Book Review: Lucifer's Shadow

Reviewed By: Luke Croll - RAM

Lucifer's Shadow     Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon Canada HC
David Hewson
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Thriller
HarperCollins; 2001; £16.99; 408pp
Classification Adult fiction (thriller)

In 1733 in Venice, Lorenzo Scacchi finds himself chaperoning a violinist who cannot reveal her identity. He is drawn into a game of deception. More than 250 years later, a young Englishman discovers the manuscript of an eighteenth-century concerto and becomes involved in a criminal world.

In his latest novel, Hewson succeeds in writing an interesting and authentic work. True, it may be littered with anachronistic dialogue, but apart from that, he succeeds in creating a superb sense of place and really makes Venice come alive. His description is rich and heavily detailed, in terms of both location and characters.

By paralleling the story of the present with that of the past, it does removes some of the suspense, but for the most part; it is a well-crafted thriller with an interesting plot and enjoyable characters. It is quite long, but it never becomes boring, always providing a new spark of interest for the reader. This is a book that fans of Italy are certainly going to enjoy.

Luke Croll - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Luke Croll - RAM

Luke Croll - Conference interpreter and translator
http://lukecroll.translatorscafe.com