A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon

I don't believe I had ever read this one, although the title of the next one is familiar. There is a domestic wrinkle this time. When Brunetti calls upon his father-in-law, the Count, for background information on the noble family of the case at hand, the Count informs him that his daughter, Brunetti's wife Paola, is unhappy, and Brunetti had better take steps.

When the crew restoring a villa somewhere in a small village outside Venice turn their attention to preparing to restore the garden, they find a body. A ring found with the body suggests that it is possibly the son of a noble family of Venice who had been kidnapped a couple of years earlier. So, the case goes back to Venice, and Brunetti manipulates his boss into assigning it to him.

The body, of course, is that of the kidnapped heir and the story that unfolds is of truly a Venetian degree of intrigue. Was Roberto kidnapped or was it either a joke or an attention ploy on the part of the young man himself? Why was he so ill before his kidnapping? Did the nephew who took his place as heir really arrange the kidnapping and murder? And why was there never a third ransom note from the kidnappers? And what is their business interest in Eastern Europe?

We also have the sidelight of Brunetti's relationship with his brother, Sergio. They are genuinely fond of each other and one of the things they have in common is the fact that they are both unfashionably devoted to their wives. When Brunetti finally musters enough courage to confront Paola with her father's suspicions. She is able to convince him that her father is actually concerned about his own marriage (he is far more fashionable that Guido and Sergio, the brothers Brunetti).

In a charming scene of the Brunetti family, daughter Chiara cooks dinner for the first time. When Brunetti offers to send out for pizza, Paola instructs him that he will eat what is set before him and request seconds, and so will their son, Raffi. All of this happens, and they consume a truly dreadful meal - and after Paola sends the children out to get gelato for dessert, she confesses to Guido that she bribed Raffi. Our Chiara is a pretty good cook - although she probably wasn't at the age of Chiara Brunetti in this story - I think she is about ten or twelve.