The Garden of Evil

By: David Hewson

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Nominated for the Audiobook Download of the Year, 2008.

In a hidden studio in Rome, an art expert is found dead in front of one of the most beautiful paintings Nic Costa has ever seen - an unknown Caravaggio masterpiece.

But before long, tragedy will strike Nic far closer to home. The main suspect's identity is known, but he remains untouchable, protected by a fleet of lawyers and a sinister cult known as the Ekstasists.

If Costa can crack the reasons for the cult's existence, he may well stand a chance of nailing his wife's killer. But the mystery will take him right back to Caravaggio himself and the reasons he had to flee Rome, all those centuries before.

©2008 David Hewson (P)2008 WF Howes Ltd

The Cowboy movie syndrome lives

Does anybody remember the classic scene in the cowboy movies where the villain holds a gun to the heroine's head and orders the hero to drop his gun? I do. I also remember dozens of wise ten year olds yelling at the screen: "Don't do it. He's going to kill her anyway!" Unfortunately, whenever Hewson needs for the villain to escape, that's the only device he can come up with, except for one memorable instance when the hero gets a clear shot at the villain and, so help me God, the gun clicks on empty. PLEEEASE! I understand that the villain must triumph initially, or the book would be awfully short, but any author worth his salt can come up with something other than a worn cliche. There are other minor inconsistencies that don't stand up to logic, but it is a mostly a good read. I just wish the author had a better imagination.

great surprise!

after the other tepid reviews, i hesitated to purchase this book... I'm so glad i did! found the story gripping and intense, the characters fascinating, the juxtaposition of history and present exciting. the narration was wonderful: finally, someone who can pronounce Italian properly! if you enjoyed the Da Vinci code, i think you would enjoy this tremendously as well~ i couldn't put it down~

Good Italian Mystery

THis was a thoroughly enjoyable mystery set in modern day Rome. Well read, good suspense and creative concept. This is particularly fun if (1) you like Italy and (2) you like art. If those are not your thing, try another book.

Too much like a Da Vinci Code knock-off

The book starts off strong but really runs out of gas half-way through. The female lead became very irritating and her end move was unbelievable. At points in the book, I thought I was reading a new volume of the Da Vinci code. Reading diaries from 400 years ago to give clues to a modern crime? Come on. Get real.The information about Caravaggio was good but at times seemed like the only story line that held the book together.

for art lovers

After listening to this book, I was ready either to hop on a plane and head for Rome, or to sign up for a very expensive tour that purported to follow in Caravaggio's footsteps. Hewson's novels keep getting better, and this one is fabulous, but, if you don't like paintings, history, art history or mysteries that link history with the plot, this isn't for you. It does require some attention to not only a somewhat improbable plot, but also quite detailed analysis of Caravaggio as a painter and historical figure. The attention is well-rewarded, as Nic Costa gets better and better--more complex, more interesting, and always on the verge of some new phase of his life.

The reader is great; the pace is fine, and the plot, though improbable, keeps racing along.

A thoroughly enjoyable book to listen to. And I think Hewson is generally better as an audiobook than a written one, so you can savor his sense of place.

Fun exploration of Rome

It is fun to move through Rome, and to explore the world of Carravegio. The plot is secondary in value to the history of Rome and art.

Italian police procedural by an Englishman, good!

For a summary of the story read the publisher's summary placed after the title details. I give my reaction to & opinion of the book & try to avoid giving away any plot spoilers. Maybe what I say will help someone decide to buy or not to buy the book.
I enjoyed this Englishman's story of an Italian police procedural & preformed by a talented American accented narrator. Even though its subject is gruesome & about pornographic subjects, it is not explicit. I was relieved to find this so. The advice given several times in the story is to read the title of the artwork first. This advice works for the title of this mystery too. I found the story engrossing. Like other foreign authors using Italy as the setting for their mysteries (Donna Leon & Michael Dibdin), I am glad of their middleman interpretations.
Saul Reichlin makes listening to the action a pleasure and transported me to another place. He gives each of the different characters their own voice.
I will buy another Hewson mystery. Maybe it will be one earlier in the series although I caught on to these characters just fine.

Worth the effort

I am a fan of David Hewson and have read most of his mystery/thrillers set in Italy. Once again, Hewson gives us several heroes although Dectective Nic Costa is regularly cited as the main character. Hewson gives almost equal billing to Leo the Chief Inspector, Gionni, Nic's partner and Theresa, the medical examiner/pathologist. Hewson again is able to place his stories and his characters in familiar Italian locations and cleverly tie his stories back to an earlier time. In this book, he makes Caravaggio almost a main character morphing the contemporary story back to Caravaggio's life in the early 17th Century.

The plot line strains even the most devoted reader's ability to suspend belief but remember this is a mystery/thriller and you get what you pay for. In earlier books, Hewson seems to give his female supporting characters the job of solving the mystery while credit for the solution stays with the male lead. This book is no exception. This time a young nun/sister/Caravaggio scholar is the real hero and along with Theresa helps Nic and the guys solve the crime.

This is not the best of the Coasta series but is worth the effort.

revisit Rome and enjoy a great thriller

I loved the setting,the storyline was unusual and the characters were not the standard. It had me engrossed form the first 5 minutes.

I'll be coming back for more...

What did you love best about The Garden of Evil?

Even though this is in the middle of the 'Nic Costa' series, I found this book easy to engage with from the first chapter. A great murder-mystery set in Rome, I enjoyed it from start to finish. The question is now, do I read the next book in the series, or start from the beginning...

What other book might you compare The Garden of Evil to and why?

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. I found it hard to switch it off.