Dante's Numbers (2009)

"Niet geschoten is altijd mis." An amusing novel that reads away quite easily, the plot is easy to follow but not too shallow. Unfortunately, the characters (except maybe for Nic Costa and Maggie Flavier) miss any sign of depth and - most frustratingly - the ending is one big deus ex machina. The Dantesk references in the first chapter end abruptly and are not picked up again later, as if they are only there for distraction.

All in all, a nice book for a summer holiday, but not the 'literary pageturner', nor the 'sinister combination of Dante's Divina Comedia and Hitchcock's Vertigo, as advertised on the back cover. Although I definitely want to see that movie now. ( )

One of the problems with reading books like these out of series is not being up to speed on all the things that have happened to the continuing characters in earlier books. I had read the first book (A Season for the Dead) a few years ago. In this, the seventh, the lead character seems to be in "neutral," the story revolves around a fifty-year-old movie and Dante is shunted off to the sidelines about half-way through. But, hey, there was a good explanation of a "tontine." ( )

This book had a name change- it was originally published as Dante's Numbers but now goes by the name of The Dante Killings. I picked it for my little mystery group and, as it turns out, I am the only one of the group who read it. I would have liked to have someone to bounce ideas and opinions around with... because, frankly, I found this book confusing and annoying and thrilling and clever and frustrating as hell.

I had a great deal of difficulty getting into the story. I had to re-read passages because I had no idea what was going on. I don't know if it was because of the Roman locale or because of something else. I did not realize that this was #7 in a series- perhaps I was missing vital storyline from prior books that would have made this one more enjoyable. Regardless, had I not been reading for my group discussion, I probably would have tossed it after 100 pages.

However, despite my initial dislike of the book, from a theory of one of the characters there came one of those fabulous and juicy "Holy Crap!" moments. From that point on, the story moved with the intensity of a Category 5 hurricane. The action was fast and furious and I could not have put the book down if I had wanted to. The twists and turns were way too fascinating and required every ounce of focus I possessed.

But then... the climax occurred (lots of thrills and chills and horror and stuff) and the book abruptly ended. I mean BOOM- the door has been shut in my face, the curtain has closed, good night and go home. I tried to thumb through the back cover, positive that there must be one more chapter somewhere. But, no, there was nothing else. I felt a bit cheated for a while until it dawned on me that the author left the details for me to suss out on my own. So I suppose I'll have to think about it for a while and come up with suitable disposition for everyone involved.

Or maybe I'll just read the next one in the series... ( )

Good mystery. The world view of the Italian dective is different. There is less violence and more thought. You learn more of the inner workings of the characters. The pace is slower than with an American detective, but there are other rewards. A good rfead with characters you will care about.

I'm a big fan of the Nic Costa series, but this entry was a disappointment. Nic and his team were often absent, and most of the action took place in San Francisco, not Italy. The plot centered on a film based on Dante's Inferno and connected to Hitchcock's Vertigo, and it was repetitive and dull. Hopefully the next entry will be back to the series' usual 5-star quality. ( )