From his office on the Street of the Assassins Nathan Sutherland English Honorary Consul to Venice assists unfortunate tourists as best he can. But his life dramatically changes when he is offered a large sum of money to look after a package containing a valuable antique prayer book illustrated by a Venetian master. Is it a stolen masterpiece - or a brilliant fake? Unknown to Nathan from a vast mansion on the Grand Canal twin brothers Domenico and Arcangelo Moro have been playing out a complex game of art theft for twenty years. And now Nathan finds himself drawn into their deadly business...