A life filled with murder, sex, and violence could hardly be used to describe the life of one of the great Italian masters of art, but painter Caravaggio did lead such an exsistence. This novel captures the darker side of Michelangelo Merisi, more commonly known as Caravaggio, as he painted and marauded his way through Rome, Venice and the Italian countryside. He was the original "angry young man," never satisfied with his achievements, and used prostitutes and bugger boys as models in his paintings. Caravaggio was known as "the most desired painter in Rome" but was an embarrassment to the Church because of his behavior. The author has created an exciting scenario for the historically-missing four year period in the artist's life, which haunts him for his few remaining years on earth.