Venetian Blood - by Christine Evelyn Volker (Paperback)

About the Book

To escape a failing marriage, Anna Lucia Lottol goes to Venice to visit an old friend--and becomes a suspect in a brutal murder echoing a gruesome homicide that happened decades ago. Fearful of foreign justice and hoping to prove her innocence, she gathers clues before the real murderer comes for her. At the climax of her journey, she discovers a secret that will change her life.

Book Synopsis

Murderous intrigue in an unforgettable setting.

". . . [A] pleasure trip that quickly devolves into a nightmare . . . " --AudioFile Magazine
"A riveting whodunit . . . " --Kirkus Reviews

A money launderer. A seduction. An old rivalry. Murders.

Fighting to forget a crumbling marriage, Anna, a US Treasury officer, comes to Venice on vacation. A choice she soon regrets.

Blackmailed by a money-laundering count, Anna demands he return explicit photos taken during their affair. He refuses. Tracking him to a hotel gala blows up when he is murdered and a dogged police detective accuses Anna of the crime.

Anna draws upon her talents in math and science to attack the intricate puzzle of finding the killer among many suspects. They stymie her efforts by hiding secrets and spinning lies in a city built on illusions. Whom can she trust?

Pursued, gripped by terror, barely dodging death's dark embrace, Anna struggles to clear her name before police can destroy her alibi and lock her up.

But then, as attempts on her life mount, she just might be safer in prison. . . .

Readers of psychological mystery will enjoy this story of a brainy heroine battling daunting odds.

Review Quotes

2019 Independent Press Award Double Winner: Mystery; First Time Published Fiction
2019 New York City Big Book Award Winner: New Fiction
2018 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award Winner: International Mystery
2017 Sarton Women's Book Award Winner: Contemporary Fiction
2018 Next Generation Indie Awards Finalist: First Novel
2018 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist: New Fiction
2018 International Book Awards Finalist: Mystery/Suspense
2018 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Finalist: Mystery
2018 Chanticleer Book Awards Semi-Finalist
2017 Best Book Awards Finalist

"It's the sensuous story of a pleasure trip that quickly devolves into a nightmare as bodies, illicit affairs, and international intrigue pile up in one of the world's most romantic cities."
--AudioFile Magazine

"In Volker's debut mystery, an American financial expert unravels a web of mystery, corruption, and danger hidden in one of the world's most beautiful cities. . . . A riveting whodunit that makes full use of its dramatic setting."
--Kirkus Reviews

". . . you will be swept away from word one."
--Manhattan Book Review, 5 stars

"Venetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City is the perfect summer must-read mystery."
--Chanticleer Book Reviews, 5 stars

"Venetian Blood was a beautifully, if not deliciously, described story. . . . the scenery often nearly jumps off the page . . . . more than enough twists and turns to heighten the suspense."
--San Francisco Book Review

"Beautifully wrought language, Machiavellian intrigue, and the mystique of hidden history blend together to make a modern historical mystery near impossible to put down. . . . I fell in love with this story."
--Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

"With lush language, Volker transports us to Venice, Italy and a tantalizing mystery."
--Nina Schuyler, award-winning author of The Translator

"The depiction of Venice in this novel is a wonderful example of literary wanderlust, the feeling of the lagoon city--often quite other-worldly--is colourfully and eerily rendered."
--TripFiction