Italian detective Nic Costa returns in THE GARDEN OF EVIL, the sixth book of the series written by David Hewson. At the scene of a brutal murder, Costa stumbles upon the killer, who is wearing a mask. The man kidnaps Costa’s new wife, eventually killing her, injuring Costa, and escaping. Costa discovers the man’s identity: a rich aristocrat with many friends, practically untouchable. Now, the detective must not only slowly build his case, but rebuild his life as well.
Hewson’s luscious and rich style lends itself admirably to the main subplot of the book, which is an investigation of the famous painter Caravaggio and the streets of Rome in which he lived. The murder scene mentioned above has taken place in front of a lost — and quite disturbing — canvas of the master, and so Costa is forced to bring in an art expert to help on the case.
It is this expert — a self-closeted religious woman who insists she is not a nun, but acts like one — who forces Costa to open up and really begin to explore his own humanity. Readers will love the attention to detail in the life and activities of everyday Rome, and some will appreciate the extensive art history knowledge imparted about Caravaggio. But there are a few drawbacks in the overarching lack of realism, mostly revolving around character motivations and behavior. Everyone seems to get enraged or furious at the drop of a hat, and characters even shriek for no apparent reason. The police have somehow managed to mishandle the investigation, so DNA evidence can no longer be used quite as freely as it once was. And the main antagonist is just a little too cardboardy to be true.
However, the mix of Italy and Caravaggio is a heady one, and the detecting style of Costa, who is preternaturally calm while the world around him dissolves into madness, is a good enough hook. But I didn’t think this was as good as THE LIZARD’S BITE, which while also suffering from a bit of surreal plotting, held the interest. Start with that one, then go for the rest. —Mark Rose
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS AUTHOR:
• THE LIZARD’S BITE by David Hewson
• THE SACRED CUT by David Hewson
Related posts:
- The Lizard’s Bite
- The Pardon / Beyond Suspicion / Last to Die / Hear No Evil
- An Air That Kills / Do Evil in Return
- The Garden of Eden and Other Criminal Delights
- I Was Dora Suarez
