I really liked this book, despite the horrifying violence.

There are complex characters, the several police detectives, and the high level church officers that all have secrets and first, second and third agendas.
A dramatic killing in a very unlikely place sets the tone - the bodies continue to pile up. in terrible fashion. An unlikely police partnership begins the follow the case. As it winds among family members, untangling relationships becomes really revealing both both the good guys and the bad guys.

I found myself reading every page rather than skimming, with the exception of the really violent sections.
It is atmospheric about Rome, the heat and history. It is quite exotic relative to West Los Angeles.

This is a Rome set conspiracy thriller from David Hewson, a rather gruesome one with a serial killer running rampant in the city. A beautiful Professor of Early Christianity, Sara Farnese, is in the Vatican Library, when a distraught colleague of hers enters, Stefano Rinaldo, armed with a gun and the skin of a man recently flayed is shot dead by a security guard. A young 27 year old police officer, Nic Costa, is first on the scene, and despite the Vatican being out of his jurisdiction, he gets drawn into the investigation. Based on what Stefano had whispered to her, Sara drags Nic to a church where the bodies of the flayed man and Rinaldo's wife are discovered, with graffiti proclaiming that the blood of the martyrs is the seeds of the church. Nic and his older cop partner, the jaded Luca Rossi, explain the grisly crimes motivated by jealousy, with Stefano, a previous lover of Sara's, killing her current lover. However, this is the first of a series of horrifying murders emulating the deaths of Christian martyrs.

The case reveals a connection to the disgraced Boston born Cardinal Michael Denney, now a virtual prisoner in the Vatican, responsible for the downfall of the Banca Lombardia, a man with powerful enemies, many from the criminal underbelly, who lost vast amounts of money and now seeking vengeance. If Denney steps outside the Vatican City, the police are waiting to arrest him, but the Catholic Church are not happy to be harbouring him, seeking a political solution as all his influence drains away. Inspector Falcone of the Rome State Police gives the art loving Nic, obsessed with the paintings of Caravaggio, a major role in the investigation, despite his obvious inexperience, and to the dismay of his partner, Luca, worried about anomalies in the case. All the victims have personal and intimate connections with Sara, it's Nic's task to get close to the dispassionate and enigmatic Sara, a Sara that appears to be the key to the entire case, but she is determined to keep her secrets.

Hewson writes a intricately plotted thriller with plenty of suspense and tension, set in the beautiful city of Rome, immersed in Italian culture and art, amidst the intrigue and corruption associated with the Vatican. There is an entertaining and engaging read, it easily held my interest with twist after twist. My only concern was the character of Nic, with his beloved famous communist father in the process of dying, and finding himself attracted to Sara. Nic was not a man I wholly believed in, but this did not diminish my enjoyment of this novel. Many thanks to Black Thorn for an ARC.

A shooting in the silent Vatican reading room leads to a horror beyond imagining for Detective Nic Costa and his team. Whilst Sara Farnese pours over ancient texts in the silent Vatican reading room, a brutal murder is taking place in a nearby church. Then suddenly a crazed man enters the Vatican carrying a bloodied bag. He walks up to Sara's desk. He has something he would like her to see . . .
Soon Sara is inextricably linked to a series of horrific and cunning murders, each one representative of the death of a martyr of the Church. Into this charged climate enter Detectives Nic Costa and Luca Rossi.
This book was my introduction to the author’s books & I’ve found another must read author. I loved the descriptions of Rome & he made he city come alive for me. I also liked Nic from the beginning but the more I delved into the book the more his character grew & had depth & by the end I loved him. I also loved his sidekick Rossi who added a bit of light heartedness to the book. The pace was good the mystery enthralling & I loved it
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

There are a lot of reviews for this 2003 thriller, so I'll just say that it kept me mostly engaged. It has a complicated plot, and though there are better serial killer tales, this one is entertaining.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

We open in a Vatican library all quiet just Sara Farnese.
All would change shock, horror and unimaginable death drops in.
The Vatican has its own rules but Luci Rossi and Nic Costa two policemen would stumble into this nightmare. People will come to question their faith with these murders. Fast paced from the first page you will be riveted to every line. There is nowhere to hide in Rome. No one is safe. What connection does Sara Farnese have to the victims. You will not want to put this book down till you uncover the truth.
I was given an Arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping and entertaining read, a novel with interesting characters and a well crafted plot that kept me hooked till the end.
I liked the well thought cast of characters, the solid mystery and the realistic descriptions of Rome.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The first in the Nic Costa series, <i>A Season for the Dead</i> relates the case Costa stumbles upon when assigned to watch St Peter's Square in the Vatican - the only place in the Vatican which Rome's police force patrols. What appears to be an open and shut case is far more than that, with a swerial killer on the loose, using the deaths of the martyrs to inspire his vengence. The victims seem connected to one woman, a Univertity History professor. But are they connected in a different way to a breaking financial scandal in the Vatican? Well paced and written, a great read for fans of books by David Baldacci, Donna Leon, and similar authors.

Loved the setting and the pace of the story. I got interested in the characters and the events as they unfolded. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Absolutely unputdownable thriller - extremely well written - tight and perfectly paced. I have never visited Rome and this book makes me want to - despite the gruesomeness of some of the scenes.

It you like your thrillers well plotted, involving and filled with suspense (and rather a lot of quite graphic violence)_ this is for you

A unique and gripping premise, this book takes you on a wild ride inside the mind of a diabolical killer...one who ends up hitting a bit too close to home. Eye-opening twists keep you engrossed in the story for hours on end, and culminates with a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.

**My sincere thanks to the author and publisher for providing a copy free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.**