The year 2003 saw the appearance of Dan Brown’s second novel featuring his Robert Langdon character (‘The Da Vinci Code’ however was the first to be published) and the resultant ‘jumping on the bandwagon of a large number of authors trying to emulate the commercial success of that novel. I’m not saying that David Hewson’s ‘A Season for the Dead’, also published in 2003, also featuring shenanigans in Vatican City, and a crazed, overly-violent Vatican killer, coded messages (this time in the form of limericks) and over-contrived methods of killing (skinned alive – really?) is one of these, but… even the front cover of the edition I have proudly quotes the Washington Post’s claim that it is ‘Better than’.And that is exactly the problem with this book for me.I had noted Hewson’s name some time ago as a result of the success of his Spain-based novel ‘Semana Santa’ (Holy Week) here in Spain where I live. I read that novel in Spanish and it was okay. I mentally added his name to my list of ‘find an original language copy of one of his books’ list. Early this summer I came across the first of his Detective Costa series novels in a second-hand bookstore and bought it. I started reading it months ago… then stopped.Normally I will devour a book in a matter of a couple of days, but I found the writing style of this one far too plodding, far too forced. The story is interesting enough, if you overlook all the similarities with Brown’s book, the characters where reasonably interesting, yet…The conclusion I came to was the author was trying to emulate Dan Brown’s writing style and, as this was not his own, therein lies the terrible conflict evidenced by the first chapters. Fortunately, after reading three other novels, and completing my own WIP, I came back to Hewson’s book and finished it. I say fortunately because after the first twenty chapters he settles into a style he is more comfortable with, and it shows. The writing improved, as did the pace of the novel, and the second half was far more enjoyable than what had gone before. There’s a moral in there somewhere.Would I recommend this book to fans of Dan Brown? Well, if they are in need of a ‘fix’ after the debacle of ‘Inferno’, this might be for them, although they should definitely prepare for a sense of déjà vu… again.
This is the first in a series featuring Nic Costa and Inspector Falcone. Sara Faranese is studying in the Vatican library when a colleague rushes in and frankly whispers, "In the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." He then displays a pistol and a bag containing the skin of a human being. Fearing for her safety a Swiss guard shoots him dead, much to Sara's consternation, because she realized he wasn't trying to kill her, but to convey a message. Realizing that the flayed skin may have some reference to St. Bartholome and she drags Coasta and his partner Rossi to that saints church where they discover two more flayed bodies, her erstwhile lover and Stefano Rinaldi's wife. Soon others are being killed and posed in bizarre ways that suggest a link to early martyrs.Lots of fascinating detail about Rome, Italian customs and how to flay a body. There is a rather gross description of just how to do it (might take about an hour and requires lots of anatomical knowledge and strength) not to mention a reference to some cultures that tried to do it while the victims remained alive. And by the way, now that I have your attention, some Italians enjoy eating offal, prepared in all sorts of garlicy ways. This is apparently from the days when the clergy got all the good parts and the rest were thrown to the proletariat who discovered ways to make it more than palatable. There is a nifty (hmm, perhaps bad choice of words) scene where Costa is invited to dinner with the brilliant pathologist, "crazy" Theresa, and they eat at one of these restaurants. Costa is a vegetarian.I liked this book, but it does seem that some of the tantalizing leads, for example the "seed of the church" comment above that appears to be significant early on, never gets linked to anything later on. Lots of neat conspiracy stuff. While the inter-connectivity of some of the characters might stretch one's credibility, the shades of gray in the characterizations are what I found most intriguing about the book. Caravaggio's paintings play an important role that I enjoyed. This is probably the book that Dan Brown wishes he could have written. Of other Italian location writers, I would place him closest to Michael Dibdin, if perhaps not quite as intellectual.
What do You think about A Season For The Dead (2004)?
