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From the New York Times bestselling author of Sleepers, something completely different from his past work: a swift-moving thriller about a young American woman who is studying art history in Florence and finds herself dragged into the hunt for a lost work of Michelangelo’s.

Kate Westcott is an American woman studying art history in Florence, writing her thesis on the lost works of Michelangelo. Early into her stay, Kate befriends Marco, an art student who is Northern Italian handsome and not nearly as passionate about his work as is Kate. The two are together when they discover the Midnight Angels—three long-lost sculptures by Michelangelo. For Kate, the discovery is a dream come true, but it is also the beginning of a nightmare. Soon, Kate and Marco are dashing through Florence’s cobbled streets, on the run from the operatives of a master art thief and under the suspicion of the fabled Rome Art Squad, fighting not only to protect their find but to keep their lives.

REVIEWS

"This superior religious artifact quest thriller from Carcaterra (Sleepers) careens through the streets of Florence with quick stops at various museums and galleries for interesting sidebars on the life and work of Michelangelo ("the Divine One"). Two major groups are trying to find three Michelangelo statues, the Midnight Angels, long thought to be myth rather than reality: the secretive Vittoria Society, whose members locate stolen and lost art objects and return them to their rightful owners, and the Immortals, led by the Raven, a master thief who's as dangerous as he is ruthless. Early on, Kate Westcott, an American art student in Florence and the ward of the Vittoria Society's leader, tracks down the Midnight Angels, aided by her handsome Italian boyfriend, Marco. Many people die as Kate and friends fight to prevent the Immortals from stealing the Angels. The author's solid, well-executed premise will keep readers turning the pages."
– Publishers Weekly

"Midnight Angels is a riveting and ingenious read that will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours. Carcaterra knows Italy well and he brings the city of Florence to life in all its dark and bloody splendor. This book crackles with action, fabulous characters, witty dialog, and fine, literate writing. If you want to read a real book with a truly gripping art historical backdrop, pick up Midnight Angels."
– Douglas Preston, author of The Monster of Florence

“Lorenzo Carcaterra knows gritty storytelling, knows Italy, and pulls the two together as only he could in this masterful thriller. Midnight Angels is a true page-turner, but you’ll want to linger on every last paragraph like an early evening stroll through Florence.”
– Alafair Burke, author of 212

"Carcaterra, best known for the bestseller “Sleepers” that became a film starring Brad Pitt, makes his own case for literary stardom here with an elegantly crafted tale that follows the pursuit of three statues fashioned by Michelangelo himself.

Kate Westcott, an American art student studying in Florence, takes center stage in the quest, accompanied by her handsome playboy boy friend Marco. Their efforts are both aided and later opposed by the mysterious Vittoria Society who, along with a much more violent group known as the Immortals, have their own nefarious reasons for wanting the statues in handTreasure hunts always make for fun reading, but Carcaterra imbues the classy “Midnight Angels” with a savvy sense of the surprisingly cutthroat art world. This is the book Dan Brown wanted to write before he lost himself in “The Lost Symbol.” A smooth and sultry portrait of intrigue that never wavers or disappoints, drawn in broad brush strokes colored red for blood."
– Jon land, The Providence Journal

"Author Lorenzo Carcaterra, who is known for his work as a writer/producer on the TV series “Law and Order" as well as the movie “Sleepers,” delivers a highly charged story with “Midnight Angels.” Packed with thrilling chases, intriguing characters, and vivid descriptions of Florentine culture and landscapes, the novel keeps up a dizzying pace with its captivating storyline."
– Las Vegas Review

"Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of the best-selling novel "Sleepers" and other gritty crime novels, jumps on the Dan Brown ("The Da Vinci Code") bandwagon with his latest novel, "Midnight Angels." The thriller follows Kate Wescott, an American art history student, on a romp through Florence, Italy, in search of a lost Michelangelo masterpiece ? three angel sculptures known as the Midnight Angels.

Treasure hunting is in Kate's blood. Kate's parents were the founders of the secretive Vittoria Society (named for Signora Vittoria Colonna, the only woman ever known to have captured Michelango's heart), a collection of artists, historians and treasure hunters dedicated to finding lost works of art and returning them to their rightful owners. When Kate was a small child, her parents were murdered during a quest. She ws raised by professor Richard Dylan Edwards, a member of the Vittoria Society who nurtured Kate's interest in art and prepared her to take her place in the society. In Kate's search to find and safeguard the Midnight Angels, she is aided by her handsome Italian boyfriend, Marco, and watched over by Edwards and the Vittoria Society. Also watching are members of another secret society, the Immortals. The Immortals are also treasure hunters, but their motives are not so altruistic. Led by the mysterious figure known as the Raven, the murderous Immortals seek art only for the highest price it will fetch on the black market. As if two shadowy groups were not enough, Kate and Marco also have to contend with Antonio Rumore, a detective from the Rome Art Squad, an elite police unit that recovers stolen art. Kate and Marco have quite an adventure on their hands as they lead the secret societies and the police on a fast-paced chase through the streets of Florence. "Midnight Angels" offers plenty of action and some fun Michelango factoids ? he apparently suffered from constipation and complained about it often (no veggies in Renaissance Italy). "Midnight Angels" is a slick and entertaining summertime diversion..."
– Julie Williamson, Deseret News

"Piazza Santa Croce, Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, the magnificent Duomo: All familiar sites to those who have traveled to Florence, Italy. One author who knows the magnificent city of the Medicis backward and forward is Lorenzo Carcaterra, a movie script writer (Law and Order) who has visited Italy every year since he was a wee lad.  For those who can’t afford to go, for those who have already been, but forgotten much, Carcaterra’s new thriller is just the ticket.

“Midnight Angels” interweaves the rich tapestry of Florence with the adventures of Kate Westcott, an art historian who comes to Florence to study the work of Michelangelo. She already knows a lot about the fabled artist, but discovers more with her pal Marco Scudarti, another art student.  Wandering the cobblestoned streets of the beautiful city they stumble into a secret room in a corridor that has been sealed and forgotten since the time of the Medicis. Inside, they discover three sculptures that have never before been seen, only rumored to exist: the Midnight Angels.
What a find. And what a danger! Art thieves are on their tails, as is the Rome Art Squad.
Everyone wants the Midnight Angels. Are Kate and Marco still in the ballgame?"
– Dave Wood, New Richmond Times

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