Great story, thrilling plot that I could not put down. Well worth a read, and would recommend to others.

A murdered priest , five illegal immigrants burned to death callously sealed in a flat with a locked door. As Rome swelters in the summer heat a killer is lurking in the shadows and Detective Michael Ross needs to uncover him before the death toll rises

Thankyou to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and the author Aiden Conway for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of A Cold Flame.
I found the storyline to be well thought out and fast paced. It certainly kept me intrigued on how it would play out. Can't wait to read more from this author.
Well worth a read for fans of the genre. 3.5 stars from me.

'Play with fire and you get burned…

Five men burnt alive.

One man cut into pieces.

One city on the edge of ruin.’

A Cold Flame is the second book in a series by Aidan Conway featuring Detective Michael Rossi. Following on from A Known Evil, it has just been released in e-format with Killer Reads (Harper Collins).

Set in the heat of an Italian Summer, A Cold Flame is a very relevant read for our times.

The second book in this series and, having finished it recently, I would recommend that you consider reading A Known Evil (Book 1) first. Set in Rome the series focuses in on Detective Michael Rossi, a nonconformist in the police force, who gets the results, but by following his own rules.

Rome is caught up in the searing heat of the August sun. Rossi and his colleague Carrara are standing by the burnt out remains of a flat in the vicinity of the tangenziale flyover ‘It was hot, cripplingly hot. Thin rivulets of sweat were meandering down Rossi’s neck despite the shade.’ They are looking at possible arson as the bodies of five immigrants were discovered with all exits sealed off, making any escape from this inferno impossible. The coroner has declared an open verdict, but Rossi and Carrara are not satisfied with this report ‘Someone locked these poor bastards inside’

Meanwhile the defaced and mutilated body of a priest is discovered, with no apparent reason for the attack, but with such violence displayed, it’s clear that this is an act of extreme hate.

As Rossi and Carrara are about to discover, Rome is on the verge of imploding. A terrorist group are intent on wreaking havoc on the Eternal City, the home of Catholicism and all that it represents.

The pair have their hands full as they jump between the three cases trying to establish a link and hoping to prevent any further violence on the streets of the capital.

Detective Rossi carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and takes it all quite personally. This is his city. This is his territory. He has issues in his own life with his girlfriend as their relationship teeters on very shaky ground but Rossi is a man very focused on the job at hand, pushing his personal life to the side.

As a bomb explodes outside the Israeli College, Rossi and Carrara find themselves in a race against time against an enemy that they cannot see.

Rome is a political hotbed as corruption is rife across all of the establishments. There is only one person that Rossi feels he can trust and that is journalist Dario Iannelli. Iannelli is currently in a witness protection program, having been involved with a Mafia related exposé, but continues to investigate crime, extortion and nepotism from a variety of secret locations. Ianelli still has his contacts and Rossi now needs his assistance.

As the pieces start to fall into place, Rossi’s fears become a reality as the enormity of a very chilling and complex plot against Rome and all that it stands for, is uncovered.

Aidan Conway has made Rome his home and it’s clear from his writing that he has researched the hierarchical structure of the political and religious authorities. A Cold Flame is more than just a crime novel. It takes the reader behind the glossy veneer of the establishment, revealing scandals and shocking behaviour.

I have to admit that I did struggle at times as there are quite a number of individual and quite sophisticated story lines running through the book. You do need to concentrate and keep your focus so pick your moment. All these complex strands do come together as the full scale of the plot against the Italian ‘La Dolce Vita’ is unveiled.

I know I often refer to bringing a book to the big and small screen but I do really believe that Rossi and Carrara would make for a great TV series. With the stunning Italian backdrop, this gritty series, with all it’s complexities and thrilling story-lines, is surely the perfect combination!!

Gritty. Sophisticated. Complex.

Rossi and Carrara have to solve a particularly gruesome set of crimes that threaten the foundations of Rome and Italian society. Although set primarily in Rome, there is an international theme with terrorism at its heart. The killings are satanic in nature and like in the first book in the series ' A Known Evil' you question whether the killers are different but connected? This story reads as a standalone but to understand what motivates Rossi and the character dynamics between him and Carrara and journalist Dario Iannelli I recommend reading 'A Known Evil'.

The well-described setting betrays an intimate knowledge of Rome and its government that make the story believable. The cleverly orchestrated plot has many strands. Different stories explored and painstakingly woven together to solve the mysterious crimes before the city implodes. The politics, patronage and corruption that defines the city make their job both dangerous and frustrating, always wondering if they can find the guilty before they are sidetracked or stopped by the establishment. Detailed and lengthy this complex story's pacing maintains the momentum and keeps the reader's interest, the killings are graphic, but they underline the threat to the city's population and give the story its menacing ethos.

' A Cold Flame' has everything you need for a thrilling crime read, an enigmatic detective with a dark side and secrets, a set of complicated, horrific crimes and a powerful political infrastructure that thwarts their aims at every opportunity to find the guilty and punish them.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Impulse/ Killer Reads via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

As Rome is sweltering in the summer heat, a killer lurks...striking out in horrific ways. Five illegal immigrants are burned to death, unable to escape a flat where the doors have been sealed from the outside. Then a priest is killed, his body horribly mutilated and a pipe bomb goes off at a university. Detective Michael Rossi and his partner Luigi Carrera are on the trail of a terror organization and a brutal killer. Can they stop the killer before more people die?

A Cold Flame is the follow up book to A Known Evil, the first book in the Michael Rossi series. While it isn't completely necessary to read the books in order, to get the full scope of the characters and setting, it might be best to read A Known Evil first. I loved the gritty, faced paced plot in A Known Evil, and this second book didn't let up one bit. The action started at page 1 and kept up a steady, suspenseful pace all the way through. I love the fact this series is set in Rome....lots of politics, intrigue, corruption. It really makes for an exciting read! There is plenty of action and twists in this book. The characters are engaging and the crimes gruesome. A Cold Flame is a great addition to this new series.

