In Acireale, beneath the grandeur of ancient palaces and sacred frescoes, a death that appears to be natural hides a much darker truth.
When Don Ruggero Vasta, an elderly and influential man, is found dead in his historic palazzo, Commissario Alice Scuderi initially has little more than a suspicious feeling. The evidence, however, soon tells a different story: his heart did not simply fail. Toxicology reveals oleandrin, a deadly substance extracted from oleander, administered not once, but repeatedly over weeks or even months.
Someone has been slowly poisoning him.
The investigation leads Alice into a world of old families, inherited rivalries, ancient symbols and secrets concealed beneath the religious art of the palazzo. A mysterious fresco depicting Nessus and the poisoned garment becomes an unexpected clue, while a homemade ointment used for the victim’s dermatitis may hold the key to the murder.
The suspects are many. A nephew burdened by debts. A caretaker with unsettlingly precise hands. A consultant who seems to know far more about the palazzo’s secrets than he admits.
As Alice follows a trail that moves between faith, power, family loyalties and forgotten knowledge, she discovers that the most dangerous poisons are not always the ones found in a bottle.
In Acireale, some secrets have survived for generations.
And some sins are meant to remain buried.