As a life-long non-believer, I went into this novel with a slightly jaundiced eye. Familiar with Caldwell’s capable writing from a previous novel and intrigued by the many positive reviews, I nonetheless was wary of the strong religious context of this mystery. Unfamiliar as I am with the history of the Gospels, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I must confess (no pun intended!) that I came away with a more profound appreciation for the history of Christianity and a fair degree of satisfaction […]
Incest, murder and martyrdom in Italy–or is it?
Another in the series with young Roman cop Nic Costa, this one deals with the fall to his death of a man whose teenaged daughter is obsessed with an ancient Italian story from the 16th century, in which Beatrice Cenci, a girl sexually abused by her father, ends up murdering him, only to be beheaded by the Vatican as punishment. Mina Gabriel, along with her brother and mother, has a secret to hide, and it is Costa’s job to figure it out. Although the family […]
Like The Da Vinci Code, only better
Another Nic Costa crime thriller set in Rome, which reads less like a movie script and more like a subtler and fully-fleshed version of The Da Vinci Code. Young cop Nic Costa has recently been partnered with burned-out detective Luca Rossi and is sitting outside St. Marks Square trying to figure out how to survive the intense summer heat and humidity when reports of a shooting in the Vatican galvanizes the bored Costa into action. Despite strict instructions to steer clear of Vatican affairs, […]