Peachstone Black

Aloysius Amerigo Beade, Artist, is commissioned by his wealthy patron, the boorish Lord Halebroke, to produce a series of twelve canvases, each one representing a heroic deed of the Ancient Greek divine hero Heracles. He sets off for Italy to absorb the influences of Greco-Roman antiquity, pursued by a Florentine nobleman, the Cavaliere di Credico, who is determined to bring him to justice for the murder of a serving girl. As he works, Beade plays an elaborate game of cat and mouse with this would-be detective, taunting him with a series of brutal murders. Not content with his success, Beade decides to produce a thirteenth canvas, dedicated to his pursuer, and intended to end the trail of horror at the nobleman's door.