Venetian Holiday - Tapa dura

Plotting to steal a famous forgery of the Mona Lisa from a new Venice museum, expert cat burglar Kate finds her endeavor compromised by a bumbling pair of thieves out to steal the same painting, her associate's deal with an assassin who would see Kate dead, and the local abbot's strange behavior. 10,000 first printing.

On the eve of Il Porto gallery’s opening, Kate Fujimori leaps across Venice’s rooftops---an easy routine for an expert cat burglar like herself. But her well-planned heist of the gallery’s featured painting, a famed Mona Lisa forgery, goes uncharacteristically wrong. It’s not long before Kate realizes her headaches are only just beginning.

A rival gang of thieves after the same target always seems to be one step ahead of Kate. To make matters worse, her accomplice, Freddy Doloreux, an impeccably prepared associate, has succumbed to his extravagant, high-priced lifestyle. Faced with some compromising debts, he accepts a contract on the side---with an assassin commissioned to kill Kate.

As usual, the headstrong Kate ignores her astrologer’s warning: to beware a dark stranger who lives on water. Instead, she falls into a heavy flirtation with a handsome (and dark-haired) Venetian who has a passion for American films---and attractive women. The mysterious Italian turns out to be not only Venice’s police detective but a man on the rebound---doubly dangerous for Kate. As the gallery opening quickly approaches, Kate becomes a wanted woman---by the police, the assassin, the rival thieves, and the charming detective.

Venetian Holiday is an enchanting caper of mystery and misadventure; love, locals, and the delightfully unsavory characters that one can find only in Venice. Advance Praise for Venetian Holiday
 
“David Campbell has created a high-wire act that is so funny, so fast, so clever, if you blink you’ll miss something grand. I wouldn’t mind meeting thief Kate Fujimori for cocktails, but I’d sure hate to run into her in a dark alley in Venice or anywhere else.”
---Marne Davis Kellogg, author of Perfect
 
“An engaging diversion of art, crime, canals, domes, and bridges, with feisty cat burglar Kate Fujimori among the pigeons of Venice.”
---Edward Sklepowich, author of The Last Gondola “Packs a jolt like a shot of espresso.”
---Michele Jaffe, author of The Stargazer “If reading action-packed thrillers burned calories, this one would earn the Weight Watchers seal of approval. Campbell crams this...adventure full of so many chase scenes that readers will be left panting at the end.... Kate, despite being a glorified thug, is pretty darn cool. All the mayhem is nicely offset by moments of Tarantino-like black humor.”
---Booklist