About the book
In the 28th novel in Donna Leons bestselling Commissario Brunetti series, Brunettis father-in-law, the Count Falier, urges Brunetti to investigate and intervene in the seemingly innocent plan of the Counts best friend, the elderly Gonzalo Rodrguez de Tejeda, to adopt a much younger man as his son. Under Italian inheritance laws this man would become heir to Gonzalos entire fortune, a prospect Gonzalos friends find appalling. For his part, Brunetti wonders why the old man cant be allowed his pleasure in peace.
Not long after Gonzalo unexpectedly passes away, one of Gonzalos oldest friends, just arrived in Venice for the memorial service, is strangled in her hotel room. Now with an urgent case to solve, Brunetti is drawn reluctantly into the long-hidden mystery in Gonzalos life that ultimately led to murder.
Once again, Donna Leon brilliantly follows the twists and turns of the human condition, reuniting us with some of crime fictions most memorable and enduring characters.