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"\\nNew York Times best-selling author, Lorenzo Carcaterra, is back with a fast paced thriller so good, there's a solid chance you'll devour it in one sitting. Midnight Angels tells the tale of Kate, a beautiful American woman studying art history in Florence. When Kate and fellow art student, Marco, unearth a secret chamber and discover Michelangelo's Midnight Angels \u2014 three small sculptures rumored to exist but never before seen \u2014 they unknowingly place themselves in harm's way. Soon, the two are on the run from \"The Raven\" \u2014 a dangerous art thief who will stop at nothing to claim these priceless pieces as his own. Cosmo talked to Lorenzo about his inspiration for the book and his fascination with Michelangelo \u2014 aka the \"Mick Jagger\" of his day. \n\tAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below\n\t\n\nIn Midnight Angels, you write about the \"Vittoria Society,\" a group of treasure hunters determined to find Michelangelo's lost work. Are there really underground societies out there with this same mission? \n\nThere are rumors that they exist, but because they obviously have to fly under the radar there's no factual evidence to prove it. But these kinds of secret societies have always intrigued me. How much of Michelangelo's missing art described in the book is actually thought to be missing in real life? I worked with the Rome Art Squad, and they estimate that about 30% of works from all the great artists \u2014 not just Michelangelo \u2014 are not in museums. That number varies depending on who you're talking to, but for example, three of Michelangelo's works have been discovered since my book was published. There are a lot of theories about where these missing pieces are, but a lot of very wealthy people likely have some of them hanging in their mansions. Are you an art enthusiast yourself, or did this book require a lot of research on your part? I've been fascinated with Michelangelo since I was a kid. My aunt was married to a guy from Florence, a city where you can't help but feel Michelangelo's presence. I spent a lot of time there and learned about Michelangelo as a result. What was it about Michelangelo that piqued your interest? The guy was like the Mick Jagger of his day \u2014 a rockstar with a major ego and tons of groupies. I also felt like our upbringings were similar. He came from a family that was always hustling; they never knew when the next paycheck was coming in. I grew up in Hell's Kitchen (in NYC), which was not a glamorous neighborhood back then, and had a very similar experience. A lot of your books feature strong female characters, and Midnight Angels is no exception. Kate is totally fearless, while her partner in crime, Marco, is the timid one. Usually it's the other way around, so what inspired you to shake up the power dynamic? I always have strong women in my books, but they've never been the lead before. I really wanted to change that in this book. I think women are smarter, and when I was interviewing art scholars for the book, there was a huge difference between how the men spoke about art, and how the women did. Men were very factual, whereas women were passionate. I wanted Kate to have that kind of passion. What other qualities did you want Kate to have? She's an art student/junior professor, so it wouldn't be realistic for her to all of the sudden go from academic to the chick from Alien. So she's tough, but she's not going to kill anyone...yet. Many of your past books fall into the gritty, New York City street crime genre, and you used to write for Law &amp;amp; Order as well. Why did you decide to take a departure from New York and a more traditional form of crime writing? I've wanted to write this book for a while. For me, it's not a complete departure because the crime element is still there, and I also write about things that are in my comfort zone. New York City street life is what I grew up with, but I've also spent a lot of time in Italy (with Italian relatives) and grew up hearing and reading about Michelangelo.  I'm not going to do a book about a treasure hunt in Egypt, a place I know nothing about. I like to write about the things I know and that are a personal passion of mine. All of your books have been optioned by Hollywood, and your second book, Sleepers, was turned into a movie with an all-star cast that included Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Kevin Bacon, and Minnie Driver. What would be your dream cast for Midnight Angels? Kate is intelligent and beautiful, so you need an actress who is both those things but who can also nail the action scenes, which is why I think Natalie Portman would be perfect. In an ideal world, The Raven (the villain) would be played by Al Pacino, but I'd take Russell Crowe too! And my kids think I'm crazy but I see Jonah Hill playing Kate's partner in crime, Marco. Marco is kind of this dopey guy who doesn't really care about finding Michelangelo's lost art, he's just along for the ride because he wants to impress Kate. \n\tAdvertisement - Continue Reading Below\n\t\n\nAngels ends with the introduction of a new villain, and her ominous presence seems to imply that we would see her again. Any plans for a sequel? Yes. In the next book Kate and Marco are hunting for the treasure described in The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. There may even be a bit of a love triangle between Kate, Marco, and Rumore (an Italian cop), but I don't have it all mapped out yet. Stay tuned..."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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