Author: David Hewson
Genre: Crime Thriller
Format: Paperback 288 pages
Release Date: 31 July 2018
Publisher: First World Publication
I would like to thank the publisher and Kelly from Love Books Group Tours for the copy of this book they provided me for review and for inviting me to join this blog tour. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Synopsis
Detective Nic Costa finds himself a stranger in a strange land when he’s sent to infiltrate the mob in a remote part of southern Italy.
Roman police detective Nic Costa has been sent undercover to Italy’s beautiful, remote Calabrian coast to bring in the head of the feared mob, the ‘Ndrangheta, who has offered to turn state witness for reasons of his own.
Hoping to reel in the biggest prize the state police have seen in years, the infamous Butcher of Palermo, Costa and his team are aware the stakes are high. But the constant deception is taking its toll. Out of their depth in a lawless part of Italy where they are the outcasts, not the men in the hills, with their shotguns and rough justice, the detectives find themselves pitched as much against one another as the mob. As the tension rises, it’s clear the operation is not going to plan. Is Nic Costa getting too close to the enemy for comfort – and is there a traitor among them …?
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My Thoughts
This is one of those books that i’m glad I stuck with as it just kept getting better and better. For around the first third I found it a bit slow going, and maybe it’s just me, but with the many Italian people and place names I found it hard to keep track of who was who and what significance each place held.
However, I kept reading and i’m so glad I did as the story is tense, exciting and very dramatic towards the end. The action really ramps up in the last third of the book and it’s the kind of story I could see making a good movie plot.
Despite the fact that i’m still not sure if i’m pronouncing some of the place names rights, the book is actually set in a really interesting location. The Calabrian Coast is remote, not really visited by tourists or outsiders, and the people who reside there seem to play by their own rules. The area is steeped in history and mythical tales and if it wasn’t for the mafia style families who seem to have been in conflict for generations, it actually sounds like a beautiful idyllic setting untouched by the modern day world.
There’s action aplenty, betrayal left, right and centre, and even a few love interests thrown in. What started off slowly for me actually turned into a really enjoyable read.
About the Author
David Hewson is a former journalist with The Times, The Sunday Times and the Independent. He is the author of more than twenty-five novels including his Rome-based Nic Costa series which has been published in fifteen languages. He has also written three acclaimed adaptations of the Danish TV series, The Killing. He lives near Canterbury in Kent.
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