The Absolution: A Novel

In this mesmerizing finale to the revolutionary Carnivia Trilogy—following The Abomination and The Abduction—Venetian police captain Kat Tapo and U.S. Army intelligence analyst Holly Boland embark on their most dangerous and disturbing journey yet.

On Venice’s popular Lido beach, a man is found lying on the shore, his throat slit and his tongue viciously torn out, and his face covered by an unusual antique mask.

Superiors inside the Venice Carabinieri have finally given Captain Kat Tapo permission to run her first murder case. But when she learns that the mask is a Masonic “hoodwink”—and that the circumstances of the man’s death are eerily similar to the Masonic punishment for betrayal—she suspects that her appointment has darker implications. As a woman, she cannot penetrate the closed world of Italian freemasonry.

The dead man is identified as a senior partner in a small Catholic bank currently engaged in negotiations with one of Italy’s richest men. Yet Kat knows that, when it comes to Venice’s most powerful and influential, money isn’t the only motive for murder.

While she focuses on her investigation, American intelligence analyst Holly Boland finds a document among her father’s possessions that offers evidence of a shocking Cold War cover-up. The deeper the second lieutenant digs into what her father knew, the more she begins to wonder: Was her father silenced before he could expose the truth?

Reclusive genius Daniele Barbo, creator of the anonymous virtual world Carnivia.com, makes a chilling discovery of his own: his website has been contaminated by a malevolent virus that will cripple Italy unless he can break his own encryption and prevent catastrophe.

As the three cases merge, the trio of allies uncover a conspiracy involving the security services, the Church, and the CIA—a devastating plot stretching back decades that could destroy all three of them . . . but not without a fight.

He died in the darkness, and they find his body at sunrise. He lies on Venice’s most popular beach, his throat slit and his tongue cut out.

Italian police captain Kat Tapo suspects a ritual murder. Evidence points to the shadowy brotherhood of the Freemasons, but its members won’t cooperate with a policewoman. If Kat wants to solve this case, she’ll need to use all the allies she has: friends, lovers, hackers, spies.

Working alongside her American colleague, US Army lieutenant Holly Boland, Kat soon realizes that she needs to look beyond the crowded streets of Venice for answers. From the United States to North Africa to the virtual world of Carnivia, created by notorious hacker Daniele Barbo, Kat is in a deadly race against time to unlock the secrets of Italy’s past—before Venice itself starts to burn. . . . 

Praise for the Carnivia trilogy: “Venetians love to dress up in costumes and masks, especially in winter, during the Epiphany, and of course, at Carnivale. Jonathan Holt puts a breathtaking spin on this charming custom in his first novel, The Abomination, by inventing Carnivia. . . . .There is something truly haunting about those glimpses into the mysterious shadow world of Carnivia, where masked avatars meet.” - Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review, on The Abomination

“Don’t be deceived by the title, The Abomination. There’s nothing unreal about Jonathan Holt’s excellent first mystery.?The Abomination leaves you hungry for more.” - Chicago Tribune on The Abomination

“Holt gives us excruciating suspense in the kidnapping narrative, suspense that?s heightened by also presenting the victim?s shifting point of view, from a benign ?This is a matter of business? to unraveled terror.” - Booklist on The Abduction

“Holt unites…seemingly disparate plots with an interesting history of America’s overlooked political intervention in Italy for an exciting…conclusion to the Carnivia trilogy, which makes a nice read-alike for followers of Michael Dibdin’s Aurelio Zen series.” - Booklist

“Intriguing from start to finish, Holt’s nicely orchestrated plot—complex but never confusing—is a tremendous achievement…. Fascinating characters and locales add up to a great read that both instructs and entertains.” - Library Journal