Though I like or even love all the Donna Leon Commissario Brunetti books I've read so far, I have to admit that this is the closest to a seriously exciting, even horrible, climax that I've read so far. Leon has taken a strong character and given him personal dilemmas that far outweigh the murder mystery set on the island of Pellestrina, though that mystery is also one that is extremely hard to solve. It isn't difficult because of the facts of the case, but because of the island fishing community that totally closes itself off against the police, despite the fact that a very grisly pair of murders have been committed against one of their own. And so Brunetti worriedly accepts the offers of Signorina Elletra (his boss's secretary who is really the power in the whole of the police department) who has relatives on Pellestrina to go for a holiday there. Like so many of Leon's characters, we really do not understand Elletra's goals in doing what she does, because she is there for over a week without doing a single bit of detecting, and makes it clear when people speak near her about the murders that she's just not interested. Perhaps she herself knows just how much at risk she is, or perhaps she only wanted a holiday, it is totally impossible to know. A man arrives, and it is as if she has known him forever. Has she? We don't know. But it is through her feelings for this man that Brunetti realizes a lot of things about himself, and comes to understand what is important in his life. Like others of Leon's books, this is a very dark story. The concepts of family, extended family, family favours, extended family favours, and the costs of all these favours create a framework through which Leon weaves two mysteries, one about the people who have ruined their environment and know it and still continue "eating the results", and the other about the murders. The writing is deft but not swift or light. This is a book where nature ends up taking over, loosening the tongues of people and turning the world briefly on end; we understand this, and on a certain level wish it would just keep on happening, to clean out the dirt and corruption and callousness that underlies everything in Venice, the most beautiful of cities on the surface.I learned from this book that I may not want to read too many more Donna Leon books one after the other. It's all just too sad.
Unthinkable that one might consider giving Donna Leon less than three stars for renewing our acquaintance with Commissario Brunetti, but the temptation had to be resisted. No reason why the author should not disturb our expectation but to do so with as dark a novel as A Sea of Troubles was brave. Here, murders in a close-knit, closed-mouth community on a distant island in the lagoon challenge the Commissario's ingenuity; guidance eventually emerges via a technological trick that needs to be glossed over quickly, before the reader starts to wonder. The pursuit and capture occupy rather more storm-tossed pages than seemed really necessary; there are elements of suspense but the genre demands that the culprit must be caught. So why the equivocation? The problem is the emergence of the secretary, Elettra (who has been instrumental in solving earlier mysteries without leaving her computer), to assume the role of a fully-committed protagonist. And there goes the highly intelligent, slightly aloof amanuensis with a nicely understated sense of humour. Will she return to normal duty in the next episode? One can only hope. As for the Brunetti family, the children's involvement with examinations retire them to the background, leaving us with Guido's relationship with Paola in which love underpins disagreement. Not the best of Leon but not negligible either.
Do You like book A Sea Of Troubles (2015)?
Book 10 in the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery seriesDonna Leon‘s novels are based around corruption, public distrust and fear of government and police. This story opens when a fishing boat catches fire and sinks after a violent explosion. A subsequent investigation into the cause of the incident and the discovery of the owner and his son’s bodies points to foul play.The murder of the two fishermen of Pellestrina draws Commissario Brunetti to a tight knit community where villagers have grown suspicious to outsiders and are extremely loyal to each other. The Questore’s secretary, Signorina Elettra offers to visit the island where she has relatives to covertly find out what the locals think and are not openly discussing with the police.Brunetti finds himself not only having to confront the issues of her safety but also of his feelings for her….Guido knows he has a dangerous task ahead and anxiously waits to see what Elettra will uncover……The plotting is excellent, highlighting family ties and personal friendships. Great character development exposes another side to the illusive Signorina Elettra, a person we known up to now as a machine like secretary. Yes she really has a personal side, a life off the job….This is a refreshing change of focus….As usual Brunetti’s family life is part of the story. Woman’s intuition leads his wife to be concerned about |his working involvement with Elettra…The story ends with a violent storm that catches Brunetti completely off guard….The novel is an asset to the series, another one I enjoyed.
—Toni Osborne
I felt this book had a lot of philosophical discussions in it about the environment and people's personal opinions. This is about the fishing industry, the fisherman being in competition with others to get their daily catch, and the killing of a father and son on their boat. The island where the murder took place is a tight lipped community and the investigation is slow as no one wants to help the police. Elettra happens to go to this island every year to visit her cousin for vacation. She insists on helping with the investigation as the. Islanders will open up to her. Brunetti does not want Elettra to do this as it's too dangerous. She insists. Brunneti's feelings for Elettra seem to be deeper than originally believed and Paola questions him on this. A very climactic and emotional ending.
—Deb
I always buy a new Donna Leon book when one comes out, but the last couple haven't drawn me in quite as much as the first eight or so books I read in the series. I quite adore her Commissario Guido Brunetti of Venice, a very 'Everyman' police detective, with his love of good food, his typical teenage kids, his politically argumentative and intelligent university professor wife. So I was very pleased to find this book the best Leon novel I've read in a while. A very simple plot, clear and clean writing, and astute emotional observations. The back cover copy suggested lurid developments between Brunetti and a hugely engaging female character of the series, but it was all handled as perfectly as I could have imagined, with emotions that grow or retreat doing so in natural character developments. Just lovely, and excellent reinforcement to my hopes that she continues to write such morally ambiguous and epicurean mysteries.
—Amy Jo Cousins
