'Martin Cruz Smith makes tension rise through the page like a shark's fin' Independent From the internationally bestselling author of Gorky Park comes a suspenseful World War II story set against the beauty, mystery and danger of occupied Venice.Venice, 1945. The war may be waning, but the city known as La Serenissima is still occupied and the people of Italy fear the power of the Third Reich. One night, under a canopy of stars, a fisherman named Cenzo finds a young woman's body floating in the lagoon and soon discovers that she is still alive and in trouble. Born to a wealthy Jewish family, Giulia is on the run from the Wehrmacht SS. Cenzo chooses to protect Giulia - an act of kindness that leads them into the world of Partisans, Mussolini's broken promises, and, everywhere, the enigmatic maze of the Venice Lagoon...Praise for Martin Cruz Smith: 'The story drips with atmosphere and authenticity - a literary triumph' David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child 'One of those writers that anyone who is serious about their craft views with respect bordering on awe' Val McDermid `Cleverly and intelligently told, The Girl from Venice is a truly riveting tale of love, mystery and rampant danger. I loved it' Kate Furnivall, author of The Liberation `Smith not only constructs grittily realistic plots, he also has a gift for characterisation of which most thriller writers can only dream' Mail on Sunday 'Smith was among the first of a new generation of writers who made thrillers literary' Guardian 'Brilliantly worked, marvellously written . . . an imaginative triumph' Sunday Times 'A wonderful surprise of a novel. A thriller set in the last days of Mussolini's Italy but also a quirky romance - the two held together by a warm, dry humour that keeps the pages turning. I loved it' William Ryan, author of The Constant Soldier