Beweise, daß es böse ist

Commissario Brunetti #13

by Donna Leon, Christa E. Seibicke (Translator)

Als die ebenso reiche wie ruppige Maria Grazia Battestini brutal ermordet in ihrer Wohnung aufgefunden wird, gibt es keine Freunde, keine Familie, die um sie trauern. Schnell fällt der Verdacht auf die Haushälterin, die untergetaucht ist. Als jene nach Rumänien zurückkehren will, wird sie aufgegriffen und gerät auf der Flucht unter den Zug. Sie hatte eine große Summe Geldes bei sich sowie gefälschte Papiere – und damit ist der Fall für Tenente Scarpa erledigt, der Brunetti während dessen Urlaub vertritt. Auch der Vorgesetzte Patta ist erfreut, dass der Fall so schnell zu den Akten wandert. Nicht so Brunetti. Aus Irland zurückgekehrt, sucht er unbeirrt nach dem wahren Schuldigen. Doch wie er die Indizien auch zusammenpuzzelt, es will sich kein rechtes Bild ergeben. Bis Paola ihn an die Bibel und die sieben Todsünden erinnert, die heute beinahe in Vergessenheit geraten sind. Im Verein mit Vianello und Elettra spürt er jenseits aller vorschnellen Urteile die verborgenen Motive auf, die zum Tod der alten Dame geführt haben.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Italy, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Detective

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Donna Leon (born September 29, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey) is an American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice and featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Donna Leon has lived in Venice for over twenty-five years. She has worked as a lecturer in English Literature for the University of Maryland University College - Europe (UMUC-Europe) in Italy, then as a Professor from 1981 to 1999 at the american military base of Vicenza (Italy) and a writer.

Her crime novels are all situated in or near Venice. They are written in English and translated into many foreign languages, although not, by her request, into Italian. Her ninth Brunetti novel, Friends in High Places, won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2000.

Series:
* Commissario Brunetti

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of the Commissario Brunetti series. But this one was a little dull for my taste. While they would never be called fast paced, this one seemed to take forever to get going. And there wasn’t as much of the sly humor I’ve come to expect.
An old woman is found murdered in her apartment. The police immediately suspect her caretaker, who dies while trying to escape them. But additional facts come to light which makes Brunetti suspect she was not the murderer. Brunetti considers possible culprits, all with a different potential motive. Meanwhile, Paula is reading a book on the seven deadly sins, which colors Brunetti’s thoughts on the case.
Fingers crossed this is a monetary blip and the next book will soon return to the fun I associate with this series. That said, this is an easy listen.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doctored Evidence, 13th novel in Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti Series deals with the investigation into the brutal murder of a unpopular elderly woman. Suspicion falls upon her maid, who has vanished. When the maid is killed fleeing from the police, Brunetti takes a closer look to home....the old woman's son.
We get a look into the police work in more detail and we also we see a lot more of Brunetti's relationship with his co-workers. The politics and the underhand methods that are used to undermine the work the good cops are doing in seeing the bad guys brought to justice.
Brunetti's relationship with Paola, his wife, continues to amaze me....I enjoy their interaction.....

“There’s a chapter here,” she said, pointing at the page she’d been reading, “on the Seven Deadly Sins.”
…(B)y thinking eschatologically,’ he said: ‘Death. Judgement. Heaven. Hell.’
‘You don’t really believe in any of that, do you?’ asked an astonished Paola.
‘There are times when it would be nice,’ he said…

I enjoyed this one...but not one of my favorite in this series.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is possibly one of the most boring Brunetti books yet, but I'm upping it a star because of the neat tie-in with the title at the end. Donna Leon dropped the mic on that one and walked away, brushing her shoulders off. Some things I enjoyed in this installment:

- Signora Gismondi! I would read her diary. The idea that she met her lover in London before coming home to her Venetian apartment to cook a pasta with garlic and eggplant fills me with envy.
- Vianello and Brunetti go out for lunch and the restaurants are closed because it's too hot, so they sulk because their wives have made pasta and they've missed it. Direct quote: "They returned to the Questura, oppressed by the still-growing heat and their mutual resentment at having had to lunch on sandwiches." #venetianproblems
- Patta appeared only once, but I appreciated Brunetti's reflections on training a new southerner to head the department. He can't go to Interpol! I haven't had enough outfit descriptions.
- The entire Questura auguring the sky to see if the weather is nice enough for the department meeting to be cancelled was a great image.

