Non c’è tregua per la squadra investigativa di Nic Costa, l’intraprendente poliziotto romano amante dell’arte sempre alle prese con casi collegati ad elementi antichi; anche questa volta infatti Nic si trova ad intervenire in un caso a dir poco complesso, una serie di omicidi apparentemente collegati ad un rituale antico e ad un misterioso dipinto che lascia chiunque lo veda senza parole. Deciso più che mai a risolvere il caso, Costa vi rimane però inaspettatamente coinvolto a livello personale: la ricerca dell’assassino diventa per lui un’ossessione, tanto che spesso arriverà a trovarsi in pericolo di vita insieme ad una persona molto cara a Falcone, sorella Agata. La giovane suora è un’esperta di arte e di Caravaggio in particolare, e solo grazie al suo aiuto Costa riuscirà a cogliere il significato celato tanto abilmente dal pittore nel dipinto misterioso: per arrivare alla verità però la squadra dovrà prima fare un viaggio nel tempo e scoprire cosa accadde realmente a Caravaggio, solo così potranno capire il culto degli Estasisti.Il giardino del male è il sesto volume della serie dedicata alle indagini di Nic Costa a Roma, ogni volume racconta un’indagine specifica e può quindi considerarsi autoconclusivo, tuttavia è consigliabile leggerli seguendo l’ordine di pubblicazione per seguire le vicende personali dei protagonisti. Questa è una serie particolare in quanto ogni indagine è strettamente collegata ad un culto del passato o ad un’opera d’arte, cosa che le permette di distinguersi dagli altri gialli e thriller: lo stesso protagonista è appassionato di arte, non mancano infatti brevi spiegazioni di rituali antichi o approfondimenti su correnti artistiche ma vi assicuro che, nell’inserire questi elementi, l’autore ha prestato attenzione a non appesantire eccessivamente la lettura. Io non sono minimamente interessata all’arte e non ho trovato il libro noioso, quindi potete andare tranquilli :) Di questa serie ho letto purtroppo solo due libri, il quinto e il sesto, tra i due ho sicuramente preferito l’ultimo in quanto l’ho trovato più coinvolgente e anche molto più scorrevole, l’indagine che si sviluppa negli antichi palazzi della nobiltà romana tiene il lettore incollato alle pagine; a mio avviso si crea un legame molto stretto tra il protagonista e il lettore, che non può fare altro che sentirsi profondamente segnato dalla tragedia che colpisce Costa, e con lui vuole a tutti i costi riuscire finalmente a mettere il colpevole con le spalle al muro. Inoltre mi è piaciuta molto l’introduzione di un nuovo personaggio, suor Agata, una ragazza ingenua e innocente ma incredibilmente sveglia, una grande appassionata di arte che riesce a cogliere ogni minima sfumatura, quasi come se gli stessi artisti la usassero come tramite per spiegare il significato nascosto delle loro opere.Consiglio la lettura del libro (e della serie!) agli amanti del genere :)
Although it's not my personal favorite of Hewson's Nic Costa series, The Garden of Evil is a good read all the same, and this was one I did not stop reading until I had finished it completely. As the story opens, a man who picks pockets for a living develops a bit of conscience after he realizes he has picked up among his takings someone's medicine. He traces her to the place he remembers her saying she was going, and finds her in a most bizarre situation; sadly for him. Fast forward a bit to the scene of a homicide, where Nic Costa and his team are working the scene. It seems the murderer hasn't quite gotten away, and as he tries to take him, Nic finds himself at the losing end of some tragic consequences. Thus develops a quest to get to the root of the mystery of a strange group known as The Ekstasists, a ruthless group of men whose leader is technically above the law, a rich and powerful man with roots going back centuries. But this is one man that the police really want and the chase is on.This is another one that is probably not geared to the mainstream reading public. There is a lot of art history here which is woven into the case so if this isn't your cup of tea, move along. However, if you're patient enough and if you enjoy something above average, then you might want to give this book a try. I would suggest that you begin with the 1st in the series, because by this one, #6, the characters have become more developed and you won't really have a handle on them unless you start from the beginning. I have really enjoyed this entire series and I'm not waiting for the US release of #7, Dante's Numbers, but rather I'm purchasing one from the UK. Overall, a good read.
What do You think about The Garden Of Evil (2008)?
An excellent choice for listening. The Audible recording was well narrated by the capable Saul Reichlin. While portions of the book required a bit of patience for a thriller, particularly a slowish middle section, all in all it was an enticing "read", with distinct characters and locales in modern Rome, mixed in with the shadowy presences of long ago plausibly historic characters. One must accept the presence of a newly discovered Caravaggio painting, which I could, and suspend a bit of historical reality, for possibility. Some reviews seem critical of the book's theories about the painter, yet what are novels anyway, but stories which ask us to accept the story ... as if... There are mysteries surrounding the life of Caravaggio, so why not suspend disbelief and enjoy the intelligent ride Hewson takes us on? I hasten to add, there's nothing supernatural about the book... the ghostly presences are simply ancestral memories and supposition.
—Marilee
I was in the mood for suspense and mystery, which is why I chose this book. Unfortunately, the killer was spoon fed to you 100 pages in, so you didn't have to work for it (an e-mail was sent to the police identifying the killer? really?), so there was a lack of mystery. The rest of the book is trying to get into the killer's head, and spends more time solving a 400 year old mystery, which takes a lot for granted, with very little solid evidence. Now, I enjoy the massive amount of research to portray the Caravaggio part of the story, but Hewson should have spent some of that effort into making a stronger plot line.
—Stephanie Miller
I picked this book up because in me it sparked the image of demonic flowers and malevolent trees ... and was I in for a disappointment ...I don't like detective stories because I find that by these days there surely can't be much territory unexplored (although this hasn't deterred me from writing my own one...). Anyway, the story was nicely written - the first chapter was actually terrific, and I thought I had struck gold after all - but the expected cliches are not late on arriving, and from that point onward it all just feels like a stylish imitation of 'The Davinci Code'. The only difference is that instead of following the trail of Jesus Christ, the villain is obsessed with some ancient Roman painter. I forget the painter's name, as I do the rest of the story...
—Benjamin Stahl
