false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1169289251m/39388.jpg 39388 7 In a hushed Vatican reading room, the scene was shocking: a crazed professor shot dead after brandishing evidence of a grisly crime. Moments later, two bodies are found in a nearby church, each with a gruesome calling card from the killer. Thus begins David Hewson's elegant and electrifying new novel. Set amidst a bizarre killing spree in modern Rome, it is a bewitching blend of history and drama, sensuality and suspense.<br><br>As the August heat takes Rome in its fiery grip, the news of two brutal murders holds the city in thrall. And as the media gathers and Vatican officials close ranks, a young detective is sent to the forefront of the case. Nic Costa is the son of an infamous Italian Communist, a connoisseur of Caravaggio , and a cop who barely looks his 27 years of age. Thrust into the heart of a killing spree that will rattle his city down to its ancient bones, Nic meets a woman who will soon dominate both his consciousness and his investigation. <br><br>A cool, beautiful professor of early Christianity, Sara Farnese was in the Vatican library on that fateful day, a witness to her colleague's strange outburst and death. But her role will become even more puzzling as more bodies are found: Each victim killed in a gory tableau of Christian martyrdom. And each victim had intimately known Sara, whose silence Costa cannot quite crack and whose carnal history becomes more lurid and unfathomable with every revelation. <br><br>Soon, a nightmarish chase is implicating politicians and priests -- while at the heart of the matter remains the woman Costa is both investigating and guarding. Wanting to believe in Sara's innocence, Nic still cannot turn his eyes from the truths he is uncovering. Even as the secrets of a woman, a killer and a city begin to unravel...with devastating consequences.<br><br>A beguiling mystery, a dazzling treat for the senses, and a fascinating tour of the streets and alleyways of Rome, Nic Costa's relentlessly suspenseful debut is a masterpiece of suspense fiction.?<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i> 1851575 2003 A Season for the Dead (Nic Costa, #1) total:154|5:25|4:55|3:48|2:20|1:6| 154 535 264 36 5 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Apr 07 07:34:23 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 07:38:31 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue Jan 13 13:59:49 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 13 14:00:02 -0800 2009 Lucifer's Shadow, which I thought was marvelous. I then snapped up a little mystery of his (something with "Villa in it-- I think it was Villa of Mysteries, which was okay, but not great. So, when I was able to catch this book, I thought I'd see how it s...more...]]> 2 0 false true Mon Jan 30 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Mon Dec 22 14:32:14 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 14:35:15 -0800 2008 A Season for the Dead on impulse while going through the Mystery/Suspense section at Third Place. I liked what was on the blurb, and I thought it would promise me a fairly complex kind of tale. The book did deliver that, though I wound up feeling kind of ambivalent about i...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 18:09:03 -0700 2009 Fri Mar 13 04:05:37 -0700 2009
The plot has a lot to offer. A f...more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 06:36:01 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 14:42:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Aug 03 12:14:17 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 12:23:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false true Mon Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 11:19:01 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 12:01:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Sat Jun 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 14:21:44 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 21 22:39:42 -0700 2008
I guess I was rushing that day and in my haste, I thought *Season of the Dead* would be somewhat similar to Dan Brown's *The Da Vinci Code*. Boy, was I wrong!

Nonetheless, I thought this book was long-winded in trying to figure out what is...more...]]> 4 2 false false Wed Aug 18 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Tue Feb 12 09:38:31 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 12 09:38:31 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Fri Aug 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 05 15:20:21 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 28 06:35:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 11:28:44 -0800 2008 Sat Dec 13 11:31:13 -0800 2008 Outsized, eccentric characters, ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 13:36:57 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 13:36:57 -0700 2009 The Villa of Mysteries last spring before a trip to Italy, primarily because of the setting. I do enjoy reading books set in places I have travelled to our plan on travelling to. Having enjoyed The Villa of Mysteries, I decided to try another of Hewson's novels.

The writ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 12:36:29 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 12:39:34 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Dec 19 17:09:04 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 20 20:47:33 -0800 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 17 16:18:42 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 17 16:19:47 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Wed Jun 17 20:25:51 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 20:26:50 -0700 2009 5 0 true false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 09:55:11 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 04 09:12:28 -0700 2009
Tight, very imaginative story...just fantastic.]]> 0 0 false false Thu Nov 20 11:08:33 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 11:08:38 -0800 2008 http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/H_Auth...
]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 01 03:54:48 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 01 03:54:48 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Wed Nov 18 10:56:05 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 10:56:28 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=39388