The Villa of Mysteries (Nic Costa)

Well, the reviews are certainly all over the place on this one with ratings from one to five stars. I have complained that Hewson is of two distinct writing personalities - the literary, deep, human author displayed in this series and the bored, uninvolved writer in the godawful "Solstice" series. It's like two different people. Personally, I loved the darn thing (this one) like I have all the "Italian" mysteries. Once I started I could not put it down. Finally I pulled over to a parking lot to read the last two chapters. Yep, I was hooked by the same crew as the Sacret Cut, a superior book in some ways. The manner in which the relationships among and within these agencies are told is true literary genius - subtle, dark, ironic and frequently thought provoking. The brooding Nic finally returns and is teamed with his former boss who has committed a massive error of judgement. My favorite character of the series, pathologist Theresa Lupo, plays a starring role. But the real star is, surprisingly, the Mafia Dom whose personality, mood and exuberance for life and death comes to dominate the story. Without giving away too much, the book has a fantastic opening and segues into a familiar tale of an old crime that suddenly rears its head in relation to a current crime. Folks may gripe at the sketchy detail or the lack of "authenticity" (I thought it fine) but it is the literary quality of the book that I most admire - the twisting but always rational plot, the turn of events, the slow change of attitudes, the sudden insights and finally the resolution which is not like a usual crime novel. There are literally hundreds of mystery writers out there, many putting out large print, 250 page "novels" as realistic as snow in the Sahara with subjects so drab that Mr Rogers would shine. There are authors that specialize in the horror of crime, the sadistic or fetish sides, the "serial killer" types, etc. But in the end, it all boils down to human relationships and this is why this book deserves five stars. It depicts our emotions in all their lying, truthful, gritty ways and our attempts not to fool others but in the end, ourselves. My Grade: A

The story is great - police and mother try to track down a missing daughter. The story behind her being missing is really creepy - an ancient Roman ritual that leaves nothing to the imagination. There are some very good twists in the novel, and some parts that I am still having trouble understanding (drug use toward the end). Overall, it was a good read.

The Villa of Mysteries, Hewson's second volume in the series, is one of the best police procedurals that I have read in a while. It's one of the few books I've read that managed to take me by surprise at the end. The story starts with the discovery of a body of a young girl in a Roman mud bog. The body is not, as first assumed, an ancient relic, but a more modern victim. This leads the protagonists (Leo Falcone and the rest of the team) to rather frightening discoveries, which I can't share for fear of spoiling the story for the reader. The author paints a sensitive and fascinating picture of the protagonists and, while not quite believable, the story is certainly compelling. Although the story is about Rome, I didn't find it very Roman. It doesn't have that much of a local feel (it's not Donna Leon with her fine attention to local detail). However, it's such a good read, you won't mind.

David Hewson's second novel in what promises to be a first-rate series of mysteries set in Rome is even better than its predecessor, and that's saying a great deal about how good it is. Consistently entertaining, giving a wonderful feel for its Roman setting without larding it on with a trowel, with a splendid array of plausible and vivid characters, this book deserves the old cliche: "I couldn't put it down." The only flaw, and it's not all that much of a flaw, is that the climax is occasionally unclear, but I can't explain why without giving away a mass of vital plot details, so just read and enjoy.

Though six months of leave to recover physically from his wounds and mentally from the death of his partner seems a long time to Roman Detective Nic Costa, he has doubts about returning to work which include the skills of his new partner Gianni Peroni. Still he returns so his superior assigns him the case of visiting Americans Bobby and Lianne Dexter who found a corpse of a teenage girl near the Ostia Antica coastal harbor. The cops quickly realize that the girl was murdered in recent times and not during the Roman Empire era though the preserved garb would speak otherwise. Though police pathologist Teresa Lupo initially blows the murder date by two millennium give or take a century, she, Nic and Gianni soon learn that the victim is the 16-year-old stepdaughter of mobster Virgil Wallis and that another teen is missing. Worse the anti-Mafia task force is interfering as the two cops investigate, but get nowhere losing hope to save the second abducted teen from a sacrificial ritual murderer(s). Nic is a fine detective whose skills are ordinary, but he never quits even though he faces emotional trauma every time he works the field. Gianni is more amiable but also has plenty of woes to overcome. Teresa and anti-Mafia Agent Rachale D'Amato provide the impetus to keep digging. Though the case resolves abruptly in spite of the lead cops misinterpreting clues, fans will enjoy the return of Nic Costa though his second appearance is not quite as stellar as his superb pulled in two directions efforts in A SEASON FOR THE DEAD. Harriet Klausner