In 1976, Tom Faulkner is in Fowey, the small Cornish south coast port, to attend the funeral of Jack, his father, and put his affairs in order. Soon, it becomes apparent his father may not have met a natural end which leads Tom on an odyssey to Italy and into his father's wartime past. In Italy, Tom meets Carlo Miller, an elderly priest and friend of Jack; here the story moves to 1933. Jack first meets the Landucci family while a member of the MG racing team preparing for the Mille Miglia road race. Jack is back in Italy during the Second World War and is sent into the Mussolini Salo Republic with a special mission for the SOE. He yearns to rekindle his passion for Nicole Landucci, the beautiful fascist aristocrat he cannot forget. Praise for Mark Simmons work The Serpent and the Cross: A Stylishly pacy novel - The Western Morning News Room 39 and The Cornish Legacy: A real page turner - Amazon.