Fourteen-year-old Rob Vian thought Venice's Carnevale meant gelato, gondolas and glittering masks--until a plague-doctor mask tried to drown him.

Now the Australian teen is stalked through shadowy alleys by the self-styled "Spirit of Death". With every narrow escape the masked figure grows bolder, snatching Rob's photograph, threatening his friends and kidnapping famed violinist Signora Gina.

Rob's only allies are quick-witted Luca Gambergini and her exuberant Venetian crew. Together they race from flooded basements to crumbling palazzi, following clues that point to a hidden family legacy--and to a ruthless heir who will kill to keep it.

If Rob can't unmask the villain before the final night of Carnevale, the ancient city--and his own life--will sink beneath dark waters forever.

A pulse-pounding middle-grade thriller packed with Venetian history, runaway gondolas and edge-of-the-seat suspense.