First published 2012
Emma Callum once shocked London society by running away to marry an Italian count. Now she faces a nightmare in Venice. Her father-in-law lies dead, murdered in his palazzo. Her husband has disappeared without explanation. Emma has nowhere to turn except to Lady Emily, the childhood nemesis she left behind in England. Emily drops everything and travels to Venice with her husband Colin Hargreaves. She plunges into the investigation, moving through the city's grand palaces and its darkest corners. The case leads her to libraries and brothels, drawing her deep into Venice's hidden world. Emily discovers that solving this modern crime requires her to decode secrets buried for centuries. The historical puzzle proves as dangerous as the recent murder. Powerful people want the past to stay buried. Emily must navigate both ancient conspiracies and present threats. The truth she seeks could destroy the very people who now control Venice's fate.
Genres: historical-fiction, suspense, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Venice, England, Italy
Period: 19th-century
309 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books