“And difficult questions to think of. And when I’ve done that, I’ll try and think who to ask them of.” (Quotation page 135)

Content
The Venice Biennale of contemporary art always means work for Nathan Sutherland, the British honorary consul in Venice. Many translations but also invitations. Today he is invited to the vernissage in the British pavilion. For the work of Paul Considine, glass artist, the Pavilion had been changed into one large, single room, filled with gigantic glass constructions, glass staircases, floors, the gallery, glass everywhere. After the opening, Nathan leaves for the French pavilion, but a sudden noise, a crash followed by screaming, send him hurrying back to the British pavilion. The safety barrier has broken and Gorden Blake-Hayt, famous art critic, is dead. This is just the beginning of a series of art postcards with deadly messages and even though every trace leads to the glass artist, Nathan is not convinced.

Theme and genre
This thriller, set in Venice, is book two of the Nathan Sutherland series and the main topics are art and the Venice Biennale.

Characters
This time, Nathan Sutherland risks his position as the British honorary consul, neglecting the order of the British ambassador in Rome to not get involved again into crime scenes and under suspicion, followed by negative publicity. Nathan just cannot stop himself and has to do everything to solve the mystery.

Plot and writing
The events take place in beautiful Venice during the opening period of the famous art Biennale. The plot and the characters are well developed and believable and there are many unforeseeable twists and action to sum up to an exciting, enjoyable read.

Conclusion
A gripping story, together with interesting information about modern art and die famous Biennale of Venezia, combined with vivid descriptions of well known and also hidden places in beautiful Venice and the Italian lifestyle. ( )

Nathan Sutherland, the UK’s Honorary Consul in Venice, is a very engaging character. As the title would suggest, his role as Honorary Consul is unpaid, and generally involves holding ‘surgeries’ for just a few hours each week, at which he offers help to British subjects, most of whom are tourists who have encountered minor problems. He makes his living as a translator, although this is often a source of drudgery as, rather than the scintillating novels that he might have dreamt of working on, he normally ends up translating instruction manuals for electrical appliances.

Although there is no salary, his role as Honorary Consul does bring certain compensations, including invitations to many of the opening parties for the various displays at the prestigious Biennale Art Festival. As the novel opens, he is attending one such event to launch an exhibition by reclusive British artist Paul Considine, whose latest installation involves startling sculptures made from glass. As the party draws to a close, one of the more eminent critics, who has already indicated his dislike of Considine’s latest work, suffers a bizarre accident and is killed. Shortly afterwards a further attack occurs, and this time Nathan himself is involved, sustaining minor injuries alongside Considine’s agent, who is more seriously wounded.

Thereafter the plot follows a sinuous path, offering up numerous potential perpetrators. Jones clearly knows (and loves) Venice, and the setting is captured evocatively. I have read several crime novels set in Venice – the works of Donna Leon and Michael Dibdin leap to mind – but none of them have painted such a joyful picture of life in the city. There is a lightness of touch that makes the books a joy to read, without compromising the rigour of the plot. ( )