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The books of May are here—fresh, fierce, and full of feels.

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Wedding season includes searching for a missing bride�and a killer . . .


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Two warrior angels. First friends, now lovers. Their future? A WILD UNKNOWN.


The Garden Of Evil

The Garden Of Evil, August 2008
Nic Costa #6
by David Hewson

Delacorte Press
Featuring: Nic Costa
480 pages
ISBN: 0385339577
EAN: 9780385339575
Hardcover
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"This tense, action-packed thriller is a great addition to this exceptional series."

Fresh Fiction Review

The Garden Of Evil
David Hewson

Reviewed by Morgan Chilson
Posted July 19, 2008

Thriller Police Procedural | Mystery Police Procedural

Italian Detective Nic Costa is back and the crime scene he faces is particularly brutal. Two bodies, one a naked woman, are dead near a painting that may be a Caravaggio. But the murderer hasn't left the area and Nic takes off in a chase that will cost him tremendously. Before it is over, the hooded man gets away, and Nic suffers a devastating loss. He's so emotionally torn up that he's removed to a peripheral role in the case, authenticating the painting with an art expert who also happens to be a nun. As this case draws him in and challenges Nic to control his personal feelings, he makes connections to historical happenings that have a bearing on today's murders. Chases through the streets of Rome and clues that lead back hundreds of years will eventually take Costa and his team to a finale that does nothing to make up for Nic's loss. This sixth in the Costa series lives up to its predecessors. Tense, action-packed and terribly sad, too, you'll definitely want to read this book.

Learn more about The Garden Of Evil

SUMMARY

In a deserted artist’s studio in the heart of Rome, detectives stumble upon a scene of shocking brutality: two bodies, freshly killed. Looming over them is a painting that bears all the hallmarks of a Caravaggio: a brilliantly colored canvas depicting a violent tableau of beauty and depravity. . . . In David Hewson’s bold new novel of suspense, this grisly discovery sends Detective Nic Costa on a desperate chase through the streets of his city. The consequences are devastating. And for Nic, the case has only just begun.

At the crime scene, detectives find a treasure trove of evidence—from fresh blood to lurid photos of dead prostitutes. For Costa, finding the killer who escaped him is intensely personal. But his prime suspect arrogantly hides in plain sight behind a fortress of money, power, and the law.

Teaming with an art expert, Costa follows clues hidden in the mysterious Caravaggio canvas. As he moves through a maze of history, he begins to make stunning connections to the present case. And each discovery brings him closer and closer to a secret buried in a priceless work of art, a conspiracy dating back four hundred years— and men who will stop at nothing to protect their own private garden of evil.

From modern forensics to the realm of the Medicis, from the force of faith to the corruption of power, The Garden of Evil is a novel steeped in Roman history—and an unforgettable experience in richly atmospheric, modern-day suspense.


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