As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]: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 going on and how it ties to the Vatican. Professor Sara Farnese is in the Vatican library, doing her own research when a colleague approaches her. He's carrying with him a gun and a bloody bag, which contains human skin. The Swiss Guards quickly and nervously shoot him to death. Italian detectives Rossi and Costa, by happenstance, arrive at the scene, only to have a "pissing contest" with the Vatican officials. However, when it is revealed that homicide victims are linked to Farnese, including her dead colleague, Rossi and Costa are determined to find out what is the link. The investigation turns out to include the Vatican, the Mafia, and a serial killer. Meanwhile, Rossi is mesmerized by Farnese and boundaries are blurred. Sounds like a fast-paced thriller, eh? Except that it's not because it's long-winded, especially with this corrupt cardinal character and too many characters (homicidal victims) linked to Farnese. And when all is solved, I couldn't help but think the whole plot was silly.
—LARRY
"At at this last gasping moment he revealed another secret too: His little finger sought another entry, pressed insistently from a second direction so that these secret, private doors to her ecstasy became a single coursing torrent of wild and shapeless pleasure." (Chapter 48)I laughed. And laughed. And laughed some more. Until I almost choked on my tears.Don't get it twisted, my friends - that's some of the best writing in the entire book.I received this edition from the library in large print, which made it all the more painful to slog through.Pretty lame ending, too. I flipped back and forth through the last fifteen pages because I thought I had missed something - perhaps some literary deviant had cut out a chapter... Nope. The writing apparently is intended to be that awful.Two stars, because 1) I haven't laughed that hard in a long time, and b) any book deserves more stars than Dan Brown's Inferno.
—Phloe
In Rome wordt in korte tijd een aantal moorden gepleegd die allemaal een gelijkenis vertonen met het Martelaarschap van de Heiligen, een serie schilderijen van de zestiende-eeuwse kunstenaar Caravaggio. Rechercheur Nic Costa wordt op de zaak gezet, en zijn inspanningen om het patroon van leugens, bedrog en verraad te doorgronden, voeren hem naar het binnenste van het Vaticaan, alwaar een bankschandaal een strijd heeft ontketend onder de kardinalen.Over de dwarsligger®De dwarsligger® is een compleet boek in een handzaam formaat. Een boek dat past in een handtas en zelfs in je broekzak of binnenzak. Een boek dat je overal en op elk moment kunt lezen. Met zijn kleine formaat " 12 bij 8 centimeter " en lichte gewicht " gemiddeld nog geen 145 gram " is de dwarsligger® met een hand vast te houden en dus gemakkelijk te lezen.Recensie(s) NBD|Biblion recensie Deel van een serie in Rome spelende thrillers rond de jonge Italiaanse politieman Nic Costa. Het verhaal hakt er al gelijk goed in: de jonge universitaire docente Sara Farnese (specialiteit: vroege christendom), aan het werk in de Vaticaanse bibliotheek, wordt opgeschrikt als een collega van de universiteit, verward, met een pistool in de hand, een bloederige mensenhuid op haar bureau deponeert en luid roept 'Het bloed van de martelaren is het zaad van de kerk!' Even later wordt hij door de toegesnelde Zwitserse Garde doodgeschoten. In een naburige kerk worden nog twee lijken gevonden. Rechercheur Nic Costa krijgt de zaak in onderzoek, er volgen nog meer bloederige moorden en de sporen wijzen naar het Vaticaan, dat niet erg meewerkt, en naar schilderijen van martelaren van de zestiende-eeuwse kunstenaar Caravaggio. De invloed van Dan Brown is duidelijk, en ook het Vaticaan komt er niet goed af. Een goed geschreven, mooi opgebouwde, spannende sfeervolle thriller, met de jonge Nic Costa als veelbelovende, sympathieke held. Uitgave in zakformaat op dundrukpapier als zogenoemde 'dwarsligger'; de regels lopen evenwijdig met de rug, zodat de lezer het boek een kwartslag moet keren en de vouw van de rug zich horizontaal halverwege de bladspiegel bevindt. Kleine druk. (NBD|Biblion recensie, Redactie) (source: Bol.com)
—Jan Derksen
