The Sacred Cut

Welcome to Italian police detective Nic Costa’s Rome: the side of the city the tourist board does not want you to see.

“Hewson does more than provide a thrilling read. He saves you the airfare to Italy. When you turn the last page, you’ll think you’ve been there” LINWOOD BARCLAY

“David Hewson’s Rome is dark and tantalizing, seductive and dangerous, a place where present-day crimes ring with the echoes of history” TESS GERRITSEN

“David Hewson is one of the finest thriller writers working today” STEVE BERRY

“No author has ever brought Rome so alive for me – nor made it seem so sinister” PETER JAMES

“[Hewson is] a master plot maker” BOOKLIST

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A shocking murder. A city under siege. A serial killer who’s leaving a mark all his own.

It’s Christmas Eve and, for the first time in decades, Rome is paralysed by a blizzard. As the snow falls softly, a horrible discovery is made in the Pantheon, one of the Eternal City’s most ancient and revered architectural treasures. The body of a young woman carefully positioned on the marble floor, a gruesome carving on her back . . .

But before Detective Nic Costa and his partner Peroni can begin a formal investigation, the US Embassy brings in its own people: FBI Agents, who want the case closed down as quickly and discreetly as possible.

But Costa is determined to find out why – and as the FBI grudgingly admits to him that this corpse is not the first, the mutilations on the woman’s body point to Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man . . . and to a shocking international conspiracy that’s been festering for the past fifteen years.

Fans of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti, Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano and Michael Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen, as well as Louise Penny, Jeffey Siger and Martin Walker, will love this thrilling mystery series – perfect for readers who enjoy dark and complex character-led mysteries with multiple twists.

PRAISE FOR THE SACRED CUT:

“Stunning . . . a masterful mix of the high-concept historical thriller and the cynical contemporary Italian procedural” Booklist Starred Review

“Hewson''s literate prose, bolstered by local color and historical tidbits, makes for top-flight entertainment” Kirkus Reviews

“Hewson''s solid writing and multidimensional characters command attention from start to finish of this smart, literate thriller” Publishers Weekly

“Hewson is as adroit as ever in the crafting and characterizations in his tale” Rocky Mountain News

“Fully satisfying” Detroit Free Press

“A fast-paced procedural” The Sacramento Bee

“Hewson’s characters are finely drawn and consistent from book to book. He is a master at characterization . . . I highly recommend The Sacred Cut to all lovers of a good detective story and to all armchair travelers who love Rome” Blair M., 5* GoodReads review

“A must read if you like Rome, Italy or just a great thriller. You can''t go wrong with this book!” Geoff, 5* GoodReads review

THE NIC COSTA MYSTERIES, IN ORDER:

1. A Season for the Dead

2. The Villa of Mysteries

3. The Sacred Cut

4. The Lizard’s Bite

5. The Seventh Sacrament

6. The Garden of Evil

7. Dante’s Numbers (aka The Dante Killings)

8. City of Fear (aka The Blue Demon)

9. The Fallen Angel

10. The Savage Shore