Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I hadn't read any previous books in this series, indeed I didn't know there were any. I don't think my ignorance affected my enjoyment at all - for me, Nic Costa was just another of the characters.
I thought the story was interesting, the research well done and compelling, and the background information was given to us without boring. It all seemed quite plausible, and the characters interesting. For anyone who is interested in Italy, this book will be a good read.

The Savage Shore keeps you guessing until the very end! What a great read!!

In this novel, we find Detective Nic sent to infiltrate the Italian mob on the remote on the coast of Calabrian.
It appears as ruthless as they are the head of the mob has agreed to turn states evidence. Follow Nic as he digs deeper into this life.

Highly entertaining!!

A very detailed story where Detective Nic Costa goes undercover in Calabria to bring down a mob leader, who has asked for protection if he agrees to turn informer. The background detail was excellent in this absorbing story.

This is the 10th book in the Nic Costa series by David Hewson about a Roman police detective. In this book, Costa leaves Rome for a secret mission in southern Italy. He and a group of his colleagues are assigned to smuggle an aging Mafia boss out of the area when he turns on his fellow Mafia families and agrees to lure their leaders to a meeting where the police will arrest them. The story is set against the background of Calabria and Sicily. It's a unique and secretive culture with Mafia families playing a significant behind-the-scenes role in daily life. Memorable characters are scarce in the story of the secret mission. The pompous Roman bureaucrat who ultimately takes the blame for the failure of the sting operation is a good example of the hubris of many ignorant and stupid people. It's difficult to keep track of all the minor characters and several of them fall by the wayside.
I found it a challenge to enjoy this book. There is no mystery and no thriller characteristics. What is interesting is the Mafia family and how they interact with Nic and his colleagues in their plot to turn in their competitor families. Nothing is as it seems, but there is little suspense in the storytelling. Nic's search for the Mafia leader's daughter after the end of the sting operation is an interesting conclusion to a lifeless story. Readers are not encouraged to keep reading to find out what happens next.
I recall that earlier books in the series are much better stories than this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Black Thorn, for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this eBook. The comments about it are my own.

Professional and full of information about the legendary crime gangs in Calabria, it tells story of a detective who infiltrates to pursue an investigation.. required ro kill off some bad guys to persuade them to let him in, he suffers no remorse or hesitation.. thin characteristics and barely credibly dialogue doesn't convince .. I got halfway through, realising that it was the factual data that was more alarming than the narrative. Despite relative weakness of the story and people, this is powerful material and readable on that account.

Complex and intricately plotted police procedural / mystery. The interwoven parts began slowly, and after tkaing a break from the novel and returned and finally got engaged when the plot got going, but had forgotten some of the early details which had seemed to plodding and irrelevant. Worth the effort, but not the best read of the year.

The Savage Shore by David Hewson is an extremely well-written novel that is decribed in magnificent detail. The way Hewson describes the detail makes you feel like you are in the setting. That being said, the storyline just didn't grab my full attention. I do want to read this entire series in order because I agree with others that David Hewson is one fantastic writer.

This is a vivid and descriptive crime thriller. This is the first I have read of the series and I really need to go back and start at the beginning. I look forward to the next installment. Nick is a very strong character and I was thrilled by his adventures.
Many thanks to Black Thorn and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved this book!! This is the only book by this author that I have read, and the others are requested from my local library. I found it to be so emotional and evocative. I was intrigued by the opening to each chapter, Calabrian tales, a mixture of Ancient Greek and Italian legends, that didn't seem to have any relevance to the story, but after a couple of chapters, I was hooked. What seemed like a random device at first, quickly turned into a realisation that each tale related to the modern story.
The characters were very strong, not all were likeable, but that was due to the nature of the beast. Tales about the Mafia, don't always have honourable characters, despite the Mafia believing they are ' men of honour'. The undercurrent of menace was palpable , and very intense. My favourite character was Peroni, a Policeman,who had previously been denied promotion, but was skilled at reading both people and situations. I found him to be compassionate and resolute in dealing with both criminals and his team mates, and he was true to his own ideals.
The descriptions of the countryside and the small villages were beautiful, so vivid, you could almost smell the Bergamot, and the dampness of the earth.
The story concerns a bracelet of legend and three warring groups of Mafia families. One boss wants to turn informer, so he and his family can retire from this way of life, courtesy of witness protection programmes. Nic Costa, goes undercover in Calabria, and has to act as a gang member, whilst informing his Police colleagues of the best time and place to arrest members of the gang.
It is an exciting read, and I am looking forward to the other books, when my library gets them in. This book reminded me of the Montalbano stories, and that is meant as high praise!!
Thank you for the chance to read this novel. I will leave this report on Goodreads as a five star rating.

Book was archived before approval arrived. Cannot review😢#####################################################################################################################################$########################################

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It is beautifully written. Everything is described in amazing detail. I could visualise everything. I feel that I would need to read more books by this author and read them in order so that I could fully appreciate this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Organized crime families that have infiltrated the fabric of society, that own the soul of a community, are a phenomenon that terrify me. I am awed by the bravery of the investigators and police who voluntarily take them on. In “The Savage Shore”, Hewson’s long running character, Nic Costa, embeds in a crime family, loosely controlled and supervised by his colleagues who are living “undercover” in a small town in Calabria.

