From the Publisher:

"On a cold Venetian night just before Christmas, an African street vendor is killed in a scuffle. The only witnesses are tourists who had been browsing the man's wares before his death. Arriving on the scene, Commissario Brunetti wonders why anyone would kill a "vu cumpra," an African purveying goods past normal shop hours and without a work permit. When Brunetti digs deeper into the investigation, he discovers that matters of great value are at stake within the immigrant society. Warned by his superior to resist further involvement in the case, Brunetti becomes even more determined to unearth the truth behind this mysterious killing. How far will he penetrate the murky subculture of the Venetian underworld?"

Hardcover with jacket, new.