Mid-18th-century Venice. After reluctant spy Alvise Marangon is arrested in a tavern brawl, he is summoned to meet the Missier Grande, head of the city's powerful secret service. Rather than being expelled from the city, he is coerced into a top-secret investigation of the mysterious death of one of the service's agents and the existence of a mysterious secret society. Formed by four rakish noblemen, it is known as the Four Horsemen and dates back to the Ottoman Empire. As Alvise delves into the case, he finds all the hallmarks of assassination and corruption, and is soon profoundly out of his depth and on the run.

Six months after being released from prison for forgery, London artist Martin Phipps is starting over. While making the rounds at a gallery opening, Martin meets and speaks with a mysterious Italian man who is searching for the same art dealer that hired Martin to paint forgeries. Later that evening, while walking the streets of London, Martin saves the Italian man from being mugged. In the scuffle, he sees in the man's bag a photograph, of a very rare painting, recently stolen from a church outside of Venice—The Madonna of the Swan. The next day, while painting at his studio, Martin is attacked by two Italian thugs who question him about the mysterious Italian and then burn his entire collection. So, with nothing to keep him im London, Martin travels to Venice to investigate the theft of The Madonna of the Swan and track down the Italian himself. Full of intrigue and suspense, Every Picture Tells a Story is a compelling mystery of...

When a young tour guide, Alvise Marangon, offers to help an English Grand Tourist, little does he know that it will lead to his being embroiled in blackmail and conspiracy. To add to his woes, he is then forcibly recruited into the city's powerful secret service to investigate a murder case. A reluctant spy he may be , but he is a gifted one. Amidst the world of gambling dens and courtesans, something momentous is being planned for the Feast of the Ascension, Venice's most important and spectacular holiday, and it seems that only Alvise can prevent the day turning into bloody mayhem.