Dexter grant's career as a senior systems designer with a french it company is over. having sold his house in london and moved to venice to embark on a new career, driven by his passion for art, he becomes entangled in a web of murder and intrigue. living in his spacious motor home on the lido, he rents out his newly renovated apartment in venice only to discover that a mysterious tenant embarks on a sequence of brutal killings. completely unaware of the political and criminal implications, dexter is harassed by the venetian police in their attempt to investigate the unfolding mayhem of crime throughout both venice and london. it soon becomes clear that a powerful cartel are involved, who have assigned a ruthless assassin to silence their enemies, the same killer then pursues dexter in order to retrieve an item that was taken whilst the killer rented his apartment. aided by friends, dexter attempts to disentangle himself from the frightening sequence of events in italy, which by now involve government agency officers, interpol, and scotland yard. returning to london to stage an important restoration project in the hope of attracting wealthy backers, dexter is pursued once again by the assassin during a further sequence of ruthless assignments. this powerful story of intrigue and mystery commencing in venice gains momentum on its passage through the archipelago of islands including pellestrina, burano, lido, and st. michelle. in london, the chase for the killer becomes intensive, calling upon the resources of both scotland yard and the venetian police in an attempt to avoid a serious international incident.