A Funeral of Gondolas — Timothy Holme

Inspector Peroni is glad to be done with Verona, but he's none too thrilled with Venice. For one thing, the cuisine seems, again, to be an endless parade of soup. Furthermore, the local crime is as bland as the menu. The most nefarious crime Peroni's supervisors can come up with is a gambling ring involving the city's annual gondola race, and not only is it run by a local priest, but the proceeds apparently go to charity. That's no way for a highly decorated (and handsome -- don't forget handsome!) police inspector to get into the newspapers.

But Peroni perks up when the gambling gondoliers appear to have some connection with a murdered lawyer. Then there's the stolen manuscript and the séance involving an 18th century courtesan. Now that's a crime worth solving! Venice, it seems, might not be so dull after all.