Venetian Holiday : A Novel

On the eve of Il Porto gallerys opening, Kate Fujimori leaps across Venices rooftops---an easy routine for an expert cat burglar like herself. But her well-planned heist of the gallerys featured painting, a famed Mona Lisa forgery, goes uncharacteristically wrong. Its not long before Kate realizes her headaches are only just beginning.A rival gang of thieves after the same target always seems to be one step ahead of Kate. To make matters worse, her accomplice, Freddy Doloreux, an impeccably prepared associate, has succumbed to his extravagant, high-priced lifestyle. Faced with some compromising debts, he accepts a contract on the side---with an assassin commissioned to kill Kate.As usual, the headstrong Kate ignores her astrologers warning: to beware a dark stranger who lives on water. Instead, she falls into a heavy flirtation with a handsome (and dark-haired) Venetian who has a passion for American films---and attractive women. The mysterious Italian turns out to be not only Venices police detective but a man on the rebound---doubly dangerous for Kate. As the gallery opening quickly approaches, Kate becomes a wanted woman---by the police, the assassin, the rival thieves, and the charming detective.Venetian Holiday is an enchanting caper of mystery and misadventure; love, locals, and the delightfully unsavory characters that one can find only in Venice.