One sunny afternoon in Monte Carlo, a private jet carrying the heir to the Aretino fortune explodes, killing all on board.Tragic accident? Or cold-blooded murder?Six months later, Wall Street analysts Stella Sartori and Jack Rogers fly toMilan for what appears to be a simple consulting job. The powerful Aretino family is losing money - lots of it - and their bank wants to know why. But it's soon apparent much more is at stake. In Nice, a photographer who caught the exploding jet on film is murdered. In Milan, a political ally of the Aretinos is gunned down in the street. Stella and Jack find their apartment bugged and their every move watched. Caught up in the effort to find out who's behind it all, they fail to realize their own lives are also at risk.Peeling away the layers of deceit and misdirection draws them deep into the heart of Europe and its historic power structures. Aristocratic dynasties, big business, government and the church combine to form a complex puzzle that must be solved if they are to survive. From the high energy of the Formula One circuit, to the ancient fortifications of Malta and the palaces of the rich and powerful, Stella and Jack race to expose the truth before it's too late.