Has Mottley gone mad? That night in Venice, standing on a balcony rail with an angry Slovak swordsman and a half-naked fiddler holding them at bay, Mottley's friend Debenham really begins to wonder.

The two friends just wanted to enjoy a musical evening. Instead, Mottley's passion for the stunning soloist drags him into an international intrigue of dastardly deeds and derring-do. Is the damsel in distress? Will Mottley escape with his heart -- and his hide -- intact?

If you like your detectives soft-boiled and your noir with a bit of froth on top, try this Vintage Venetian adventure with the jazz-age sleuth, Edmund Mottley. 

This whimsical short mystery set in 1930's Italy is a prequel to "Mister Mottley Gets His Man" and "Mister Mottley Stirs Up Trouble."