Fourteen-year-old Rob Vian thought Venice's Carnevale meant gelato, gondolas and glittering masks—until a plague-doctor mask tried to drown him.
Now the Australian teen is stalked through shadowy alleys by the self-styled "Spirit of Death". With every narrow escape the masked figure grows bolder, snatching Rob's photograph, threatening his friends and kidnapping famed violinist Signora Gina.

Rob's only allies are quick-witted Luca Gambergini and her exuberant Venetian crew. Together they race from flooded basements to crumbling palazzi, following clues that point to a hidden family legacy—and to a ruthless heir who will kill to keep it.

If Rob can't unmask the villain before the final night of Carnevale, the ancient city—and his own life—will sink beneath dark waters forever.

A pulse-pounding middle-grade thriller packed with Venetian history, runaway gondolas and edge-of-the-seat suspense.