This list is not nearly long enough, which is probably because I found the Seven Deadly Sins theme not particularly palatable. Brunetti Hulks out a couple too many times in this book. I'm also here for the Vianello/Brunetti bromance, so when that is threatened I am immediately suspicious.

Also, aside from the great scene where Signora Gismondi cooks, there is not enough food in this book. Paola only cooks a couple of times, and the other times she's letting Brunetti know the meals that he's missing out on. (What about the meals that I'M missing out on, Leon??)

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half gave some excellent characterizations for the murder victim and her home health worker. And also some intense incite into Scarpa's mode of thinking and sycophant habits.

But the banking minutia, the habits of the relatives of the deceased, and all their subsequent money trailing associations- that all was BELOW the 3 star level. Not only boring, but when Guido returned home now and again, there was Paola discussion that, to me, verged on obnoxious. And not just for Paola's input either. Such elitist opinions about how much money is "enough" to save! Or what greed is? But it was more than that, both of them seemed like pills for what they experience, hold, own etc.

At times in this one with the corruption levels and the assumptions of crooked job bids taken as a given, I found that the judgmental quality of the Brunetti's (all of them) became off-putting by comparison. And especially upon deciding what English ideas are vile or noble- or sounding like one while being the other. And at the same time venting cynicism themselves.

At times I feel that Donna Leon gets all her own politico venting and spewing in regardless of the story line. In this one, she sure it.

In the end, the perp was along a completely different alley. One as pompous as some of the Brunetti's conversations.

This one has next to no humor. And a dead pet. Not one I would recommend.

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid 4.5 entry in the Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon. This book begins, for me, with one of her best set ups. A doctor lets himself in for his weekly exam of a woman client who is unable to leave her house. He hears her TV blaring, as usual, but when he arrives he sees items strewn around the room and his client lying dead on the floor. Investigated by Lt. Scarpa - an ugly and incompetent investigator - he quickly decides that she was killed by her Romanian helper who was spotted leaving the country via train and when confronted on the train she ran away but was run over by a different train. Weeks later a neighbor comes in and gives details that Scarpa refuses to believe but is directed to Brunetti who does believe her and now the book gets fascinating. We have an invalid woman, her deceased husband and son (who was gay), and corruption everyone one turns.
The killer has something to do with monthly payments that are being made to the deceased lady and protected by "the Madonna." As always just wonderful continuing characters in this book, as well as a fascinating look at contemporary Venice filled with beauty, and corruption!!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with the death of an 83 year old lady bludgeoned to dead with a statue, the most possible person responsible for this awefull deed is the illegal Romanian housekeeper. When Italian police catch up with her she runs and dies under a train. With several hundred euros in her bag the responsible policeman decides the case is closed.
When a witness comes forward which would in essence give the housekeeper an alibi the officer in charge decides that this witness is a burden. Enter commissario Guido Brunetti a true Venetian and policeman who wants to know what really happened. And the clue to the actual culpritt is as they say in the title of this book.
Another satisfying policier from the city of Venice with some lovely insight into the Venetians and their city.
This series gives excellent entertainment value and does not fail to deliver.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this installment, Commissario Brunetti investigates a case Lt. Scarpa dismissed based on circumstantial evidence. The old woman who was a nuisance to her neighbors because she listened to her television at a loud volume was assaulted and murdered. Money from her bank accounts disappeared almost instantaneously. His wife, reading their daughter's textbook, makes a remark about the seven deadly sins which guides his investigation. Suspects abound, but he identifies the person responsible for the crime, clearing the reputation of an immigrant woman. I listened to David Colacci's excellent audio narration. I enjoyed turning over Guido's wife's remark in my own head as well.

[Dorothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't visited Venice and the Brunetti family for a while, so let's hop a vaporetto and check out what the good Commissario Brunetti is up to.

Well, it seems he's up to the same old thing - fighting the good fight (usually a losing fight) against the endemic corruption in Venetian and Italian society. This is the thirteenth in Donna Leon's popular series and it was published in 2004, so we are slowly getting closer to the current day.

