by Donna Leon
Part of Commissario Brunetti, book 28
First published 2019
Count Orazio Falier asks his son-in-law, Commissario Guido Brunetti, to look into a troubling situation. The Count's elderly friend Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejeda plans to adopt a much younger man, making him heir to Gonzalo's entire fortune under Italian law. Brunetti questions why they can't leave the old man alone to enjoy his decision. The situation turns deadly when Gonzalo drops dead on a Venice street. Then a friend who traveled to Venice for his memorial service is strangled in her hotel room. Before her death, she had emailed Gonzalo saying "We are the only ones who know you cannot do this" about the adoption. Brunetti must now solve an urgent murder case. He reluctantly digs into secrets from Gonzalo's past that someone killed to protect. The investigation leads him to a resolution that brings more pain than satisfaction as he uncovers the hidden truth behind the murders.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, detective, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, family-drama, murder-investigation
Setting: Italy, Venice
259 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Monthly Press