Anti art theft law enforcement official Flavia di Stefano receives a tip that burglars plan to rob art from Rome's San Giovanni Monastery. Flavia cannot understand why this building, which has no real valuable paintings. The only one of any worth is a Caraveggio, which is being restored and most likely very safe. Still, Flavia keeps an eye on Mary Verney, expert art thief, who has just returned to town.

In spite of Flavia's precautions, the thieves steal a worthless painting of the Madonna. At first, believing it was an incompetent error, Flavia, accompanied by Jonathan Argyle begin their investigation. Soon, the duo starts to revise their original theory when murder enters the equation. They now wonder if the Madonna was the actual target while the Caraveggio and the phone call were distracters.

The sixth Argyle art mystery is a fabulous who-done-it filled with a brilliant story lien and several sub-plots. The Italian art world comes to life through the eyes of all the well-designed characters. Flavia and Jonathan are as intriguing a pair of sleuths as any on the market today. This reviewer strongly recommends fans of art mysteries to try this entire series because they represent some of the sub-genre's best novels.