- this edition published by William Heinemann 2021
- ISBN 978-1-785-152627
- 172 pages
- Commissario Brunetti #30
Synopsis (publisher)
The landmark thirtieth instalment of the global bestselling Commissario Brunetti series
When two young American women are badly injured in a boating accident, joy riding in Venice's Laguna with two young Italians, Commissario Guido Brunetti's curiosity is aroused by the behaviour of the young men, who abandoned the victims after taking them to the hospital.
As Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, investigate, they discover that one of the young men works for a man rumoured to be involved in more sinister night-time activities in the Laguna. To get to the bottom of the mystery, Brunetti needs to enlist the help of both the Carabinieri and the Guardia Costiera. Determining how much trust he and Griffoni can put in these unfamiliar colleagues only adds to the difficulty of solving this peculiarly horrible crime.
Donna Leon's landmark thirtieth Brunetti novel is as powerful as any she has written, testing Brunetti to his limits, forcing him to listen very carefully for the truth.
My Take
As always Donna Leon uses Brunetti as her mouthpiece with his reflections about what is happening to Venice: the effects of the tourist industry on the local economy, the flooding of the streets, the reduction of the local population, the lack of work for young people, the influence of the Mafia, and the impact of drug smuggling, and people trafficking.
Brunetti's nose takes him out of the streets of Venice, following some events that don't seem quite right to him. Why didn't the young men who took the American girls to the hospital stay there with them? Why did they abandon them? That scenario drives Brunetti's intuition, as he begins to wonder about one of the young men in particular, what he has to hide.
It is 4 years since I read one in this series, and I see that there are 3 titles that I have missed (which I must catch up with). There is some acknowledgement of the pandemic in this book, but not a lot. Mainly in the fact that there have been few tourist boats. The main characters are there, including Brunetti's family, but Brunetti himself seems a little tireder.
A good read.
My rating: 4.6
About the Author
Donna Leon was named by The Times as one of the 50 Greatest Crime Writers. She is an award-winning crime novelist, celebrated for the bestselling Brunetti series. Donna has lived in Venice for thirty years and previously lived in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, where she worked as a teacher. Donna’s books have been translated into 35 languages and have been published around the world. Her previous novels featuring Commissario Brunetti have all been highly acclaimed; including Friends in High Places, which won the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Fatal Remedies, Doctored Evidence, A Sea of Troubles and Beastly Things.
I've also read
ABOUT FACE
THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS
THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
4.4, A QUESTION OF BELIEF
4.5, BEASTLY THINGS
4.4, QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP
3.9, THE JEWELS OF PARADISE
4.8, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
4.5, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS, Donna Leon - abridged audio version
4.6, DEATH IN A STRANGE COUNTRY
4.7, BY ITS COVER
4.5, THE GOLDEN GOOSE
4.8, THE WATERS OF ETERNAL YOUTH
4.5, FALLING IN LOVE
4.8, EARTHLY REMAINS
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