When Lady Margaret Priam and Betty Trenka take a Roman holiday, they discover a masterpiece of murder.
A European vacation with her new friend, Lady Margaret Priam, is an excellent opportunity for suburban sleuth Betty Trenka to expand her horizons. They plan to visit the Priam ancestral home in England, venture to Rome to see priceless works of art, and stop by the villa of an Italian prince where a rarely seen painting by Raphael is kept under lock and key. It should be a grand trip-but sinister powers are at play.
Soon after their arrival in Rome the amateur detectives find themselves embroiled with an artist and an art dealer who appear to be involved in the notorious art of forgery. Now they are plotting a way to infiltrate the Villa Carolina-hoping to steal a helpful glimpse of the Old Master's work. And when a body turns up in a fountain at the estate, it becomes clear to Betty and Lady Margaret that murder never takes a holiday. . . .