The year is 1817. Two years after Napoleon's escape from Elba and his defeat at Waterloo. Two years after the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia came to be under Austrian control. Danger and intrigue flow through the waterways of Venice as Jack Coltrane, secret agent for the Crown, meets his match in Carlotta Bourdain, the most expensive courtesan in Europe."Adventure, surprise, and romance, of course. Rose at her best!" Kaye Trout's Book Review.