaats van vijf. Het boek is verder namelijk simpelweg enorm goed geschreven.
January 25, 2011
In the seventh book in the Nic Costa series, Dante's Numbers is set in Italy and then to San Francisco, California. It all starts with the production of Inferno, a movie based on Dante's poem about hell. For Costa, who's morning the loss of his wife, Emily, they go on an adventure on finding out who kidnapped one of the actors. From there, things goes wrong--he ends up dead. Afterwards, they're in California, when there's multiple attempts to kill one actress, when other murders happen. It's up to them to make the connection to a classic Hitchcock film and who's behind the real mystery of the movie, while Nic falls in love with the leading lady. Lots of drama and intense action.
September 22, 2011
"Niet geschoten is altijd mis." An amusing novel that reads away quite easily, the plot is easy to follow but not too shallow. Unfortunately, the characters (except maybe for Nic Costa and Maggie Flavier) miss any sign of depth and - most frustratingly - the ending is one big deus ex machina. The Dantesk references in the first chapter end abruptly and are not picked up again later, as if they are only there for distraction.
All in all, a nice book for a summer holiday, but not the 'literary pageturner', nor the 'sinister combination of Dante's Divina Comedia and Hitchcock's Vertigo, as advertised on the back cover. Although I definitely want to see that movie now.
All in all, a nice book for a summer holiday, but not the 'literary pageturner', nor the 'sinister combination of Dante's Divina Comedia and Hitchcock's Vertigo, as advertised on the back cover. Although I definitely want to see that movie now.
September 15, 2011
If ever there was a novel that should be written as a film, this should be it. A little tricky to get into I have to admit but soon became a fast-paced novel of the highest degree. The tense relationship between the Italian state police and the military Carabinieri alongside the San Francisco Police Department creates an undertone that adds to the mystery. Thrillers set with a backdrop as a film always lend themselves to intrigue and disguise and this was no exception.
It kept interest throughout but there were some characters and relationships that didn't quite seem to fit in with the overall novel but overall an enjoyable read in the sun this afternoon.
It kept interest throughout but there were some characters and relationships that didn't quite seem to fit in with the overall novel but overall an enjoyable read in the sun this afternoon.
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