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.