Im schwülheißen Sommer in Rom geschehen grausame Morde, die dem Tod von Märtyrern nachempfunden sind. Das unterschiedliche Polizistenduo Luca Rossi (48, ausgebrannt, illusionslos) und Nic Costa (27, naiv, unerfahren) wird auf die Lösung des Falles angesetzt. Bald stellt sich heraus, dass alle Toten eine enge Beziehung zu der schönen und klugen Professorin Sara Farnesse unterhielten. Rossi und Costa stoßen auf die Vergangenheit eines durch Vatikanmauern geschützten Kardinals, der intrigant Korruption unter Gottes Augen betreibt. Hewson lebt seinen Hang zum Makabren aus, lässt auf Nebenschauplätzen jedoch gleichermaßen menschliche Gefühle zu. Eine komplexe Geschichte, die durchgehend spannende Unterhaltung bietet und zugleich zum Nachdenken über Moral und Vergänglichkeit anregt. Der Journalist Hewson (s. zuletzt BA 11/03) plant mit dem römischen Polizisten Costa in Serie zu gehen (D. Leon, M. Dibdin, A. Camilleri lassen grüßen). Breit empfohlen.
Nic Costa Reihe
Diese Serie folgt einem jungen, scharfsinnigen Detektiv, der sich durch die pulsierenden und komplexen Straßen Roms bewegt. Jeder Fall, den er übernimmt, führt ihn tiefer in die verborgene Unterwelt der Stadt und enthüllt deren Geheimnisse und komplizierte kriminelle Netzwerke. Diese Reihe bietet eine fesselnde Erkundung der italienischen Hauptstadt durch die Linse packender Ermittlungen. Es ist eine Reise in die Welt von Gerechtigkeit, menschlicher Natur und dem beständigen Reiz einer der historischsten Städte der Welt.
Empfohlene Lesereihenfolge
Villa der Schatten. Roman
- 446 Seiten
- 16 Lesestunden
Ein Pärchen findet am Tiber eine mysteriöse Tote. Kurz darauf wird ein Mädchen entführt, das der Toten ähnelt. Polizist Mic Costa ermittelt in einem gefährlichen Netz aus Verführung, antiken Ritualen und Mafia-Konflikten, während die Zeit drängt, um das Mädchen zu retten.
The Sacred Cut
- 320 Seiten
- 12 Lesestunden
When Detective Nic Costa arrives on a murder scene, he isn't prepared for what he finds--nor for the ambush that causes his only witness to vanish. As the first murder leads to more grisly slayings, he uncovers a trail of deception that might lead to the U.S. government. Original.
The Lizard's Bite
- 417 Seiten
- 15 Lesestunden
On an August night near Venice, a fire erupts in a glassmaking shop, resulting in two deaths and implicating a wealthy Englishman. Investigators from Rome are assigned to a case that few want solved. In this captivating novel featuring Detective Nic Costa, the author intricately weaves the enchanting essence of Venice with a story of passion, corruption, and betrayal. The Arcangelo family lives on their private island, surrounded by decay and an archaic glass furnace, while their exhibition hall falls into disrepair. As the world encroaches on their isolated life, police boats and vaporetti bring investigators and curious onlookers, including a man intent on acquiring the property. With two family members lost to the fire, the scene is ripe for both mystery and opportunity. Detective Nic Costa, along with his partner, his superior, and a determined pathologist named Teresa Lupo, is determined to uncover the truth. They suspect that Uriel Arcangelo and his wife were murdered, with the predatory Englishman and the family of the murdered woman as potential suspects. Despite pressure to abandon the case, the Roman detectives persist, as a web of desire, death, and deception unfolds, leading to a shocking revelation. This tale is a mesmerizing blend of exquisite writing, vibrant atmosphere, and gripping suspense.
The Seventh Sacrament
- 360 Seiten
- 13 Lesestunden
When a former archaeology professor is released from jail bent upon revenge, Detective Nic Costa of the Rome Questura faces the revival of a cold case which his colleague Inspector Leo Falcone first tackled as a mid-ranking officer years before
The Garden of Evil
- 532 Seiten
- 19 Lesestunden
The sixth novel in Hewson's riveting Italian crime series
The death mask of the poet Dante is to be exhibited at the premiere of a controversial new film, Inferno. But at the grand unveiling this priceless artifact is replaced by a macabre death mask of the film's star, Allan Prime. Nic Costa and his team follow the movie to its next showing in San Francisco where confusing new clues suggest that there is more behind the killing than a crazed Dante fan.
Twenty years ago, a mysterious group called the Blue Demon committed a series of bizarre and ritualistic crimes evoking the legacy of the lost race of the Etruscans, and leaving in their wake a group of dead students, a murdered couple, a cryptic message and a kidnapped child. Now, the leaders of the G8 are descending on Rome for a summit at the Quirinale Palace. But when a politician is found ritually murdered, seemingly by a strange young man dressed as an Etruscan god, detective Nic Costa suspects that the old case was never really solved. The Blue Demon appear to have returned - and planning, under the leadership of the fanatical Andrea Petrakis, to unleash a devastating sequence of attacks on the city. As Costa and his team start to dig deeper into the past, they find that there are still too many unanswered questions – and much more to the history of the Blue Demon than anyone wants to admit...
The Fallen Angel
- 400 Seiten
- 14 Lesestunden
Family tragedy, family legacy, family secrets - Detective Nic Costa faces his hardest case yet.
The Savage Shore
- 288 Seiten
- 11 Lesestunden
Nic Costa has been sent undercover to the Calabrian coast to bring in the head of the feared 'Ndrangheta. But the deception is taking its toll. Out of their depth in a lawless part of Italy, Costa and his team find themselves pitched as much against one another as the mob. Is Nic getting too close to the enemy for comfort?
