The Rome Trilogy
The Cause Of All Fear
The Cause Of All Fear
The Cause Of All Fear
Investigating a gruesome Rome murder, detective Luca Meroni uncovers a deadly conspiracy linking British intelligence, the Camorra, and World War II secrets.
Trapped in a web of mafia violence and devastating family betrayals, he must navigate shifting loyalties to expose the truth – before the past costs him everything.
Nothing Can Be Loved
The Cause Of All Fear
The Cause Of All Fear
Investigating an heiress’s murder at a luxury Rome hotel, detective Luca Meroni uncovers a serial killer hunting young women linked to his own past.
Facing institutional corruption and betrayal within the police force, Meroni must confront his ghosts to catch a sadistic killer hiding behind a priest’s collar.
Make Thick My Blood
The Cause Of All Fear
Make Thick My Blood
Framed for the brutal assault of RAI journalist Teresa Conti amidst a high-level political scandal, detective Luca Meroni goes on the run.
Hunted by his own colleagues and abandoned by his allies, he must expose a conspiracy of political blackmail and media manipulation before Rome itself becomes his greatest enemy.
About Toni Viola
Roma e Amor
"Rome is my favourite city in the world. It has fascinated writers for centuries and tales of political intrigue, deep-rooted rivalry, unrequited love and violence plague its history. But Rome is love, Roma is ‘amor’ spelt backwards. The city is, as portrayed in the Paulo Sorrentino film, the ‘Great Beauty’. "
Authot interview in Crime Fiction Lover
The photograph
My mother was born in a small village near Cassino. At the time of the Battle of Monte Cassino in May 1944, she was six years old. This picture dates from after the War, showing my mother in traditional dress attending a festival at Castro dei Volsci – a small hilltop town on the road to Rome. It is the location of the Monument to Mamma Ciociara, a symbol of Italian resistance during World War II, and an everlasting memorial to the victims of the Marocchinate or “Moroccan Deeds.”
After Mussolini’s downfall in September 1943, my mother and her siblings hid in wine barrels in an old pigsty from the German soldiers. This anecdotal story was the inspiration behind the original draft of The Cause Of All Fear.
"Rome is an active presence ..."
"To highlight the disquieting nature of the contrast been the city’s surface grandeur and its seedy underbelly, Viola ensures that Rome has an active presence throughout the book. Streets, cafés and historic sites are all described with the familiarity of someone who understands how the city’s past and present overlap.
The Roman Forum, Piazza Cavour, Trastevere and other landmarks are not simply scenic settings – they reinforce the sense that modern crimes unfold in the shadow of ancient power. The juxtaposition is effective. Rome is both timeless and politically combustible, an ideal setting for a story in which ambition, corruption and revenge intertwine."
Review: Make Thick My Blood
What readers are saying ...
"Toni Viola’s writing style leans more toward literary fiction. It has that layered, slow burn. The prose is so well done. Set in Rome, Italy, the setting itself seemed like a character in the book. As someone who’s in the U.S. and who has never been to Italy, there is so much Italian culture in the book that made the characters rich and dimensional."
Verified Amazon Review: Nothing Can Be Loved
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