The case that is drawing Brunetti's attention this time around is the brutal murder of an old woman in her apartment. The murder had happened a few weeks before and had been quickly "solved" by the odious Lieutenant Scarpa. It was determined that the woman's Romanian carer had killed her and then she herself had been killed when struck by a train while fleeing police. Brunetti's fatuous superior, Patta, is, of course, delighted with the quick result.

Then a neighbor who has been out of the country contacts the police to provide an alibi for the Romanian. She knows that she could not possibly have killed her employer. Scarpa is not happy and doesn't want to hear it, so he passes her off to Brunetti. Brunetti listens to her story and believes her. He decides to investigate but will have to do it on the sly since Patta considers the case closed.

He soon learns that the woman was universally despised and there are any number of people who might have wanted to kill her. As he and Vianello and Signorina Elettra dig into the background and finances of the victim, searching for a possible motive, they find several bank accounts with a substantial sum of money. Money is always a good motive, but Brunetti suspects something more personal and keeps digging.

While he digs, of course, he still goes home for lunch and dinner each day, prepared by his gourmet cook wife, Paola, and enjoys his meals with her and their son and daughter, now teenagers. The family's interactions around the dinner table are always some of the best moments of these books. His conversations with his wife keep him grounded and give him and the reader a lot to think about - in this case, it's the Seven Deadly Sins!

Maybe the deadliest sin of all is pride and the fear of being shamed. It's the cause of much misery in the world.

The play on words behind the title of the book becomes clear near the end and brings a smile. Clever plotting and a quick and undemanding read.

[Ana · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not for me. The attitude towards women and the lackluster twists really disappointed me.

[Kkaadesheets · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoy the characters (family included) in this series, I didn’t like this one as much🤷🏼‍♀️

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book in the series, one could experience shock after shock. I absolutely loved this book.

Signorina Elettra ***gasp*** made a MISTAKE!...turns out it occurred some years before.

The lawyer's dog died - I HATED that. Closest DL has come to gratuitous violence in any of her books in the series - because in my view the horrible death of the beautiful golden retriever did not have a thing to do with moving the plot.

Brunetti & Viannello were close to having a fight...which ended a few pages later with some American slang and a guffaw.

Brunetti forgot everything he learned on a particular point of police procedure.

The Dutch couple was quite gullible.

Brunetti fell and hurt himself on the third Madonna, the key to the mystery.

Brunetti finally cracked, while discussing the case with Scarpa. "Brunetti's face was suffused with blood and rage." Not a common occurence.

The arrest of the perp was surprisingly quick and easy, but still strangely satisfying.

Not a surprise: Brunetti had read The March of Folly and could quote from it.

Finally, an unsurprising case of life imitating art, although only slightly: 3 years after publication of Doctored Evidence, Karl-Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Buhl-Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg turned in his infamous Thesis to the University of Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany. Four years later, in 2011, his Doctorate was revoked after a plagiarism investigation and he resigned his high post at the German Defense Ministry.

[Maria João Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Um amigo seu inglês observara, certa ocasião, que viver ali era como viver num loony bin. Brunetti não fazia ideia do que era um loony bin, nem onde ficava, mas isso não o impedira de acreditar que o amigo estava certo. Com o tempo, pôde comprovar que era uma descrição precisa de Itália."

O décimo terceiro livro da série do Comissário Guido Brunetti começa com a descoberta de um corpo brutalmente assassinado de uma idosa antipática detestável. Avarenta, rabugenta e sempre mal-humorada, a vitima era um tormento para todos os seus vizinhos, pois tinha a televisão no volume máximo, durante todo o dia e toda a noite.

O caso é rapidamente resolvido e é quando Brunetti chega das suas férias, que aparece uma nova testemunha, obrigando à reabertura da investigação. Numa batalha com o seu colega e rival tenente Scarpa, o comissário emprega todas as suas forças e conhecimentos para alcançar a verdade. Mas quem tem inimigos, também tem aliados e Brunetti tem a ajuda do fiel inspetor Vianello e da Signorina Elettra, a secretária da Questura que não tem medo de infringir as regras para descobrir a informação necessária. Entre as suas muitas qualidades, destacam-se os seus dotes de hacker profissional, que continuam a surpreender o comissário e as quais já não dispensa.

