Another solid Brunetti story. As relaxing as a warm bath, these books are charming. It is a real change in detective fiction to be dealing with a detective who is neither alcoholic or in marriage ruined by his job. Brunetti has a wife and two children whom he loves and the backdrop of a Venetian setting adds almost another character to the stories. The thing I like most about them though is Brunetti's moral centre, held despite the cruelties he sees in his his work and the corruption rife in Italian society. He struggles with the things that all of us wonder about; life and its meaning, whether there is a god, the way we can believe two contradictory ideas at the same time, the joy and frustration of children.... Lovely intelligent read. Each main character has depth and reality. Venice is lovingly depicted as the setting and almost a character.I really enjoy Donna Leon's writing and her sarky asides which slide in with the MCs thoughts.Commissario Brunetti has to struggle to maintain justice within a corrupt system and in a corrupt Italy. He manages, crossing the line of what is legal, and using those brilliant acting skills he has developed to cope with his boss and the bureaucracy. An old lady is found dead. Is it just a heart attack or is there more? Despite his senior officer's orders he decides to investigate. For those who enjoy crime with intelligence, more about motivations and less about gore, then all the books in this series are worth reading.
Do You like book Drawing Conclusions (2011)?
I started reading this series before a trip to Venice in 2007 - have enjoyed them all.
—jojo
One of her best - a favorite author and series.
—Kristen
