Did you ever wonder why the non-polluting engine was never made, or how it is that we may hear of a great invention only once before it vanishes? Victor Tallent, a young scientist, is about to find out. He has invented a way to end world hunger and heads to the narrow canals of Venice to share it with the world. But he never does. After meeting Arabella, his interpreter, people start dying around him, arousing the suspicion of the Venice police. Discredited and considered insane, Victor is ruined. What he finds is that he's merely the latest in a long line of well-intentioned idealists whose ideas are squashed by a seven-hundred-year old group of men who hide in the shadows. And as Victor discovers that they're about to destroy the one man whose invention is even bigger than his own, he has to stop them before the last, best, hope for humanity is destroyed. What he doesn't realize is that Arabella probably isn't who she seems. And yet, it is her that he has to trust.

First published by Politikens Forlag, Denmark, 2007.
496 pages.

Denmark, Politikens Förlag
Germany, Ullstein
Russia, AST
Sweden, Lind & Co

A harrowing reading experience. A rare feat. Five stars.
Ekstra Bladet

It's rare to see a first-time novelist nailing the plot, the tone, and the use of language so precisely as Christian Mørk manages to do it in his new suspense novel. Outstanding. Read it. Five stars.
Nyhedsavisen

Juicy, oversized entertainment. Four stars.
Børsen