The tension level runs high as the team waits for the criminal who has essentially summoned them to participate as he sets up his last play. I wanted to close my e-book and turn my head, but simultaneously keep reading to find out what happens next. I was completely blindsided by Hewson's clever plotting, and thoroughly enjoyed everything about this novel.

Thriller in the series featuring Nic Costa and his fellow officers from the police force in Rome..

This entry is set in the far south of Italy, in the region of Calabria. I know Italy well, and I must say the author's evocation of place, history and culture is absolutely masterful.. The area is under the control of the 'Ndrangheta,
the Calabrian branch of the Mafia and the plot revolves around the attempt of the local Godfather to turn himself in to the authorities.

As the local police are in thrall to the Mob, Nic and the Roman authorities are delegated to deal with the matter so the story revolves around a culture clash between the "local yokels" and the city slickers fro Rome. Needless to say the nearby Mafiosi cousins become involved and the complex plot resolution is far from straightforward.

Classy writing and high end plotting. Recommended.

Many thanks to Black Thorn, David Hewson, and Netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts:
When I requested this on Netgalley, I wasn’t certain this was a good choice. I’d never read David Hewson’s work, wasn’t certain if jumping midway into a series was a terrific idea, and wasn’t sure if the premise even appealed to me. Organized crime in fiction is a bit hit or miss with me.

The Savage Shore was a delight to read, and I’ll be looking for more books by David Hewson. Here’s why:

1. The quality of the writing is superb.
Hewson is a gifted writer who has honed his craft. It’s obvious. Every sentence, every detail, every word is chosen with care. There was one passage that was incredibly beautiful and as I copied it into my notes, I wrote, “Beautiful. I want to explicate it in a paper.” (I love dissecting literature, and it’s never diminished my joy in the story.) It’s literary quality, but it’s never boring or pointless. You can read and re-read this book, and even after knowing the plot twists, you’ll discover some new aspect that you hadn’t seen before.

2. The characterizations are rich and deep.
Peroni is one of my favorite characters in the book. Because of a long-ago mistake, he has lost rank in the police. But he is still a terrific detective, skilled at reading people, and perceptive. “There was too much staring at blinking screens, too little staring into people’s faces,” he thinks (part 2), and he spends his time looking into people’s faces. He has compassion, insight, and internal conflict about the team’s deception, as well as long experience with criminals, and based on experience, he is apprehensive about whether their mission will be accomplished. Whether it even can be accomplished. He became a character I cared about.

The same could be said for all the characters, and that includes the “bad” ones. Hewson creates characters who are complex, inclined toward good or evil but capable of either. The police team has stepped outside of the official legal system and into the playing field of the mafia. As Peroni warns, “We’re as bad as them. Sometimes they can be as good as us. It’s not black and white anymore” (Part 2).

3. The plot twists are unexpected.
Hewson’s twists are surprising but in retrospect, they make sense. The clues are all right there–I should have seen them–but I didn’t because of how well hidden-in-plain-sight they are. Suspense writers (and writers in general) can learn a lot from his techniques.

Speaking of plot, this is one that initially appears to move slowly. (Note the word appears.) Each of the seven sections opens with a selection from the “Calabrian Tales,” ostensibly written by Lo Spettro’s grandfather. These parts may seem irrelevant, but they do connect with the Nic Costa story.

Hewson kept me turning pages. I never wanted him to hurry up and get on with it, as I have with other novels. Instead, I hung onto every word. He strikes the right balance between action, dialogue, and description. Everything serves to move the story forward.

Every moment is filled with tension. Nothing’s wasted.

Loved it. Five stars.

Roman police detective Nic Costa has been sent undercover to Italy’s beautiful, remote Calabrian coast to bring in the head of the feared mob, the ‘Ndrangheta, who has offered to turn state witness for reasons of his own.
Hoping to reel in the biggest prize the state police have seen in years, the infamous Butcher of Palermo, Costa and his team are aware the stakes are high. But the constant deception is taking its toll. Out of their depth in a lawless part of Italy where they are the outcasts, not the men in the hills, with their shotguns and rough justice, the detectives find themselves pitched as much against one another as the mob.
I’ve read & really enjoyed all of the previous Costa books & started to think there wouldn’t be any more so was thrilled to receive this the tenth in the series from NetGalley. A different setting but still a very enjoyable read. The descriptions are always detailed & make the settings come alive. This book could be read on its own but some of the relationships are better understood if you’ve read previous books. There are twists & turns & just when I thought I’d worked things out another twist is added. I hope there’s more to come in the series & the wait for the next one isn’t so long!
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Beautiful lyrical tale in the series of Nic Costa novels . This time set in Calabria with a story of Mafia deceit full of smoke and mirrors the tale builds relentlessly with glorious descriptions of the area all build an atmosphere of languid menace. A clever twist in the tale and an explanation of the complex plot all combine in this superb tale. Excellent!

