She hopes it will be the speech of her political career. EPA Chief Nancy Greene proposes a radical plan to combat the dire consequences of global warming – a plan that prompts angry scowls from Texas oilmen and conservative lawmakers. She is set to announce her proposal to the world at an international conference in Vienna. But that never happens – she is brutally murdered. As television reporter Ted Wingard snoops for clues on cold Vienna streets, a crucial tip cracks the story wide open. What comes next is a whirlwind investigation spanning two continents as Wingard uncovers deadly connections to the Russian Underground. Venice’s Carnevale celebrations are now at their peak. But Wingard isn’t celebrating – he is instead running for his life. With the “smoking gun” videotape in his hands, his only hope of staying alive is to lose himself in the crowds and to find a way to broadcast his story. Through use of descriptive travel passages, Richard Varr enhances his thriller’s dramatic scenes as they unfold in some of the world’s most beautiful and historic cities.