This is the 10th book in the Nic Costa series by David Hewson about a Roman police detective. In this book, Costa leaves Rome for a secret mission in southern Italy. He and a group of his colleagues are assigned to smuggle an aging Mafia boss out of the area when he turns on his fellow Mafia families and agrees to lure their leaders to a meeting where the police will arrest them. The story is set against the background of Calabria and Sicily. It's a unique and secretive culture with Mafia families playing a significant behind-the-scenes role in daily life. Memorable characters are scarce in the story of the secret mission. The pompous Roman bureaucrat who ultimately takes the blame for the failure of the sting operation is a good example of the hubris of many ignorant and stupid people. It's difficult to keep track of all the minor characters and several of them fall by the wayside.
I found it a challenge to enjoy this book. There is no mystery and no thriller characteristics. What is interesting is the Mafia family and how they interact with Nic and his colleagues in their plot to turn in their competitor families. Nothing is as it seems, but there is little suspense in the storytelling. Nic's search for the Mafia leader's daughter after the end of the sting operation is an interesting conclusion to a lifeless story. Readers are not encouraged to keep reading to find out what happens next.
I recall that earlier books in the series are much better stories than this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Black Thorn, for providing me with an advanced reading copy of this eBook. The comments about it are my own. ( )

This is a tale that calls out to be loved. It is rich in the glimpses it gives of a culture far out of the mainstream of contemporary life as well as a deep sense of location, the beauty of the far reaches of the Italian boot. Alas, it is too rich. Hewson clearly loves that culture and the beauty of its landscape but in his desire to share he finds it hard to let go of any of his discoveries. The result is a plot that seems to run in circles. The noir is laid on thick and, at least for this reader, the resulting characters are far from sympathetic. One might want to take a peek in other installments in the series but I'd not recommend putting it high on the list. ( )

This is my first in the Nic Costa Mystery series and it can stand on its own. Mr. Hewson affirms that the book is fiction with some facts such as the three principal Italian crime organizations, the Mafia, the Camorra, and the ’Ndrangheta, which he so cleverly incorporates into his story.

Hewson’s story is told from various points of view mostly by Nic Costa and his best friend and work partner Gianni Peroni. The characters are cunning, capable, and vulnerable and the main characters are placed as fish out of water in an unlawful, but beautiful and simple land.

It is a very complex, unpredictable, and fantastic journey into a foreign land and a forbidden society that builds to a shocking finale. Highly recommended. ( )

Fraught

This is a thriller set largely in Calabria. The writing is overly dramatic and the story is too complicated and quite unbelievable. I didn't like it at all because of the style and could not bring myself to finish.

I received a review copy of "The Savage Shore: An Italian mystery" by David Hewson (Severn House) through NetGalley.com. ( )