THE VILLA OF MYSTERIES, by David Hewson

2/series. Another weird murder starring Rome-based Italian detective Nic Costa and the totally entertaining pathologist “Crazy” Teresa Lupo. A distraught tourist claims her lovely teenaged daughter has been kidnapped in broad daylight. A pair of truly ugly Americans, "souvenir" hunting, dig up the corpse of another teenager, which at first they think is an ancient Roman sacrifice. A mostly-retired Mafia capo comes to life. Is there a connection? A great deal of violence but not gratuitous (although a couple of the scenes, while believable, are for me a bit over the top). You'll feel as if you've spent a month in the Eternal City when you've enjoyed this; Hewson really knows his way around Rome. It’s a 4. www.davidhewson.com

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