In his second crime-fiction round-up, A.N. Wilson sorts wheat from chaff

I normally read crime stories quickly, but when a new Donna Leon is published I lovingly enjoy every page, and hate coming to the end. Unto Us a Son Is Given (William Heinemann, £20; Tablet price £18) is one of her very best. The pleasure of her books lies in the evocation of Venice, and the likeability of the detective, Commissario Brunetti. Equally enjoyable are the office politics at the Questura (police HQ), with the preposterous Sicilian boss, and the alluring Signorina Elettra who, with her computer wizardry, in effect solves all the cases. Then there is Brunetti’s home life with his Henry James-obsessed aristocratic wife Paola and their nice children. The present novel concerns an old family friend, a gay gallery owner, who – against everyone’s advice – wants to adopt a young Roman aristocrat as his son. The plot, with Signorina Elettra on the case, is of the utmost simplicity, and depends on Donna Leon’s intricate knowledge of Italian law. Immensely satisfying and, like all her novels, humane and deep.