Dante's Numbers aka The Dante Killings

399 Pages·2016·1.64 MB·English

by  Hewson David

Praise for David Hewson’s Novels
THE DANTE KILLINGS
“Easily the best yet in a really terrific series.”
—LEE CHILD, #1 bestselling author of Gone Tomorrow
“The return of Nic Costa is a true cause for celebration.… A literate, page-turning tale that finds
our hero—one of the most appealing in crime fiction—zipping between two of the most iconic
cities in the world: Rome and San Francisco. Hewson is a daunting talent—a writer who is a
master stylist, who respects his audience’s intelligence and who effortlessly keeps the thrills
coming a mile a minute.”
—JEFFERY DEAVER, bestselling author of Roadside Crosses
“One of my all-time favorite fictional detectives is David Hewson’s Nic Costa, and The Dante
Killings brings Nic for the first time to American shores. From the opening scene of murder and
mayhem at a movie premiere to the final, mind-blowing surprise, The Dante Killings is an
elegant, clever, and terrifying tale of intrigue and murder involving Dante’s first circle of
Hell and Hitchcock’s classic film Vertigo. An outstanding novel.”
—DOUGLAS PRESTON, bestselling author of The Monster of Florence and Blasphemy
“The Dante Killings is action-packed suspense at its smartest and most gripping.
Transplanting Nic Costa and his fellow Italian detectives to the dizzying world of Hitchcock’s
Vertigo is a masterstroke from a brilliant author. It’s impossible not to be swept up in the
memorable, compelling world that is David Hewson’s specialty.”
—DAVID MORRELL, bestselling author of The Shimmer
“This is a tour de force from one of the most original thriller writers around. With Dante-
inspired villainy, Hitchcock obsessives, and an abundance of imaginative twists and turns, David
Hewson pulls out all the stops. Unmissable.”
—LINWOOD BARCLAY, bestselling author of Fear the Worst
“David Hewson is one of the finest thriller writers working today. The Dante Killings is politically
wise, multi-dimensional, and psychologically intuitive. Action braids suspense on nearly every
page, creating a reader’s delight from beginning to end. A superb effort by a master
storyteller. The rest of the world already knows how good David is. Now it’s time America
finds out.”
—STEVE BERRY, bestselling author of The Charlemagne Pursuit
“Sending his cast to America is a masterful touch from Hewson.… Rich in characters, complex
of plot, [The Dante Killings] is a worthy entry in an erudite, entertaining series.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
“You find yourself catching your breath after each chapter for the next rush. Flawless
suspense.”
—Wichita Falls Times Record News
“With his carefully prepared stories, larded with tasty historical tidbits and spread out across the
series’ sumptuous Roman setting, David Hewson has created a growing clientele of satisfied
readers.… Shocking and satisfying.”
—Winston-Salem Journal
“I always have a special feeling when I begin a new book by a familiar author, especially one like
David Hewson, who has never disappointed.… This is no exception.… [Hewson is] a magician
with the English language. This is a top-notch, thrilling ride.”
—Mystery News
THE GARDEN OF EVIL
“A dark jewel of a thriller … A plot as serpentine—and suspense-filled—as the ancient Roman
byways through which Costa stalks his prey.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Hewson’s latest Nic Costa thriller opens with a shocker that will have series fans reeling.…
Arturo Pérez-Reverte has long set the gold standard for mixing history, mystery, and
modern life into literary stews of mouthwatering flavor and incredible subtlety, but it’s
time to agree that Hewson now shares that position—and is on the verge of claiming it
outright.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“The Garden of Evil is the sixth in the Costa series and is even more gripping than its
predecessors. Hewson is a cunning storyteller and the opening is deceptively leisurely.… The
Garden of Evil is impossible to put down.”
—Daily Express
“Hewson sets his stories so firmly in place that it’s possible to go from street to piazza to alley,
and almost feel the stones of the walks or touch the stones of the ancient Roman bricks. The
Garden of Evil is the best book so far in the Costa series, and that’s saying a lot, but Hewson
takes his plotting here a giant step further than in the usual cop/chase story.”
—The Globe & Mail
“David Hewson is in top form with this novel, taking his readers on a gripping journey through
the streets of the Eternal City.”
—Choice magazine
“Captivating to the final page.”
—The Scotsman
“It sizzles with grisly murders, well-drawn characters you will care about, dialogue to envy, and
all in a story not to forget.”
—Mystery News
THE SEVENTH SACRAMENT
“A sophisticated and original thriller that cements David Hewson’s burgeoning reputation as one
of crime writing’s most exciting talents.”
—Mystery & Thriller Club magazine
“The interplay between Hewson’s three cops—and between them and the especially rich
supporting cast—lifts this novel far above the plot-driven Da Vinci Code and its many imitators. A
superb mix of history, mystery, and humanity.”
—Booklist
“Every bit as convoluted and awe-inspiring as the Catacombs themselves.”
—The MLB News
“Intricate … A mystery whose poignant resolution few readers will anticipate.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Brimming with realism, a touch of romance (which feels inevitable given the assortment of
characters), a mystery to solve, and just a pinch of the macabre. It is always a pleasure to
