
A humid April night drapes the narrow canals of Venice in a veil of darkness, where the faint glow from a cramped attic room reflects off the sluggish water. Two masked gondoliers push a heavy, oddly shaped boat through the narrow channel, their whispered curses and hurried movements hinting at a secret mission. When one of them reaches a modest doorway and calls out a name, the tension rises as a frail voice replies from within, confessing a recent loss and a lingering solitude.
The scene unfolds like a quiet crime tableau, introducing a network of shadowy figures bound by loyalty and desperation. Listeners are drawn into the murky world of the “Rikostoverit,” a group whose clandestine activities pulse beneath the city's serene façade. As the masked men prepare to enter the dimly lit room, the story promises a tense encounter that will test trust, reveal hidden motives, and plunge the characters deeper into Venice’s labyrinthine underbelly.
Language
fi
Duration
~2 hours (145K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Timo Ervasti and Tapio Riikonen
Release date
2020-07-23
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1835–1907
A 19th-century German literary historian and poet, he moved between scholarship and creative writing, building a reputation for thoughtful criticism as well as verse and fiction.
View all books