'Donna Leon has a wonderful feel for the hidden evils that lie below the façade of the magical city' The Times

Important information is leaking from inside the Venetian Questura, and Commissario Guido Brunetti is tasked with uncovering the culprit. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, a friend of his wife's comes asking for his help, fearful that her son is using drugs.

A few weeks later, the woman's husband is found unconscious at the foot of a bridge.

With only contradictory leads to follow, Brunetti navigates his way through Venice's underworld in an attempt to understand who is responsible for the vicious attack. But as he gets closer to discovering what happened, Brunetti is faced with a difficult truth: sometimes, it's the best intentions that lead to the darkest of consequences . . .

'En-chanting . . . drolly amusing . . . it's the living, bleeding humanity of the characters that makes Donna Leon's police procedurals so engaging' New York Times Book Review