recommend David Hewson’s series for the sheer joy of experiencing intelligent writing plus the
added bonus of the picture-postcard visits to Italy.”
—Mystery News
“Hewson delivers once again. His ability to combine seemingly innocuous facts and characters
into a well-designed and -scripted story line ensures that readers are kept guessing until the end.
Those who enjoy a good mystery should certainly consider this author.… Difficult to put down.
One of the better reads of the summer.”
—Wichita Falls Times Record News
“Rich and intricate … with results you won’t see coming.”
—Sullivan County Democrat
“Hewson spins a compelling tale that educates and entertains.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
THE LIZARD’S BITE
#5 on the Bookseller (UK) Top 20 Fiction Heatseekers List 2/9/07
“Told with dashing style, in atmospheric set pieces that capture the theatrical grandeur of
Venice and the pockets of miserable squalor behind its splendid façade.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“This complex novel, a journey to hell and back, is leavened with food and humor and propelled
by suspense and action. The atmospherics are extraordinary—Hewson does Venice every bit as
well as Tony Hillerman does New Mexico. The ending is particularly satisfying, like watching
a multistage finale to a spectacular fireworks display.”
—The Boston Globe
“Hewson takes the story well beyond its genre-bound premise, mixing Venetian ambience and
the lore of glassmaking with a multifaceted examination of his characters’ dark sides. A richly
ambiguous finale only adds to the pleasure.”
—Booklist
“Hewson’s wonderfully complex and finely paced fourth crime novel … Hewson is particularly
strong on characterization, revealing each personality subtly and naturally.… Newcomers
as well as series fans will be enthralled.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Hauntingly evocative … a suspenseful story with a surprising conclusion and characters the
reader has come to treasure … Stylish, literate entertainment.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
THE SACRED CUT
“Stunning … Hewson expertly blends historical material into the text.… All this historical detail
gives the proceedings a tasty complexity comparable to Pérez-Reverte, but what really makes this
novel work is the interplay between the trio of antiestablishment Roman cops.… A masterful
mix of the high-concept historical thriller and the cynical contemporary Italian
procedural.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“A mesmerizing experience.”
—Houston Chronicle
“[With] stylish writing and his love of the city … Hewson serves up welcome snapshots of
Italy much as Donna Leon does in her series set in Venice.…”
—The Washington Post
“An intriguing blend of spy novel and serial-killer tale. Hewson’s prose is top rate, his recurring
characters even more interesting with each novel, his trademark twists as unexpected as always.
The Sacred Cut is entertainment that challenges, fiction that’s a cut above the ordinary.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
THE VILLA OF MYSTERIES
“A complex and satisfying mystery from a master plot maker.”
—Booklist
“An atmospheric follow-up steeped in dark ritual.”
—Publishers Weekly
“What happens in this titular place is so macabre and nasty it makes for a story you won’t soon
forget.”
—Rocky Mountain News
“Hewson writes a compellingly complex novel, one with numerous twists. Near the end, one
surprises—and a second stuns. A haunting portrayal of evil—and damaged women. The Villa of
Mysteries will leave readers eager for Costa’s third adventure.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
A SEASON FOR THE DEAD
A Bill O’Reilly Book Club Selection
“A delicious and compelling view of the public art of Rome and the private intrigues of the
Vatican.”
—Library Journal
“A Season for the Dead, like The Da Vinci Code, is a thriller that takes an unflattering look at the
Catholic Church, but is better written and more sophisticated than Dan Brown’s phenomenal
bestseller.… The books differ, too, in that Hewson, far more than Brown or most thriller writers,
has a serious concern for character.… Intelligent entertainment.”
—The Washington Post
“Hewson’s suspenseful, fascinating mystery has an appealing detective and many complex
characters on both sides of the law. Twisting and turning through Italian history and art, Nic
Costa’s first case gives the serial murder mystery a new look.”
—The Dallas Morning News
LUCIFER’S SHADOW
A Deadly Pleasures Best Mystery/Crime Novel 2004
“Entertaining [and] fun.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This intelligent and highly detailed thriller rivals Pérez-Reverte’s The Flanders Panel in historical
intricacy, complexity of motive, and multileveled storytelling. Masterfully plotted … Prepare
for a devilish ride in which beauty masks wickedness, and righteousness is relative.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Good mysteries set in Venice are a growth industry … and David Hewson’s new book is one of
the best in recent memory.… Hewson has created a brave and fascinating double strand of linked
plots, one set in 1773 and the other in the present.… Add horribly believable scenes of violence,
enough sex to ensure the city’s reputation for romance, as well as great gobbets of food and
scenery both splendid and squalid, and you begin to see why Lucifer’s Shadow is
unputdownable.”
—Chicago Tribune
ALSO BY DAVID HEWSON
THE NIC COSTA NOVELS
A Season for the Dead
The Villa of Mysteries
The Sacred Cut
The Lizard’s Bite
The Seventh Sacrament
The Garden of Evil
Lucifer’s Shadow
AND LOOK FOR
City of Fear in Summer 2010