I'm not going to say much about the plot, as this is a book readers want to experience with as few spoilers as possible. Once I got sucked into the story, I couldn't put this book down. I like the international feel and grit of this series. Very enjoyable! I will definitely be reading more of this series.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Harper Impulse/Killer Reads via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I haven’t read the first book in the Michael Rossi series, though I will now do so. That wasn’t a major barrier to my enjoyment of A Cold Flame, though there are references to the first book which leads me to recommend that you read it first.

Nowhere does politics, whether internal, external or religious quite like Italy. A Cold Flame reflects a country and its people that are reeling from an unstable political situation, the refugee crisis, geo politics, terrorist threats and police corruption.

All this is taking place in Rome in a heatwave that burns the soles of shoes as they touch the pavements.

Five men are found after being burned alive. They were illegal immigrants living quietly in their flat but horrifyingly, the doors were locked and windows barred to prevent escape and ensure total immolation.

The cerebral DI Michael Rossi and his partner DI Gigi Carrara must find a way to navigate internal Police politics and appease their bosses, whilst finding the way through a plethora of fragments of information in order to piece together the answers they need.

A second fire, in a more well to do area, has also targeted a family of Nigerian asylum seekers, though fortunately no-one is hurt this time. Is this individual racist action or a more focussed series of terrorist attacks?

Then a pipe bomb goes off by the Israeli University and the city is on high alert. Rossi and Carrara must find out who is terrorising the city and why. As Rome burns the detectives must not fiddle around in their quest to stop a mass murder in the heart of the Eternal City.

Utilising a series of narrative arcs, Conway cleverly weaves together individual stories into a complex and chilling plot. With the help of a journalist, Dario Iannelli, under protection and in hiding after threats to his life from the previous case, Rossi slowly begins the job of piecing together the small pieces of a complex puzzle to find his perpetrator/s.

I really enjoyed this engrossing plot which offered a good insight into each character and their personal lives at the same time as bringing together a welter of seemingly unconnected events each of which carries the smallest of clues for Rossi to uncover. Navigating the delicate path of corruption and influence inside the police in order to proceed as they need to is a delicate task and the duo have to tread lightly to get away with some of their techniques. But that is essential if he is to prove what he fears and believes – that there is an unholy alliance behind what has been happening in the city, and a conspiracy to keep it under wraps.

A Cold Flame is not a short book, but it is written in bite sized chapters and the pacing is just right for such a highly charged plot involving a number of socio-political strands. It does dip a bit in the middle, but soon picks up again.

Conway brilliantly brings Rome and its dark forces to life amidst some very brutal crimes.

Verdict: Atmospheric, intelligent and gritty, this is a series I will certainly be following from now on.

This spy thriller had great characters and a plot that had me intrigued from the beginning. I definitely recommend it!

It was a great thriller that was part mystery & spy thriller. I recommend it for those who like thrillers.

"A Cold Flame" is the second book in the Detective Michael Rossi series by crime writer Aidan Conway and although I haven't read the previous book I found this worked well as a standalone. However, as I always say, being privy to the character development and background that took place in the first book "A Known Evil" would be advantageous. I have actually just downloaded it onto my kindle to read over the summer.

It's a scorching hot August in Rome and five illegal immigrants are burned alive inside their flat - someone has sealed the doors to make sure they were unable to escape. Their bodies are so badly burned they are barely distinguishable from the debris. Another man is cut into pieces, a priest found murdered and mutilated post-mortem. When is this horrific spate of attacks going to cease? And more importantly, can Rossi and his colleague Carrara stop the satanic killer before he strikes again?

I loved this! Such a great plot that unfolds at a perfect pace. It is a little slower in the middle section of the book but it soon picks up again. My only real complaint was that it maybe could've been sharpened up by cutting it down as I feel it was a little long. The synopsis was right up my street, I simply love these books featuring horrendous crimes that sometimes hang around the periphery of the horror genre. Dark, gritty and atmospheric - this is a fantastic read for any crime buff. I look forward to getting my hands on the rest of this series.

Many thanks to Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

3 stars

Mick Rossi and Gigi Carrara are back in another police procedural and are attempting to solve yet more murders.

This book was hard going for me. I had to struggle to stay with it. I don’t believe that it is as interesting as the first one. I have a hard time reading about terrorists as I worked for a company that lost people in the 9/11 attack.

I like Detectives Rossi and Carrara and look forward to reading more of their adventures, but please no more terrorists.

I want to thank NetGalley and Killer Reads/HarperCollins Publishers for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read and review.

A Cold Frame is the second crime thriller book set in Rome by Aidan Conway.

The story is about two Detective Inspectors who are trying to find a terrorist organisation

The plot line is good and the book is reasonably well written albeit feeling slightly drawn out and over long in the middle. I also think that I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read the first in the series as at times it felt like I was struggling to fully understand what was happening.

So overall a good book and I will look to read the first in the series and will read the next one when it is published.

I found this book hard going. I am glad that I did stick with it. It was not as good as the first in this series A Known Evil. At times I think the book had lost its way. The story was long winded and the book was too long
I would like to thank the author Aidan Conway, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

During a brutally hot August in Rome, a killer is making his gruesome rounds. Five men burned alive, one man cut into pieces, priest mutilated after being death. DI Rossi and DI Carrara are tracking a group that uses terror to achieve its goals. As Rome reaches a boiling point, the detectives must use all their skills to stop a terror mastermind. A chilling murder mystery with the Eternal City as its backdrop