‘The Hunter of the Dark’ by Donato Carrisi

Published by Abacus (Little Brown),
5 November 2015.
ISBN: 978-0-349-14118-3 (HB). 
6 October 2016.
ISBN: 978-0-349-14117-6 (PB)

The Hunter of the Dark is a priest named Marcus who belongs to ancient Italian team within the Vatican called the Penienzieri. They are trained in detecting evil that no one else can see.

A murderer is at large in Rome who kills couples and subjects them to strange rituals bordering on the occult.

Sandra is a police photographer and she teams up with Marcus whom she knew previously to set about catching the “Monster” as the killer becomes known.

Investigations lead them back many years to an Institute for children who had committed terrible crimes. There then begins the job of tracing all the children and staff , leading them into many narrow escapes as they unveil the evil character responsible for the ritual killings.

Also what is the meaning of the image of a man with a wolf's head which appears at the scene of some of the murders?

Just as they think they are getting nearer the truth, something leads them in another direction, making for a gripping read which races along at a break neck speed. Also running parallel with the main story is the mystery of the discovery of the dismembered body of a nun in the Vatican garden a year earlier. Marcus found her body and is determined to find the killer and wonders if it is at all connected to the later murders.

What a great book, I had real trouble putting it down. The pace never lets up and one surprise after another actually made me gasp out loud. I love Rome and was transported there so good is the description.

Very interesting is the Author's note at the back. The penitenziere does actually exist and subjects mentioned in the book were based on reality. Although, obviously as he says Donato Carrisi “took liberties” with them to produce a story. A really fantastic read.

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Reviewer: Tricia Chappell

 

Donato Carrisi was born in 1973 and studied law and criminology. Since 1999 he has been working as a TV screenwriter.  The Whisperer, Carrisi's first novel, won five international literary prizes, has been sold in nearly twenty countries, and has been translated into languages as varied as French, Danish, Hebrew and Vietnamese. Carrisi lives in Rome.

  

Tricia Chappell. I have a great love of books and reading, especially crime and thrillers. I play the occasional game of golf  (when I am not reading). My great love is cruising especially to far flung places, when there are long days at sea for plenty more reading! I am really enjoying reviewing books and have found lots of great new authors.