Every performer has his or her own reasons for wanting to shine in the role; the aging soprano fears she will be replaced by a younger voice, the contralto wants the attention of the local swains, the “out of town” lead must assert himself and Tito is chagrined to have a supporting role. There are arguments over the height of helmet feathers and who has upstaged the other when the frazzled director calls for the scene painter, Luca Cavalieri. No one can find him so Tito who had success in the previous Interrupted Aria must find the missing man, rehearse for his role and make sure the opera triumphs. And he must not tread on the authority or ego of the city official who has the same task and no idea how to proceed.

Tito soon befriends an Englishman, Augustus “Gussie” Rumbolt who has made Venice his new home and becomes Watson to Tito’s Sherlock ready to woo the local aristocratic beauty or lend a hand in a fight. The two ramble through this city of mystery delving into the source of the missing, soon found to be murdered, man’s wealth. It’s another sweltering summer and tempers are frayed as wells are poisoned and pamphlets blaming the Jews appear. Venturing into the ghetto, Tito and Gussie meet the family of the opera house mask-maker and hear a variety of tales.

Soon there is more than mumblings against the Jews and the ghetto is in flames. How much of this can be attributed to a bigot and how much to a cover up for Cavalieri’s death?

Tito is a man of wit and loyalty who loses his heart to another aware that he can never be a true husband but willing to pledge his devotion nevertheless. He lives in his ancestral house with his sister, Anneta, who provides the necessary feminine slant to the situation and their absent sailor brother whose contacts come in handy. I enjoyed this story even when I figured out who was guilty since the characters are so well limned and as for the setting-- Venice is one of my favorite cities and this story is so well researched that it is easy to imagine the entire plot. Known for its masks and disguises the city, La Serenissima, has existed for centuries both revealing and keeping her secrets. Here some masks are pulled away revealing ugliness and evil previously hidden and other masks remain keeping their own counsel, ah, perhaps for another time, I hope.

--Jane Davis