This is the third Julia Deane murder mystery novel where the protagonist is an academic whose knowledge of the Eighteenth Century musicologist Dr Charles Burney leads her into situations more appropriate to her D.I. husband David. How she gets involved in these murderous situations, and what she does about them, is what keeps the reader turning the pages. Julia is all too human and her approach to her relationships is understandable but not, perhaps, ideal. In this novel, she accompanies an orchestra to Italy, providing the background to the choice of music, all which was heard by Burney in his 1771 tour. Professional musicians have expensive and precious instruments - a temptation, perhaps, to the criminal. And Italy is known for the Mafia. So, could there be an underground connection with what goes horribly wrong on this cultural venture?