Unto Us a Son Is Given

As a favour to his wealthy father-in-law, the Count Falier, Commissario Guido Brunetti agrees to investigate the seemingly innocent wish of the Count´s best friend, the elderly and childless Gonzalo, to adopt a younger man as his son. Under Italian inheritance laws, this man would become the sole heir to Gonzalo´s substantial fortune, something which Gonzalo´s friends, including the Count, find appalling. For his part, Brunetti wonders why they´re so intent on meddling in the old man´s business. Not long after Brunetti meets with Gonzalo, the elderly man unexpectedly passes away from natural causes. Old and frail, Gonzalo´s death goes unquestioned, and a few of his oldest friends gather in Venice to plan the memorial service. But when Berta, a striking woman and one of Gonzalo´s closest confidantes, is strangled in her hotel room, Brunetti is drawn into long-buried secrets from Gonzalo´s past. What did Berta know? And who would go to such lengths to ensure it would remain hidden...?