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The beautiful medieval architecture of Bruges belies the dark longings of her residents. When the wealthy and powerful Ludovic Degroof's jewelry store is broken into, nothing is stolen, but the jewels have been dissolved in jars of aqua regia, an acid so strong it can even melt gold. In the empty safe is a scrap of paper on which a strange square has been drawn. At first, Inspector Van In pays little attention to the paper, focusing on the bizarre nature of the burglary. But when Degroof's offspring also receive letters with this same square, Van In and the beautiful new DA Hannelore Martens find themselves unraveling a complex web of enigmatic Latin phrase, a baroness' fallen family, and Degroof's relationship with a hostage grandchild, ransomed for a priceless collection of art.

Brian Doyle (1956-2017), author of The Plover, Grace Notes, Cat's Foot, and many other books, was the longtime editor of Portland Magazine at the University of Portland, in Oregon. His many honors include three Pushcart Prizes and Foreword Reviews' Book of the Year Award. He won a Pacific Northwest Book Award in 2016 for his collection Children & Other Wild Animals. And in 2018 he was awarded that group's Indie Spirit Honor in recognition of his body of work and vigorous support of independent booksellers in the Northwest and beyond.

Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.