12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. The body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread - a British art historian specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting - is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop. As the local police struggle to restore order to the city Nathan Sutherland sets out to discover the truth behind Whiteread's death. The trail leads to the 'Markham Foundation' a charity working to preserve the ancient city. Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch. But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that in Venice at least angels come in many forms - merciful fallen and vengeful . . .