SHORT BREAK IN VENICE

by Peter Inchbald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 4, 1983

Short, handsome Chief Inspector Franco Corti (Tondo for Short, The Sweet Short Grass) is in Venice, on second-honeymoon vacation from Scotland Yard's Art & Antiques Squad, when the Canal-side antique shop of Elsa Silverman is vandalized. In fact, several Jewish-owned shops around Europe have been attacked, marked with odd swastikas; and Corti suspects that terrorist/thief Leo Springer is behind all this, working with some sort of nco-Nazi band--a suspicion that's confirmed during an attempted hijacking of the Cortis' plane home to England. Furthermore, Israeli agents seem to have entered the fray, secretly battling the terrorists. So, back at the Yard, Corti--with help from a lovely scholar in Venice--tries to track down Springer, to solve the murder and arson cases that pop up along the way, to sort out the terrorist/Israeli strategies. . . and also to capture his old nemesis, Elsa's crooked husband Max. With the predictable violent showdown back in Venice: a farfetched outing for Corti, less engaging than the previous two--and so over-busy that the Venice atmosphere and Corti's home problems (his late father's will, his teenage daughter's rebellion) simply seem to add to the clutter.

Pub Date: Nov. 4, 1983

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1983

Categories: FICTION