Charlie Howard - struggling crime-writer by day, talented thief by night - has gone straight. But holing himself up in a crumbling palazzo in Venice to concentrate on his next novel hasn't got rid of the itch in his fingers. And to make matters worse, a striking Italian beauty has just broken into his apartment and made off with his most prized possession, leaving a puzzling calling card in its place. It looks as though kicking the habit of a lifetime will be much more of a challenge than Charlie thought. Sneaking out into Venice's maze of murky canals, Charlie's attempts to tame a cat burglar embroil him in a plot that is far bigger and more explosive than he could ever have imagined.