He died in the darkness, and they find his body at sunrise. He lies on Venice's most popular beach, his throat slit and his tongue cut out.Italian police captain Kat Tapo suspects a ritual murder. Evidence points to the shadowy brotherhood of the Freemasons, but its members won't cooperate with a policewoman. If Kat wants to solve this case, she'll need to use all the allies she has: friends, lovers, hackers, spies.Working alongside her American colleague, US Army lieutenant Holly Boland, Kat soon realizes that she needs to look beyond the crowded streets of Venice for answers. From the United States to North Africa to the virtual world of Carnivia, created by notorious hacker Daniele Barbo, Kat is in a deadly race against time to unlock the secrets of Italy's past--before Venice itself starts to burn. . . . ful and influential, money isn't the only motive for murder.While she focuses on her investigation, American intelligence analyst Holly Boland finds a document among her father's possessions that offers evidence of a shocking Cold War cover-up. The deeper the second lieutenant digs into what her father knew, the more she begins to wonder: Was her father silenced before he could expose the truth?Reclusive genius Daniele Barbo, creator of the anonymous virtual world Carnivia.com, makes a chilling discovery of his own: his website has been contaminated by a malevolent virus that will cripple Italy unless he can break his own encryption and prevent catastrophe.As the three cases merge, the trio of allies uncover a conspiracy involving the security services, the Church, and the CIA--a devastating plot stretching back decades that could destroy all three of them . . . but not without a fight.