Children of the Savage City is the sequel to May the Wolf Die, but it reminds you of what happened before, so you can jump right in here if you haven’t read the first book or don’t remember everything that happened last time.

It starts when Valerio’s religious mother witnesses a murder at church. She’s sure the killer was a servant of Satan. Meanwhile, Nikki is still dealing with trauma from the events of the last book as a new case presents itself. She continues to face sexism at work, making the job of solving a murder harder than normal. I like that the detectives both have families. It makes them feel more real than the lone wolf characters you find in other detective books.

This novel is set in Italy and presents Americans as the exotic outsiders, which gives it an interesting perspective. I knew I was in for a gritty story from the start, but halfway through, a Jeffrey-Epstein-like character appears and things get particularly dark. It does speak to our present moment in time, though.

Children of the Savage City is full of heart-pounding action and intrigue. Seemingly unimportant details all come together in the end, fitting together like disparate pieces in an intricate puzzle. Can’t wait for the next book!