Reggio, in Calabria. It's a strange place, closer to Africa than Rome as Emmanuel kept reminding himself. He was an illegal immigrant and like most of his kind he was simply looking for a way to earn a decent living with a little dignity. Back in Nigeria he was an independent man and now he is no better than the monkey who sits in a cage on the bar he tends. The area is ruled by the Mafia. Further afield there are the Camorra and the Cosa Nostra, but here it's the 'Ndrangheta and the local boss is known as Lo Spettro - the ghost - as he's rarely seen, but he's one of the Bergamotti clan, but even that's not their real name.

Nic Costa's in the area but he's no longer a soverintendente from the Centro Storico Questura. He's undercover and now called Thomasso Leoni - Maso for short - and he has support from Teresa Lupo, Falcone and Peroni. Rosa Prabakaran is there, her feelings for Nic Costa on show to all who care to look and it seemed that she might be taken as a hostage by the Mafia. Something big is afoot: the local boss - Lo Spettro - is prepared to hand himself over to the authorities, to become a pentito on condition that he is allowed to go free when he lures other Mafia bosses into a trap.

For Costa it's hard work: he has to prove himself and this includes appearing to kill two men. That was the easy bit. The hard part is the physical labour which he has to do and also to live the life of a family member who has had to come to Italy from Canada, where he seems to have been in some trouble. It's difficult to stay in character but forgetting for a moment could mean death - and not just for himself. For the rest of the team - Teresa Lupo, Falcone and Peroni - who are holed up in a rented holiday villa - it's frankly boring for much of the time. They're not really tourists and until the Bergamotti clan decide that the time is right for the handover, there's nothing much for them to do. Except Peroni seems determined to involve himself in the local community...

It's difficult to balance the slowness of the action for much of the book with the danger that some of the characters are facing, but David Hewson does it well and I can't say that I was ever wanting the pages to turn a little faster. This is partly down to the fact that Hewson delivers a very compelling picture of southern Italy with its harshness and poverty. There's a sense that it's not really a part of Italy, that the capital, Rome, is more than just a long way away. I could almost taste the bergamot which grows in the area.

The characters come off the pages well, although I couldn't quite see what part Rosa Prabakaran played in the plot. I'd like to have seen more - or nothing of her. Most of the team play only bit parts, with Costa coming to the fore. This might detract from the story if you're a fan of other members of the team: I particularly wanted to see more of Teresa Lupo, but hopefully that will happen now that the series is back on track.

The plot is well planned and executed with some neat twists at the end which I really didn't see coming. It was a good read - and one which I finished rather more quickly than I intended. I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

The Savage Shore is the first Nic Costa story by David Hewson that I have read and whilst I found it ok it did not fully grab my interest.

The writing is good and the background excellent however this seemed to detract somewhat from the main storyline

Also with there bring a number of previous books in the series it may have been better reading this one in order.

Overall ok but not for me

Nic Costa goes undercover in Calabria to help bring in an 'Ndrangheta leader, Lo Spettro - "The Ghost" - who wants to turn informer ("pentito") in return for witness protection for him and his family. Nic's colleagues - Teresa Lupo, Leo Falcone, Gianni Peroni and their computer expert, Silvio - wait impatiently, cooling their heels in a small Calabrian seaside town - their "holiday home" linked by encrypted computer to their bosses in Rome.
Nic has to learn to behave as a gang member in order to be accepted by various criminal gang leaders due to meet for a conference during which Italian police hope to arrest them. He is helped by Lo Spettro's daughter, Lucia with whom he forms a close relationship. Then Silvio is taken as "hostage" by Lo Spettro's family and the plans of the Rome-based police bosses seem to be going awry. The tension is notched up. What will happen to Nic and will the police bring in Lo Spettro who has promised they will also capture another major criminal - a Sicilian mob boss who's been on the run for years.

Hewson writes beautifully and the book's introduction features an extract from Calabrian Tales by Constantino Bergamotti, originally published in 1949. That and further chapter introductions mix the area's history, religion and culture alongside various local traditions, including a dramatic description of locals fishing for swordfish. Calabria is in southwest Italy and its people are always ready to point out that they have always been ignored by the politicians in Rome. In this part of Italy however, it is the 'Ndrangheta who rule.

We learn something of Calabria's violent history, past and present, and the ’Ndrangheta's criminal operations which include the smuggling of African immigrants into Italy where the men are used as a source of cheap labour and the women turned out as prostitutes.

This is more than just an absorbing crime thriller, as the author's descriptions of the sights, sounds and smells of the Calabrian region verge on the poetic. Neither is the unfolding action straightforward as we realise that - in some instances - there isn't much difference between Nic and his colleagues and the men of the Ndrangheta.

I've read and enjoyed all 9 of the previous Nic Costa novels and even the wait of 7 years for the 10th has been worth it. This book is a fine addition to the series. Recommended for crime thriller fans.

My thanks to the publisher Black Thorn and to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in return for an unbiased review.