Donna Leon: Tod zwischen den Zeilen

SYNOPSIS

The discovery of a corpse begins a puzzling case for Inspector Brunetti: Enrico Franchini, a former priest who devoted his life to collecting precious writings, was brutally murdered in his apartment. Copies of old books that can be found on his computer lead to mysterious processes in the Biblioteca Merula, which is famous for its ancient collections. The investigators learn from the director, Dottoressa Fabbiani, that for some time now, individual pages have been torn out of precious tomes and stolen. These rarities can be good business for thieves, and the murdered man also had contacts in the black market. Piero Sartor, a Merula employee, behaves suspiciously, as does the American historian Joseph Nickerson Brunetti, and soon comes across the traditional Morosini-Albani family, who once provided doges and still have influence. Their offspring Gianni is currently running for the office of mayor of Venice. That makes the investigation in the better circles of the lagoon city particularly delicate. In addition, the inspector's persistence is shaken when his son Raffi, who is secretly involved in the case, is endangered.