Free Book: A Season for the Dead by David Hewson (pdf)

Until 15 October, David Hewson's A Season for the Dead can be read online or downloaded from this site.

This is the first of the Nic Costa series, which now numbers seven, and is set in Rome. I reviewed the audio book a while ago.

Good news for Nic Costa fans

From an interview with David Hewson on the PanMacmillan site:

Is there more in store for Detective Nic Costa?

Lots. I had qualms about moving from standalone novels to a series, but when I did I felt the only way to approach it was with the idea that these books would run on forever. I didn’t want to run out of steam around book five or so, as so often happens. That’s why the second Costa book, The Villa of Mysteries, which is the first written for the series, brings in more characters and widens the perspective of the stories. I want sufficient texture and depth to keep me hooked. I’ve just finished the sixth and I’m about to launch into the seventh as keen as ever so I guess that must be working, for me anyway. I’m committed to writing nine Costa books contractually but I adore these characters and the stories they bring forth. I intend to keep on writing them for as long as people want to read them.

Read the whole interview, here.

February's first reviews and competitions

Here are this week's new reviews and details of February's competitions:

Latest Reviews:

In Mike Ripley's January crime file, he reviews Death in Hellfire by Deryn Lake, The Templar by Paul Doherty, Death at Dawn by Caro Peacock and The Garden of Evil by David Hewson;

Fiona Walker reviews The Patience of The Spider by Andrea Camilleri which has just been published in the UK;

Maxine Clarke was relieved that Asa Larsson's The Savage Altar (aka Sun Storm) was every bit as good as she'd hoped;

Laura Root enjoyed last month's competition prize - Bad Traffic by Simon Lewis;

Maxine finds Sjowall and Wahloo's third Martin Beck book, The Man on the Balcony to be a "lean and compelling novel"

and I review the first in a new series: Into the Shadows by Shirley Wells - set in a small Lancashire village where the hunts for a domestic murderer and a serial killer collide.


Current Competitions (closing date 29 February):

Win a copy of A Vengeful Longing by R N Morris (no geographical restrictions)

Win a copy of Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn (UK & Europe only)

(geographical restrictions are in brackets)

New Review on Euro Crime Website

I've just uploaded my review of the audio book of 'A Season for the Dead' by David Hewson.