Para Brunetti a justiça não tem contornos definidos e é pintada com várias tonalidades distintas. Porém, neste mistério italiano que nos leva a passear pela bela cidade de Veneza, o comissário está mais impaciente e respondão!

Em "Provas Manipuladas" temos o prazer de reencontrar Patta, o chefe convencido e impertinente do comissário, bem como a sua família, que já tão bem conhecemos. Paola, a mulher de Brunetti, continua tão bonita e inteligente como anteriormente, e nesta história a sua leitura de mesinha de cabeceira proporciona uma discussão curiosa e interessante sobre os sete pecados mortais e o seu impacto cada vez menor na sociedade atual. Como sempre, os dotes culinários de Paola são evidenciados, com descrições fabulosas de pratos italianos, que nos deixam com água na boca.

Donna Leon criou um conjunto de personagens único, com personalidade fortes e opiniões distintas e é através delas que nos dá a conhecer a cidade de Veneza e os venezianos, com tudo o que têm de bom e de mau. Neste livro é abordado o preconceito em relação aos imigrantes e aos homossexuais. Também se estende ao mundo das finanças e da política, ainda que superficialmente.

Acima de tudo, Donna Leon é uma autora que se preocupa com os detalhes e evidencia tanto os seus mistérios, como as suas personagens. Ler a série do Brunetti é como estar em casa, onde as pessoas nos são familiares e o ambiente que nos rodeia nos faz sentir seguros e confortáveis.

"Quando era criança, tinham-lhe ensinado que o paraíso era um mundo sem pecado, mas este admirável mundo que tinha perdido o sentido do pecado, onde ele se encontrava, não era nenhum paraíso."

[Madeline · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the raging disappointment that was Through a Glass Darkly, I'm tempted to give this book a higher rating than it deserves based just on how much better it was. So I'll settle for three stars, which in my mind translates to "pretty good, I guess."

The truth is I'm getting a little bored with Commissario Brunetti. So many little things are starting to grate at me: the way he lovingly describes every article of clothing and jewelry his smokin' colleague Signorina Elettra is wearing every damn day, his constant mind-bitching whenever he's so busy he can't go home for lunch and spend an hour eating a fabulous home-cooked meal (honestly, he has to eat lunch in a restaurant once and will not shut up about how he has to lower himself to sandwiches), and of course Leon's half-assed attempts to connect every crime to some classical work of art. This time it's the Seven Deadly Sins, and I won't even bother to explain the connection because it barely works and is kind of stupid.

Now we're really getting into the nitpicking, but this part just drove me crazy so I'm going to quote it. So Brunetti is thinking about Signorina Elettra and how it annoys him that she wasn't in the office once when he needed her. The following passage is recorded exactly as it appears in the book, with nothing omitted.
"That in turn provoked a flash of shame at the moment's rage he'd felt at her absence. Like Otello, he had a lieutenant who could corrupt his best feelings.

As though forewarned that today she was to play Desdemona, Signorina Elettra wore a loose dress of gossamer white linen, her hair hanging loose down her back."

But...Leon, you just said she was Cassio, not Desdemona. Or I am reading something wrong? Either way, it's lazy narration and it annoyed me a lot more than it should have.

[Meg Morden · Rating 4 out of 5]

The murder of an old woman takes place when Brunetti is away on holiday with his family in Ireland and so the case is handled by Lieutenant Scarpa. It appears to be an open-and-set case with the Romanian maid seen as guilty due to her precipitous escape home. But when a neigbour of the dead woman returns from a trip to a language course in London, and presents new evidence, Brunetti secretly reopens the case.
The case is set against the backdrop of Brunetti's wife Paola reading their daughter's religious studies book and Brunetti explores the motives in relation to the 7 deadly sins: pride, lust, greed, sloth, gluttony, jealousy and wrath and how in this modern age they are not considered as deadly as before.
We get to see a bit more of Lieutenant Scarpa in this book and see that he is really a nasty piece of work. Brunetti has to go toe to toe with him and may have to pay the consequences in the future.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Leon's unforgettable beginnings - "She was an old cow and he hated her." - proceeds to an equally terse and memorable conclusion. Along the way, the Scarpa intrigue becomes a confrontation, and Brunetti examines the Seven Deadly Sins in the light of modern justice. A repulsive victim, a mediocre "victim," not to mention several examples of true virtue, including a Romanian caregiver and a golden retriever. One of Leon's best.

