A Known Evil

Written by Aidan Conway

Narrated by Mark Meadows

‘A rich and compelling crime thriller’ Adam Hamdy

A serial killer stalks the streets of Rome…

A gripping debut crime novel and the first in a groundbreaking series, from a new star in British crime fiction. Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin.

‘An intelligent, taut, stunner of a debut … Twists and turns aplenty in this complex, cleverly plotted crime thriller’ Deborah Masson

A city on lockdown.
In the depths of a freakish winter, Rome is being torn apart by a serial killer dubbed The Carpenter intent on spreading fear and violence. Soon another woman is murdered – hammered to death and left with a cryptic message nailed to her chest.

A detective in danger.
Maverick Detective Inspectors Rossi and Carrara are assigned to the investigation. But when Rossi’s girlfriend is attacked – left in a coma in hospital – he becomes the killer’s new obsession and his own past hurtles back to haunt him.

A killer out of control.
As the body count rises, with one perfect murder on the heels of another, the case begins to spiral out of control. In a city wracked by corruption and paranoia, the question is: how much is Rossi willing to sacrifice to get to the truth?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Release date: Mar 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9780008461850

Aidan Conway

Aidan Conway has been a barman, a factory worker, a bookseller, a freelance language consultant and a translator, amongst many other things. He currently teaches writing at John Cabot American University, in Rome, where he lives with his family.  You can follow him on Twitter @Conwayrome and Aidanconway.net

Reviews for A Known Evil

[rowingrabbit · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I read the blurb for this book, I was immediately drawn to the story line & location. However, whether or not it’s being marketed with an accurate tag line is open for debate.From the description, my impression was I’d be reading a taught thriller full of twists, action, suspense…the usual package. Instead, I found this to be more of a literary character study with a wealth of narrative exposition on the state of Italian society & the pervasive corruption that riddles every level of politics, the church, the police force & media. It’s a dense, well researched book that introduces Detective Inspector Michael Rossi & his partner DI Carrara. Initially they are assigned to “the Carpenter” investigation but prove too intent on getting at the truth & are soon sidelined. After Rossi’s girlfriend is attacked, they continue to secretly pick away in an effort to learn the killer’s real motive & who is pulling the strings. Along the way they cross paths with bent politicians, corrupt cops, possible mafia ties, underworld figures & less than honourable members of the church. There are also story lines involving Yana’s history, Rossi’s past, a Vatican official & the immigrant crisis on Lampedusa. As a young man, Rossi studied for the priesthood before becoming disillusioned with it all & joining the police service. He’s an intelligent, driven man who uses his knowledge of philosophy & poetry to help him make sense of the world around him. We spend a lot of time in his head as he stalks the streets of Rome, pondering its geopolitical & criminal history. And while this makes for interesting reading, it does little to build any feeling of suspense. The murders themselves occur mostly off page & with a stalled investigation, I must confess I felt like I was reading a book about Rossi instead of the hunt for a serial killer. At about the 50% mark, the pace picked up a bit & the focus started to narrow to the main story line. Initially I found the wealth of subplots & huge cast made it a challenge to truly engage but as some of theses fell away, it became a more engrossing read as we follow Rossi & Carrara in real time. I have to admire the author’s ambition. The scope of topics & story lines is massive & it’s all delivered in a conversational style of prose that’s very readable. And therein lies my issue with the tag line. Would I call this a thriller? No, not in any traditional sense. But it’s a well written, thought provoking book that deserves to find its audience & in my case, a simple mismatch between reader & book.As always, just my two cents & I’d encourage those looking for a different take on Italian crime & politics to give this a read.