The Fallen Angel

When I began reviewing books in August last year, one of my main goals was to challenge myself and explore titles I wouldn’t normally read – on the whole I think I’ve done quite well but I need to do better as an old and inspirational teacher once said to me! – Think outside the box lad!

With that in mind I received an ARC of David Hewson’s “The Fallen Angel” from Pan Macmillan a few weeks ago and although a crime thriller and well within my comfort zone – it was my first Italian mystery and one I was sure would offer the challenge I was seeking!

Set in its entirety in the ghettos of Rome, “The Fallen Angel” is marvellous blend of historical and fictional narrative – one Hewson carries off remarkably well I may add – as we follow Detective Nic Costa and his colleagues in their quest to solve another crime.

I must confess before I began reading Hewson’s book I had very little interest in Italian history – sure most of us have studied Roman history at one point or other in school or university – but I honestly wouldn’t have gone out of my way to pick up a book that for the greater part spent time revisiting 16th century history in Rome.

However, once I began reading, and bear in mind this is my introduction to David Hewson’s work, I was mesmerized by the Italian beauty contained within. Hewson’s captivating prose and his obvious passion for all things Italian is clear for all to see – it ignited an interest I really didn’t expect; the author’s passion is certainly infectious.

The first half of the book explores the fascinating history surrounding the events that lead to the tenuously legal execution of Beatrice Cenci in the 16th century. Daughter of the violent and abusive Francesco Cenci, an immoral aristocrat who found himself in trouble with the Pope on more than one occasion, the family as a whole suffered at his hands but due to the leniency afforded nobility in those times he escaped long sentences.

“The Fallen Angel” is available at The Book Depository (free P&P) & Amazon (UK)

Francesco was beaten to death by Beatrice, her brother and mother and thrown off the balcony to assimilate an accidental death. The papal police failing to recognise the death as accidental sentenced the family to death.

“The tyres are barely legal,” he complained. “Does the horn work?” – Costa pressed it

“Sounds like an asthmatic duck. I could drown you in tickets right now”

“Only if you were a traffic cop. Which you’re not. Now get on agente. And don’t squirm about back there. It may upset my balance”

Beatrice Cenci

Four centuries later while enjoying a warm August evening in Rome, Nic Costa, on holiday, hears the strained screams of a woman. He initially ignores the sounds but when they continue vociferously, he runs to her aid only to discover a young beautiful girl, clearly in distress, hunched over a bloodied body lying on the cobbled street. It doesn’t take Costa long to notice the similarities between the death and Beatrice Cenci.

Costa is enamoured by the young girl (Mina Gabriel) and using his holiday status as an excuse befriends the girl and together the pair explore Cenci’s Rome. Hewson uses this relationship to great effect taking the reader on an explorative and atmospheric journey around the streets of Rome, all the while offering snippets of information surrounding its historical past.

As the story progresses, the pace inevitably increases until it reaches a climactic dénouement. The intricate plot is well told and the characterisation exemplary. Although my knowledge of the Italian police force is limited at best, the police procedural is certainly believable and every now and then my mind wandered into a “Law & Order” zone when the police and lawyers combined in a desperate fight for justice against insurmountable odds.

The greatest achievement of this book for me is my newly found interest in Italian history and a desire to perhaps one day, in the near future, visit Rome and follow in Beatrice Cenci’s footsteps myself.

A wonderfully evocative narrative that investigates Italy’s past and present, Hewson effortlessly encapsulating Rome’s heart and soul as Nic Costa travels temerariously around the ghetto of Rome on his aging Vespa –pa-pa-pa-pa-pa!

Published by Pan Macmillan “The Fallen Angel” is available at The Book Depository (free P&P) & Amazon