Demons of Divine Wrath by Edward Izzi

Edward Izzi delivers a sharp, smart, and wickedly unpredictable novel in Demons of Divine Wrath, his latest literary shot across the Roman Catholic bow.

Mobsters with money on the mind and a pope who will stop at nothing to restore his reputation – and the coffers of the church – make this a globe-spanning thrill ride of violence and shadowy conspiracies. Add to that a dauntless, wise-cracking reporter, and a slick art dealer named Wolfgang with Nazi ties, and you have a complex tangle of money, power, history, and deception that will thrill loyal readers of a wide range of genres.

As has been the case in Izzi’s other work, the narrative is as much a history lesson as detective noir fiction, and the seamless weaving of fact and fiction gives this book a similar energy to Dan Brown’s conspiracy-laden hits. The methodical presentation of the key figures in the opening chapters builds suspense, letting readers put together the unlikely pieces and allies of this expansive tale. Izzi’s writing is perennially flexible, adopting different colloquial styles and tones with ease, smoothly transporting readers to new landscapes at the turn of a page, and driving home powerful lines that elicit a shudder of recognition.

There are minor editing issues that could be addressed, and some of the exposition could paint scenes more vividly, but as a whole, this is a riveting read, balancing deep character and contextual development with the gritty drama of a hard-nosed crime thriller.