The London home of Matthew Ashby is visited by the beautiful, famous half-Venetian musician, Emilia Lanier, begging him for help. A young Venetian girl, Sarah, has been accused of witchcraft by a wealthy merchant's wife, and has since disappeared. Is she in hiding? Or worse - kidnapped or murdered? So with his daughter, Celia, and his clerk, Ned, Matthew Ashby sets off for Venice and into a greater mystery than could ever be imagined. They must draw on all their wits and ingenuity to find allies in unexpected places. When Master Ashby is kidnapped, Ned and Celia have to race against the clock to find him as well as Sarah - but nothing is as it seems, not least the mysterious Madman of Venice ...

 

There are 304 pages in this book. This book was published 2009 by Hachette Children's Group .

Sophie Masson was born in Jakarta, Indonesia, to French parents. She has spent most of her life going back and forth between Australia and France. Author of 28 novels for adults, teenagers and children, she has been published in Australia, the US and Italy as well as the UK. Shortlisted for many awards, she has written for stage and radio as well as for newspapers, magazines and literary journals. Still fluently bilingual, she frequently returns to France to visit family. She lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and three children.