The first in the acclaimed Nic Costa series.

'No author has ever brought Rome so alive for me - nor made it seem so sinister' - Peter James

'David Hewson's Rome is dark and tantalizing, seductive and dangerous, a place where present-day crimes ring with the echoes of history' - Tess Gerritsen

'Hewson keeps the reader guessing...relentlessly tightening the suspense until the end' - Daily Telegraph

There's no rest for the wicked...

While Rome is sweltering in the height of summer, a serial killer is on the loose. Sara Farnese is working in the Vatican library, when a man bursts in intent on showing her the contents of his bloodied bag, until a guard shoots him. But why was the man targeting Sara? Determined to find answers, Sara's path crosses with the young, up-and-coming Roman detective, Nic Costa. He's determined to track down the dangerous killer behind this bizarre and brutal murder and to protect Sara from becoming the next victim...