City of Fear

March 8, 2010
A threatened terrorist attack during a G8 conference spells trouble both personal and professional for sovrintendente
Nic Costa in Hewson's assured eighth novel to feature the Roman police detective (after Dante's Numbers
). Italian president Dario Sordi, a former friend of Costa's late father, asks Costa to look into the re-emergence of the Blue Demon, a strange terrorist group fascinated with Etruscan civilization, which is linked to past and present-day murders of bland civil servants and an imminent strike against the conference delegates. As Costa and his team of investigators examine the trails of evidence more closely, what they find does not match the official facts and reveals uneasy connections to the government and other agents that may point to a larger conspiracy. Well-drawn characters, a brisk pace, and some unexpected plot twists provide a satisfying read for the political thriller fan.

May 1, 2010
In his eighth series appearance (after "Dante's Numbers", retitled "The Dante Killings" in paperback), Det. Nic Costa and his colleagues are marginalized during an economic summit when a terrorist threat shuts down the city of Rome. Handed the dead-end case of a murdered bureaucrat, Costa sinks his teeth into the investigation, despite being warned off by both the Carabinieri and foreign security services. Roman scenery, the cops' mutual loyalty and personal lives, and a tangled web of political alliances make this a police procedural with both excitement and depth. VERDICT The ending presages a new direction for Costa and his friends, one that series fans will eagerly anticipate. Highly recommended. [Library marketing.]

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