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THE VILLA OF MYSTERIES
by David Hewson
Pan, February 2005
320 pages
6.99GBP
ISBN: 0330493655


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

David Hewson doesn't seem to have enjoyed the same swift accession into full time writing as some of his colleagues. Despite his fervent wish, when very young, to be a writer, he served his early professional years in journalism but is, at last, making a name for himself in the world of crime fiction.

I have seen his Nic Costa novels compared in some manner with those of Donna Leon but I fail to see much similarity between the books of those authors. Admittedly, both writers set their tales in Italy and the protagonist of each works for an ailing and corruption-riddled Questura; beyond that, comparisons are meaningless.

THE VILLA OF MYSTERIES is the second outing for young policeman Nic Costa. Traumatised by a previous case and the death of his father, Costa has been on six months' leave recovering from injury and at the same time attempting to draw succour from too much alcohol.

On the first day of his return to work, he becomes part of a case involving the body of a young girl retrieved from a peat bog. Despite the initial thinking that the corpse had been interred some thousands of years in the past, a theory propounded by eccentric pathologist Teresa Lupo, it soon becomes known that the girl had been murdered 16 years previously.

Sixteen at the time of her death, the girl had disappeared on March 17 and her reappearance coincided almost exactly with the anniversary of her presumed abduction. At the same time, an American girl, extremely similar in appearance to the former kidnap victim, is reported missing.

All is not peaceful in the realm of crime in Rome. There are ripples of unease between crime boss Emilio Neri and Vergil Wallis, the black American stepfather of the dead girl. Neri's wife is contributing to the mobster's discomfort by her behaviour, making the crime boss doubt her fidelity and the loyalty of his own son.

Ancient rituals, a multitude of blonde women bearing arcane tattoos, murder most foul and policemen's unhappy lots proliferate in this story. The author has spent a lot of time in Rome in order to research material for his book and the labour pays off in the intricately-told tale. Almost equal time is lavished by the writer on the personal problems of the law breakers and the law enforcers alike.

A great deal of work has gone into the creation of Hewson's characters and the auspicious invention of the outlandish pathologist Teresa is a master stroke. Hewson does not refrain from the manufacture of truly odious people with repulsive personal habits which, paradoxically, does not detract from the allure of the story.

A strange mix of ancient culture, both fabricated and genuine ritual, as well as modern detection, this novel should appeal to all lovers of crime fiction.

Reviewed by Denise Pickles, March 2005

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