The Venice Sketchbook
PRAISE FOR RHYS BOWEN
“Rhys Bowen is a gift to all who love great writing, rich and complex characters, and a plot that grabs from first words.”
—Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache novels
“Thoroughly entertaining.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A truly delightful read.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Keep[s] readers deeply involved until the end.”
—Portland Book Review
“Entertainment mixed with intellectual intrigue and realistic setting[s] for which Bowen has earned awards and loyal fans.”
—New York Journal of Books
“[A] master of her genre.”
—Library Journal
“Masterful weaving of these tales builds a nuanced, thematic portrayal of the inherent strengths of women.”
—Historical Novel Society
“Will grab you from the first page.”
—San Diego Entertainer
“An author with a distinctive flair for originality and an entertaining narrative storytelling style that will hold the reader’s rapt attention from beginning to end.”
—Midwest Book Review
ALSO BY RHYS BOWEN
In Farleigh Field
The Tuscan Child
The Victory Garden
What Child Is This
Above the Bay of Angels
CONSTABLE EVANS MYSTERIES
Evans Above
Evan Help Us
Evanly Choirs
Evan and Elle
Evan Can Wait
Evans to Betsy
Evan Only Knows
Evan’s Gate
Evan Blessed
Evanly Bodies
MOLLY MURPHY MYSTERIES
Murphy’s Law
Death of Riley
For the Love of Mike
In Like Flynn
Oh Danny Boy
In Dublin’s Fair City
Tell Me, Pretty Maiden
In a Gilded Cage
The Last Illusion
Bless the Bride
Hush Now, Don’t You Cry
The Family Way
City of Darkness and Light
The Edge of Dreams
Away in a Manger
Time of Fog and Fire
The Ghost of Christmas Past
ROYAL SPYNESS MYSTERIES
Her Royal Spyness
A Royal Pain
Royal Flush
Royal Blood
Naughty in Nice
The Twelve Clues of Christmas
Heirs and Graces
Queen of Hearts
Malice at the Palace
Crowned and Dangerous
On Her Majesty’s Frightfully Secret Service
Four Funerals and Maybe a Wedding
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2021 by Janet Quin-Harkin, writing as Rhys Bowen
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
Published by Lake Union Publishing, Seattle
www.apub.com
Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Lake Union Publishing are trademarks of Amazon.com , Inc., or its affiliates.
ISBN-13: 9781542027120 (hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1542027128 (hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781542027113 (paperback)
ISBN-10: 154202711X (paperback)
Cover design by Shasti O’Leary Soudant
First edition
This book is dedicated to my dear friend and choir director extraordinaire, Ann Weiss. Singing with her choir has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. Not only does Ann have the voice of an angel, she also has a love affair with Venice I hope she’ll enjoy revisiting vicariously with this novel.