As Venice braces for a winter tempest, Commissario Guido Brunetti, Donna Leon's intrepid Italian sleuth, finds out that an old friend has been savagely beaten at the palazzo home of reigning diva Flavia Petrelli. Then, as the flood waters rise, a corpse is discovered—and Brunetti must wade through the chaotic city to solve his deadliest case yet. Sinister and exotic, Acqua Alta is another chilling addition to Donna Leon's best-selling series.