Accepting an ugly crystal figurine from Petunia Pretty Paws, Geronimo Stilton discovers a mysterious message inside the figurine from a Venetian mouse who requires assistance.

Investigating a killing, Macintyre finds it to be a family affair As snow falls on Venice, turning the city into an elaborate gothic confection, Gaby Pindar fears for her life. Crippled by intense agoraphobia, she hasn’t left her family home in two decades, instead dedicating herself to tending to the small collection of historical trinkets that make up the family museum. When she begins receiving death threats, she begs for help from her cousin, the Contessa da Capo-Zendrini, whose friend Urbino Macintyre is something of an amateur sleuth. But the search takes a gruesome turn when Gaby’s sister, Olimpia, turns up dead. The contessa finds Olimpia murdered in her home, the maid kneeling above her with a bloody pair of scissors. Convinced of the maid’s innocence, Macintyre digs into the Pindar family history, discovering centuries’ worth of intrigue that have finally erupted in blood.

When he is caught by his wife in one ill-advised seduction too many, young William Shakespeare flees Stratford to seek his fortune. Cast adrift in London, Will falls in with a band of players, but greater men have their eye on this talented young wordsmith. England’s very survival hangs in the balance, and Will finds himself dispatched to Venice on a crucial assignment. Once there, Will is dazzled by the city’s masques and its beauties, but Catholic assassins would stop at nothing to end his mission on the point of their sharpened knives—and lurking in the shadows is a killer as clever as he is cruel.Suspenseful, seductive, and as sharp as an assassin’s blade, The Spy of Venice introduces a major new literary talent to the genre—thrilling if you’ve never read a word of Shakespeare and sublime if you have.

In each Geronimo Stilton book, another funny, cheesy adventure is always right around the corner. Each book is fast-paced, with lively full-color art and a unique format kids 7-10 will love.When my friend Petunia Pretty Paws gave me a crystal figurine of a boat as a gift, I had to accept it. After all, I have the biggest crush on Petunia! But oh, was that crystal boat ugly! So I wasn't too sad when my cousin Trap accidentally broke it, especially when I discovered a piece of paper inside with a mysterious message from someone in Venice, Italy, asking for help! A gentlemouse never ignores a request for assistance. So I, Geronimo Stilton, would do whatever it took to save the day!

A #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Funny, insightful, illuminating . . ." —The Boston Globe Twelve years ago, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil exploded into a monumental success, residing a record-breaking four years on the New York Times bestseller list (longer than any work of fiction or nonfiction had before) and turning John Berendt into a household name. The City of Falling Angels is Berendt's first book since Midnight, and it immediately reminds one what all the fuss was about. Turning to the magic, mystery, and decadence of Venice, Berendt gradually reveals the truth behind a sensational fire that in 1996 destroyed the historic Fenice opera house. Encountering a rich cast of characters, Berendt tells a tale full of atmosphere and surprise as the stories build, one after the other, ultimately coming together to portray a world as finely drawn as a still-life painting.

An armchair traveler’s companion to Donna Leon’s Brunetti mysteries: “a splendid present for mystery-fiction fans [or] travel-lit buffs” (Tom Nolan, The Wall Street Journal). Follow Commissario Guido Brunetti, star of Donna Leon’s international bestselling mystery series, on over a dozen walks that highlight Venice’s churches, markets, bars, cafes, and palazzos. In Brunetti’s Venice, tourists and armchair travelers follow in the footsteps of Brunetti as he traverses the city he knows and loves. With his acute eye, fascination with history, ear for language, passion for food, and familiarity with the dark realities of crime and corruption, Brunetti is the perfect companion for any walk across La Serenissima. Over a dozen walks, encompassing all six regions of Venice as well as the lagoon, lead readers down calli, over canali, and through campi. Important locations from the best-selling novels are highlighted and major themes and characters are explored, all accompanied by poignant excerpts from the novels. This is a must-have companion book for any lover of Donna Leon’s wonderful mysteries.