The Lizards Bite by David Hewson

These excerpts from "The Lizard's Bite" detail a complex murder investigation in Venice, focusing on the fiery deaths of Uriel Arcangelo and his wife, Bella, at the Arcangeli family's glass foundry. Roman police investigators, led by Leo Falcone, Nic Costa, and Gianni Peroni, are in Venice for an imposed "exile" but find themselves drawn into a case local authorities quickly attempt to label a murder-suicide to appease powerful interests, specifically the wealthy Hugo Massiter, who is buying the Arcangeli island. The investigation uncovers deep-seated family secrets and betrayals—including an illicit pregnancy, incest history, and the desperate financial state of the proud glass-making family—along with evidence of a wider conspiracy that results in the murder of Commissario Randazzo. Ultimately, it is revealed that Raffaella Arcangelo murdered Bella and tried to frame Aldo Bracci for the crime and Uriel's subsequent death, motivated by a desperate desire to secure the sale of the island to Massiter.