Partita in Venice — Curt Leviant

In this comic-tragedy, Tommy Manning goes to Venice as blithely assured as if he were the lead male in An Affair To Remember. But his rendezvous isn't quite working out like a Hollywood script. For instance, this haunting young woman named Happy -- just how will he ditch her if Zoe, his flame from years gone by, should show? And just why is it that he's spotting Zoe along the canals so often, anyway? A bothersome conscience? After all, Jack Bennie showed up as a gondolier when Tommy took Happy for a cruise along the scenic canals, so why shouldn't another friendly poltergeist? -- But, for Tommy, ghosts don't really exist -- or if they do, they're more terrible than we ever expect.

Combine the romance of Venice with the roguish humor of Tommy Manning and his seemingly ingenue girl du jour for a battle of wits. Then combine the ever-approaching prearranged reunion with the mounting, appalling evidence for a comeuppance Tommy will never forget.