[Gabi Coatsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Venetian mystery from Donna Leon, with its usual share of corruption, delicious food, and problematic policemen. As ever, Leon is exceptional at conveying a sense of place, especially given the small geographic area that is Venice. I liked the red herrings, and didn't guess the culprit until the end, which is what I want from a mystery novel.

[Olga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh...
Not up to the level of several other Leone books.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only this summer did I chance upon Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti books and have devoured four in the last two weeks. These have charm and warmth, uncommon qualities in 'tec stories, yet are anything but precious. The visit to a corner-cutting slaughterhouse in Beastly Things is fierce. An important element of each book is the home life of the Commissario and his family. He's a lucky man. The title of Doctored Evidence is an ambiguous clue to motive for murder in a country where the appellation "Dottore" or "Dotoressa" is freely offered as a generic term of respect without regard to academic qualifications. Off today to the well-stocked public library to score another two in the series.
P.S. If you like the Inspector Ghote novels of HRF Keating, set in Mumbai, you will like these set in Venice. Brunetti is as far removed from Ghote in education, social status and place in the police hierarchy as Venice is from Mumbai, but both are lovable to their respective wives (only one each) and to readers. Ghote is more scrupulous, to the point of imperiling his career. "You're the one," an apprehended pickpocket tells him in Bats Fly Up for Inspector Ghote "who never falsifies the evidence." Brunetti, by contrast, searches without a warrant by picking the lock and relies on a colleague to gather intelligence on the 'net by deceptive and frankly illegal means. They are both men of honor.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't found a bad Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery yet, but I liked this one quite a lot. Donna Leon usually has a subtext, a thematic idea that underlies the combination of procedural mystery and family story that is the magic combination of this series. In this one, the Seven Deadly Sins showed up, and there was even a suggestion of the banality of evil to give these skillfully written mysteries a bit more depth and dimension that many other series. Seriously, if you haven't read any of these, what are you waiting for?

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one really failed to grab my attention and I found it quite boring.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donna Leon is the perfect author for serial addicts. She has created a great set of characters; sets her books in a wonderful city (Venice) for the readers to explore; and gives a moderate dose of philosophy or morality for us to ponder. I love her! Perhaps the only reason I have given this book three stars, not four, is that I've read three or four of her mysteries now and have high expectations---I know she'll be good, so I am not gob-smacked by how wonderful the books are.

If any readers recall the series of "business" mysteries by Emma Lathen (featuring a bank executive as detective) they will be familiar with the notion of an extraordinary secretary who has the not-so-subtle knack of making her superior look less capable than she. Leon's books feature the excellent Signorina Elettra who is impossibly chic, tremendously capable, and always brings a smile to my face. She is critical to the solution of all the murders and equally important to the pleasurable camaraderie of the police staff.

Enough of this---I have two more Donna Leon mysteries to read this weekend.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading about the Brunetti family, to hear about Raffi and Chiara and the banter between Paola and Guido. I envy their kids sometimes about what food Paola cooks for them. Half of the time I think about diving into traditional Italian cooking and the other half of the time my stomach grumbles angrily and wants to be fed. I have not gotten myself one of the meals Paolo cooks though.

The mystery can easily become a side kick, though I think looking at it this way is strange. The character development is the best part of Leon's books.

When I finished the book I remembered vaguely that I watched the series on TV ages (years) ago.

I thought it was tragic that we think about the Rom or Roma or Gypsies in such a negative way and the more they and their lifestyle was thematised in the book, I got sadder and angrier. (...)

While thinking about the tiger man I suppose that I got stuck with a certain image in my head. Something that was totally disconnected from the book itself.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Grazia Battestini is a greedy and selfish old lady who is generally disliked by her neighbours and by the succession of poor immigrant women who are paid to care for her. When she is murdered, suspicion falls on her latest carer, a Romanian woman called Flori, who is arrested with a false passport and a large sum of money as she tries to leave the country. As Flori tries to escape, she falls under a train and is killed. However, when Commissario Brunetti receives information that casts doubt on Flori’s guilt, he begins his own investigation.

