"The story of an heir's return to an abandoned town in Italy, the secrets of the family who stayed, and the long shadow of fascism and collaboration in World War II"-- On a hilltop in Umbria sits Valetto. Once a thriving village, and a hub of resistance and refuge during World War II, centuries of earthquakes, landslides and the lure of a better life have left it neglected. Only ten residents remain, including the widows Serafino: three eccentric...

When a well-known British TV historian, Marmaduke Godolphin, is found murdered in the canals of Venice during carnival, stabbed by a stiletto blade, the Venetian police are eager to have the case solved and cleared up within a day--murder is bad for tourism! The police recruit the help of retired archivist, Arnold Clover. Godolphin had hired his services on arriving in Venice to help sort through some historical papers of note. These dusty documents...