When ex-priest Tom Shaman, jaded from years in the Los Angeles ghetto, decides on a last-minute trip to Venice, he gets much more than he expected. A brutal killer is on the loose and Tom finds himself in the midst of a series of ritualistic killings unlike anything Venice has ever seen. Enlisted by the Italian police, Tom teams up with young investigator Valentina Morassi to dig deep into the city's darkest history, stretching from an ancient civilization to the sexual decadence of eighteenth-century Italy to the gritty underworld of modern-day Venice. As Valentina and Tom trace the killings through the centuries, they uncover a deadly secret that generations have killed to protect: a priceless mosaic known as the Gates of Hell. As the clock counts down, Tom and Valentina's adventure builds to an astonishing and satisfying end. Exotic and well-researched, The Venice Conspiracy will continue to build Christer's name in the hit-thriller genre.

When ex-priest Tom Shaman, jaded from years in the LA ghetto, decides on a last-minute trip to Venice, he gets much more than the break he'd been hoping for. A brutal killer is on the loose and Tom finds himself catapulted into a series of ritualistic killings unlike anything Venice has ever seen. Enlisted by the Italian police, Tom teams up with investigator Valentina Morassi to dig deep into the city's darkest history, stretching from an ancient civilisation in 700 BC and the sexual decadence of 18th century Italy to the gritty underworld of modern-day Venice. As Valentina and Tom trace the killings through the centuries, they uncover a deadly secret, a secret that generations have killed to protect: a priceless Etruscan mosaic known as the Gates of Hell...

Excerpt from Conspiracy of the Spaniards: Against the Republic of Venice, in 1618 Of all the historiesof human events there are none more interesting than those/of conspiracies; courage, prudence and fidelity, which are equally requisite in all who participate in them, are qualities rare in their nature, and still more rarely found united in the same person. Men often flatter themselves with possessing more of the'affection of their associates than in reality belongs to them, especially if they are conscious of meriting it, and have exerted themselves to please. Some leaders of conspiracies have placed entire dependance upon the regard of their col leagues; but there are few friendships stronger than the fear of death, and this fear often over comes the judgment in unforseen events; the discretion which is necessary on such occasions, never accompanies it, and most persons who are extremely anxious are apt to betray themselves. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.