One afternoon Professor David Ullman receives a visitor at his campus office, a strikingly thin woman who offers him an invitation: travel to Venice, Italy, witness a "phenomenon," and offer his professional opinion, in return for an extravagant sum of money. What happens in Venice will send David on an unimaginable journey from skeptic to true believer.
First, in a tiny attic room at the address provided by the Thin Woman, David sees a man restrained in a chair, muttering, clearly insane but could he truly be possessed? Then the man speaks clearly, in the voice of Davidœs dead father, repeating the last words he ever spoke to his son. Words that have left scarsand a mysterybehind.When David rushes back to the hotel, he discovers Tess perched on the roofœs edge, high above the waters of the Grand Canal. Before she falls, she manages to utter a final plea: Find me.What follows is an unimaginable journey for David Ullman from skeptic to true believer. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David must track the demon that has captured his daughter and discover its name. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever.