It begins with an early morning phone call. A sudden act of vandalism has just been committed in the chill Venetian dawn. But Commissario Guido Brunetti soon finds out that the perpetrator is no petty criminal. For the culprit waiting to be apprehended at the scene of the crime is none other than Paola Brunetti, his wife.

As Paola’s actions provoke a crisis in the Brunetti household, Brunetti himself is under increasing pressure at work: a daring robbery with Mafia connections is then linked to a suspicious death and his superiors need quick results. As his professional and personal lives clash, Brunetti’s own career is under threat—and the conspiracy that Paola has risked everything to expose draws him inexorably to the brink . . . .

"As an American living near Venice, Donna Leon has crafted an imaginative series of mysteries set in the waterborne city, all starring police detective Guido Brunetti. The moods of Venice and the reflections of the canny, emotional detective are the most affecting qualities of the book."—Amazon