An invitation to an exclusive event during the Venice Biennale gives Honorary Consul Nathan Sutherland the perfect chance to drink prosecco in the sunshine and meet some greats of the art world. Then a world-famous critic is decapitated by one of the installations in the British Pavilion. A terrible accident it seems until a postcard is discovered in the victim's pocket depicting Judith beheading Holofernes. Three more postcards are sent out with deadly results. As the bodies pile up Nathan finds himself getting closer to the truth but when he himself receives an image of Death bearing a scythe he must race against time to save his own life...