"Patricia Highsmith's novels are peerlessly disturbing . . . bad dreams that keep us thrashing for the rest of the night." -The New Yorker
Ray Garrett, a wealthy young American living in Europe, is grieving over the death of his wife. Ray is at a loss for why she would take her own life, but Peggy's father Ed Coleman, has no such uncertainty-he blames Ray completely.
Late one night in Rome, Coleman shoots Ray at point-blank range. He thinks he's had his revenge, but Ray survives, and follows Coleman and his wealthy girlfriend to Venice.
In Venice, it happens again: Coleman attacks his loathed son-in-law, dumping him into the cold waters of the laguna. Ray survives with the help of a boatman-and this time he goes into hiding, living in a privately rented room under a fake name. So begins an eerie game of cat and mouse. Coleman wants vengeance, Ray wants a clear conscience, and the police want to solve the...