Donna Leon 
The Girl of His Dreams 

»In The Girl of His Dreams , Donna Leon is writing at her fluent best.» The Independent
2008 Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year
Independent Mystery Booksellers Association Bestseller
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One rainy morning Commissario Brunetti and Ispettore Vianello respond to an emergency call reporting a body floating near some steps on the Grand Canal. Reaching down to pull it out, Brunetti»s wrist is caught by the silkiness of golden hair, and he sees a small foot — together he and Vianello lift a dead girl from the water.
But, inconceivably, no one has reported a missing child, nor the theft of the gold jewellery that she carries. Brunetti is drawn into a search not only for the cause of her death but also for her identity, her family, and for the secrets that people will keep in order to protect their children — be they innocent or guilty.
From the canals and palazzi of Venice to a gypsy encampment on the mainland, Brunetti struggles with institutional prejudice and entrenched criminality to try to unravel the fate of the dead child.