Donna Leon: Unto us a son is given , W. Heinemann (Penguin Random House UK) hardback, 9781785152177(No German edition available yet)

Reading one of Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti novels is to me like taking a trip to Venice.  I am a great fan of her novels and as is often the case in a series, there are better and weaker books. “Unto us a son is given” is definitely one of the better ones, greatly enjoyed this latest work of the wonderful Donna Leon. 

Brunetti’s ability to detect even the slightest shift in body language or facial expression or  a seemingly unimportant word in a sentence have often been the decisive factor in solving a seemingly hopeless case bringing the perpetrator to justice.  His philosophical contemplations and observations of Venetian behavior amongst the more or less noble men and women make these books such an entertaining read.  I never fail to be amazed at the amount of mouthwatering delicious food and wine consumed in these novels.

As to the plot of “Unto us a son is given”:   Brunetti’s father- in- law, Count Orazio Falier, asks him to intervene in a foolish plan of his best friend , Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada, who is openly gay and planning to adopt his much younger lover as his son. Having accumulated a sizable fortune over the years through farms in Chile and later art galleries in Europe, this would make the young man his sole heir under Italian law. Brunetti reluctantly accepts his father in laws request and has a conversation with Gonzalo who is also family to him and his wife Paola. Gonzalo remains unapologetically firm in his plan to adopt his lover.  The novel takes an unexpected twist when Gonzalo suffers an aneurysm dropping dead during a walk and gets Brunetti seriously involved in a murder investigation when a second, this time violent death occurs of one of Gonzalo’s closest friends hours after she arrives to arrange a memorial service and dinner for him.

I would be a spoil sport if I revealed more but you are guaranteed a great escapist read.