Venice, Christmas 1576In a year web the Black Plague decimated nearly one third of the population and if that was not enough, on Christmas Eve the first of a series of gruesome murders takes place. Whilst on the island of Lazzaretto Nuovo they discover a shroud chewer, a sort of vampire, a monster that returns from the dead and lives off of human blood. Nane Zenon, an alchemist dabbling in necromancy, subdues the vampire. However, many believe that the murders are the doings of the shroud chewers. So it is that he finds himself, under the orders of the Doge himself, working side by side with Orso Pisani, Lord of the Night Court. Orso is a pragmatic magistrate that does not believe in blood suckers and superstitions and who solves the case by undermining Nane's beliefs and forcing him to face a reality far more terrifying than any imaginary monster. As the backdrop to this dark and unsettling thriller, is an eclectic city of merchants, Jews and Arabs who all trade amongst each other. There is the authority of the Serenissima, spies, courtesans, secrets, intrigue, the wonderful and poignant Venice embroidered from stone and insurmountable love.The Author: Giada Trebeschi was born in 1973 and grew up in Bologna, Italy, where she is a bespoke author of novels, short stories, essays, screenplays and theatrical pieces. She has two M.A., a Ph.D. in History and worked as an Historian in Universities for nearly ten years before deciding to dedicate herself to mainly writing and research. She is enrolled in the register of Historians in the category of Modern History. Giada speaks five languages and is a simultaneous interpreter for well-known international writers such as Tim Willocks, Petros Markaris, Alex Connor, Daniel Cole and others. Presently she lives in Germany and Italy and is well known for her daily column, "La rubrica delle parole desuete" presenting rarely used italian words in a funny way.