I have read this rather out of sequence as it is the third of three featuring the

villain and the seventh with the hero. The story is very involved and a mix of

gothic sensibility, a prison break, the preparation of a museum exhibition and

the distortion the villain creates. Belief has to be suspended in spades for

some parts with many of the technical details needing to be accepted as they

stand, mystical happenings aoart. Whether a young lady who had spent much of her life in seclusion would be able to track someone firstly in the USA and then from there to Florence and then to the island of Stromboli

using only written clues is more than a little unlikely. At one point the villain

takes a series of train rides around Europe to disguise his intended destination with some 70 hours of rail time (excluding any connecting time)

being accomplished in 'two days of hectic travelling' which included a stop for

medical treatment! In other words, several pinches of salt are needed. That

apart, the tale moves along quickly with the various strands fitting more or

less adequately.