I am an avid detective story fan, especially when the story is set in a place I love and the detective involved is thoughtful, insightful and intelligent – someone I would enjoy knowing outside the pages of a book. Donna Leon’s Venetian detective Guido Brunetti is the prime example I have encountered thus far in this genre. So when I compare David Hewson’s Roman police officer, Nic Costa, favorably to Leon’s Commissario Brunetti, it is the highest praise I can offer. Such books and such characters are all too rare in my experience. How Hewson has escaped my notice to this point is difficult to understand. There are eight novels featuring Superintendent Nic Costa. If the other seven are half as good as The Fallen Angel I can’t wait to read them.Detective Nic Costa and his colleagues come off the pages as real people. There are no clichés among them. They live and breathe and their foibles and relationships with each other quickly become a matter of interest to the reader. The case Costa is investigating in The Fallen Angel bears a remarkable resemblance to a real-life case that took place in Rome in the sixteenth century in which a young girl, believed by many to be innocent, was condemned to death by the Pope. Hewson weaves history and fiction together masterfully with references to that event and to the Galileo trial for heresy in the mix. I found myself genuinely surprised in the final pages, at the denouement of this unusual story. This rarely happens to me. Hewson is a story teller par excellence. I could not recommend this author and this book more highly to lovers of the genre. There was a large "ICK" factor with this plotline, which gave serious hints that Costa would lose his moral compass and fall into a very uncomfortable relationship with a 17-year old who had witnessed the death of her father. Couldn't really determine if he was "befriending" her to find out why her father died or if it was because he was attracted to her. Very strange - maybe Hewson wanted that ambiguity or whatever... Other than that, the story was okay. Still, ICK.
What do You think about Gevallen Engel (2013)?
Dragged a little in places, but absolutely fascinating mix of history and murder. Well plotted.
—gabby
