A thrilling crime novel set deep in the criminal underworld - a murky tale of drugs, human trafficking and Mafia families. When Colombian Arias Cuevas is caught trying to smuggle drugs through Venice airport, his fear isn't fueled by the idea of prison. He's much more frightened of his aunt - it was her coke he took off with. The cops set up a sting to find out who was to be the recipient of the drugs, and art smuggler Nazzareno Corradi falls straight into the trap - but he's been set up. His lawyer hires our hero, the Alligator, and his fixer, Max, to find out what's going on. Soon we see why Cuevas was so afraid - the aunt, La Tia, has left a bloody trail in her wake, now looking to do some business in Italy, and she's not about to let anybody get in her way. The case brings the Alligator into contact with a whole host of devious, double-bluffing characters, and pushes him into a position where he may have to cross one moral line too far.