At the Venice Biennale, s cold-blooded killer is found among the works of art
Summer in Venice is brutal, and the heat is beginning to drive the people of the city mad. A woman storms into the Biennale art fair and slashes a painting with a knife. A young girl is found raped and murdered in her own bed. And a model named Flavia Brollo appears at the home of Urbino Macintyre's closest friend, the Contessa da Capo-Zendrini, to declare that she is the noblewoman's illegitimate daughter.
When Flavia is found floating in the canal, Macintyre dedicates himself to finding the killer. His inquiries lead him back to the Biennale, where the art world's most powerful figures congregate to buy, sell, and indulge their darkest desires. Before the fair is over, Macintyre will discover that even murder can be a work of art.