As always, Donna Leon’s focus is not primarily on the plot, although this plot does introduce a variety of suspects with potential motives and intriguing connections to the dead woman. Alongside this, Leon examines various aspects of corruption in Italian society and links them to the seven deadly sins. There are also interesting developments in the working relationship of Signorina Elettra and Ispettore Vianello, and a satisfying encounter between Brunetti and the slimy Scarpa.

[Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old woman beaten to death in her home, her maid is on the run, and all is not what it seems. Another intriguing Brunetti mystery where he has to manipulate his political foe to go beyond what appears to the truth to actually finding the truth.

An old, bitter, nasty woman is found beaten in her home; so many suspects as it appears she was hated by everyone who came into her path. I don't know Italian laws, but I always chuckle when Brunetti casually does something that would appear to be, shall we say, not entirely really legal. Breaking into the old ladies home to go through her stuff, utilizing hackers to find information (although to fair, the hackers do work for the police) - but he always finds his killer.

I love his relationship with his wife and kids and as always, the description of the food he eats makes me so incredibly hungry. Never disappointed with a Brunetti murder.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elderly woman, apparently universally despised, has been found murdered in her apartment. The prime suspect, her housekeeper, dies while fleeing from police officers seeking to arrest her. Case closed? Not quite. A neighbour contacts the police to defend the housekeeper, and Brunetti alone is willing to believe her, agreeing to dig deeper into the case.

An entertaining read as always, but did we really need to bring those vile stereotypes about gay people in here? Not a fan of the fact that there were apparently zero consequences for the bitch who poisoned the dog either.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally jumped ahead with this novel but I highly enjoyed it and plan to read the rest of the series. In fact, I am not doing my "assigned reading" and instead grabbing up these to read:)

[Dianne Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirteen books in and still really enjoying this series. Looking forward to the next one.

[Dolf Patijn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable as always. Brunetti has learned that you can't always stick to the rules if you want to see results.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been trying online audiobooks while sewing and I think that will help with the division of time between my top two hobbies. I selected this one as I have a physical copy of the book sitting on the shelves to be read and I had not tried an audiobook of this series. It was decently done -- I think it loses some of the flavor of the written language which I love but enhances the flavor of the characters in the depiction of the dialogue.

Once again, Guido Brunetti tries to address crime and evil in Venice within the parameters of the city which proceeds by its own rules of connections and corruption and pointless bureaucracy. The case he tries to solve was easily addressed by Lt. Scarpa and "solved" within hours when the murdered old woman's foreign maid runs from immigration police and is struck by a freight train. She was definitely foreign and she ran -- guilty, case closed. EXCEPT. The dead woman's neighbor returns from a trip abroad to learn of the crime and provides exculpatory information clearing the maid; of course, Vice-Questore Patta is in no hurry to disrupt a solved case and Patta will not accept the neighbor's statements as true. Brunetti is willing to accept logic and human decency and tackle the investigation, which is largely nonexistent. At home, he is debating the Seven Deadly Sins with his wife, which influences his investigation of the case. The old woman's son had been a blackmailer before dying of AIDS, raising the motives of Greed and Lust as possibilities. However, in the end it proves that Pride and the workings of Venetian society are the root of the whole thing.

I always enjoy time spent with Brunetti and company. This was one of the better murder mysteries in the classical sense and one with a solution that comes closer to being satisfying for the reader and for Brunetti than most of the installments in the series, while still being true to life in Venice.

[Bonnieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. This is the sixth I have read and with each one, I am more sure than ever that I would not ever wish to live in Venice. Leon seems to make her protagonist, Brunetti, more cynical in every new story I read: a police commissioner who has a political hack for a boss, incompetent and crooked police around him, and little hope for the laws, trust, processes of the ‘system’ within Venice. He works AROUND the law as much as he works with it. In this story, the case he solves is not even his, but he realizes that an innocent person has been blamed and the case closed when she most likely did not commit the crime. He must solve it behind the responsible lieutenant’s back. The way of life and culture of Venice continues to both shine and show its dark side.