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 hasnt got rid of the itch in his fingers. & to make matters worse, a striking Italian beauty has just broken into his apartment & 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 Venices maze of murky canals, Charlies attempts to tame a cat burglar embroil him in a plot that is far bigger & more explosive than he could ever have imagined.