Scherzo

<p>MEET two unusual detectives. Ludovico - a young man who has had his testicles cut off for the sake of opera. And Monsieur Arouet - a fraudster or just possibly the philosopher Voltaire.VISIT the setting. Carnival time in mid-18th century Venice a city of winter mists and the season of masquerade and decadence.ENCOUNTER a Venetian underworld of pimps harlots gamblers forgers and charlatans.BEWARE of a mysterious coterie of aristocrats Jesuits Freemasons and magicians.DISCOVER a murder: that of the nobleman Sgr Alessandro Molin found swinging from a bridge with his innards hanging out and a message in code from his killer.Scherzo is a murder mystery of sparkling vivacity and an historical novel of stunning originality told with a wit and style highly praised by critics and nominated for the Booker Prize.</p>