Cassandra Anders is a New York-based artist who’s having a time of her life. But because of her father’s unfortunate predicament, Cassandra reluctantly agrees to marrying Philip Strindberg, whom she suspects to be a member of an underground mob. Besides having to deal with her overbearing husband, Cassandra needs to confront the past that has been haunting her for two years. Can she keep her composure while coping with the pressures of her craft, the stress from her husband’s family, and even danger brought by her husband’s involvement with the mob? Will she learn to love and accept her married life, or will she find a way to break free from it?

Offers an analysis of the portrayal of women in comic books and strips.

New York Times Bestseller: Two injured, unconscious American women are found in Venice, Italy, leading a police detective down a dark path: “A splendid read.” —BookPage In his many years as a commissario, Guido Brunetti has seen all manner of crime and known intuitively how to navigate the various pathways in his native city, Venice, to discover the person responsible. In this novel in Silver Dagger Award-winning series, he faces a heinous crime committed outside his jurisdiction. He is drawn in innocently enough: two young American women have been badly injured in a boating accident, joyriding in the Laguna with two young Italians. But Brunetti’s curiosity is aroused by the men’s behavior. Why did they run off after bringing the victims to the hospital if the injuries were accidental? As Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, investigate, they discover that one of the young men works for someone rumored to be involved in more sinister nighttime activities in the Laguna. To get to the bottom of what proves to be a gut-wrenching case, Brunetti needs to enlist the help of both the Carabinieri and the Guardia di Costiera. Determining how much trust he and Griffoni can put in these unfamiliar colleagues adds to the difficulty of solving a peculiarly horrible crime—whose perpetrators are technologically brilliant and ruthlessly organized . . . “Highly atmospheric . . . Brunetti continues to delight.” —Library Journal “[An] endlessly enjoyable series.” —The New York Times Book Review