Donna Leon: Vendetta

SYNOPSIS

The prominent Venetian lawyer Carlo Trevisan is shot dead in a train compartment. Commissario Brunetti and his assistant Vianello are amazed that neither Trevisan's wife Franca nor daughter Francesca are mourning the dead. Brunetti finds out that Franca was having a relationship with Martucci, her husband's deputy, who is obstructing the police investigation as much as possible. Vianello is convinced of Martucci's Mafia contacts, but finds no evidence. The inspector surprisingly received a call from his colleague Della Corte from Padua, who pointed out to Brunetti that there was a parallel between the Trevisan case and the mysterious death of a wealthy tax advisor from Padua. Regina Ceroni, a former Trevisan employee, had met regularly with the tax advisor in Padua. She now runs a travel agency, one of whose main customers was the murdered lawyer. The suspicion is confirmed that the travel agency served the illegal smuggling of mainly Eastern European women who are exploited by their pimps. But when Trevisan's deputy Martucci is also shot, Brunetti is again puzzled. Brunetti's daughter Chiara, who is in the same class as Trevisan's daughter Francesca, interferes in the investigation against her mother's wishes. Francesca passes a video tape to the inspector's daughter, after which Brunetti loses his composure for the first time in his professional life.