Before Altswood Can Cry

The core survivors of the Bottle Island massacres lived happily ever after, but there is still one more story to be told.

In the fourth instalment of the Altswood saga, Annabelle Martinez and Jules Sodrepena may have left Altswood, but the psyche of Altswood is unlikely to ever leave them. It is their senior year of college and they are en route to Venice, Italy with the rest of their class as part of their final Art History project. Annabelle can't wait-they are graduating in mere weeks, so she doesn't really care about doing well in class anymore. She just wants to sit back and relax, which includes not admitting to herself that she may or may not have developed a crush on Jules, whose new girlfriend is also on this trip.

If only the universe didn't hate her. Within her first few seconds in Venice, Annabelle collides with a man running for his life. Just before he dies in her arms, he whispers: "The cipher is in the phone."

Annabelle had sworn to herself she would never get involved with another investigation regarding a killer running rampant on a paradise island. But as the situation turns from a murder investigation to a bomb threat that could destroy the whole of Venice, the authorities continue scratching their heads with no solid leads. What Annabelle overheard could be the key to solving this mystery, and preventing the whole island from blowing to smithereens.

With only twenty-four hours before the countdown ends, Annabelle and Jules take it upon themselves to uncover who killed the man and why. Their talents for sleuthing in Altswood have followed them to Venice, and there is no time to spare. Only as the seconds tick away, it would seem both the island and their friendship are at risk of falling into pieces.