The snow is falling on the ancient streets of Rome. And in the heart of the city, under the Pantheons great dome, a womans body lies on the marble floor, carefully positioned with a gruesome carving on her back....In David Hewsons ingenious new thriller, this horrific murder hurtles Romes police force into a collision with U.S. agentsand a secret that has festered for fifteen years, now unraveling in the worlds most enigmatic city.When Detective Nic Costa arrives at the scene, he is unprepared for what he finds, or for the ambush that leaves his only witness vanished into the night. The dead woman was American. Within hours, U.S. agents descend with a take-no-prisoners style and a shocking story to tell: the killer has struck before, in monuments all over the world, leaving the same cryptic message carved onto the bodies of the victims. But one agent, beautiful, blond Emily Deacon, has yet another story to tell Nicabout a stunning act of deception that may lead back to the U.S. government, and her own chilling, personal connection to the killer. Now, as the first murder leads to more grisly slayings and a motley crew of veteran Roman cops jousts with the Americans, Nic is pulled into a womans harrowing search for the trutha search that will take them both into the mind of a madman, into a shocking conspiracyand into a dark episode in a nations long-forgotten past.From its haunting opening to its nerve-shattering climax, The Sacred Cut defies all our expectations, proving once again the unique and compelling genius of David Hewson.From the Hardcover edition.

The snow is falling on the ancient streets of Rome. And in the heart of the city, under the Pantheons great dome, a womans body lies on the marble floor, carefully positioned with a gruesome carving on her back....In David Hewsons ingenious new thriller, this horrific murder hurtles Romes police force into a collision with U.S. agentsand a secret that has festered for fifteen years, now unraveling in the worlds most enigmatic city.When Detective Nic Costa arrives at the scene, he is unprepared for what he finds, or for the ambush that leaves his only witness vanished into the night....  Read More