This is just not up to Ms Leon's usual standard. It seems like an outline of a novel. There are too many irrelevant episodes: the family is wheeled in to show it is still there; Scarpa makes a brif appearence to no purpose; Brunnetti's walks a through Venice have all the interst of a street directory and are no substitute for atmosphere.There is no real depth of character drawing. A murder mystery without any tension or pace and too much reliance on hazy memories of past events and computer bank records. The plot seems far-fetched and very unlikely. There is no action - physical or mental. I was uninvolved in it all and now cannot recall any incidents or characters. Donna Leon needs to take a rest and recharge her batteries.