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In Venice in 1742, Tito Amato is singing lead roles at the Teatro San Marco. On opening night, he has the entire audience entranced, except for one box with its scarlet curtains tightly drawn. Is this a lovers' assignation or a meeting deep in political intrigue? Annoyed at being ignored, Tito aims the full force of his golden throat at the fourth-tier box and is astounded when the curtains part and a woman tumbles over the railing.

The victim is Zulietta Giardino, a mischievous courtesan involved with a young glassmaker. As Tito was the only one to see the masked man who pushed Zulietta to her death, the chief of Venice's rudimentary police force requests the singer's assistance. Did a wager over a rival courtesan's jewels spell Zulietta's death? Or did the motive involve sinister events in the glass factories of Murano?

Beverle Graves Myers practiced psychiatry at a public mental-health clinic before making a midlife career switch to writing. She is the author of the Tito Amato mystery series and the Helluva War series, as well as numerous short stories and articles. Her short story "Haven City" won the 2006 Million Writers Award. She lives in Kentucky.

Geoffrey Blaisdell is a professional actor who has appeared on and off Broadway, in Broadway national tours, and in regional theater.