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Commissario Brunetti #3
Dressed for Death
Commissario Guido Brunetti's hopes for a refreshing family holiday in the mountains are once again dashed when a gruesome discovery is made in Marghera - a body so badly beaten the face is completely unrecognizable. Brunetti searches Venice for someone who can identify the corpse but is met with a wall of silence. He then receives a telephone call from a contact who promises some tantalizing information. And before night is out, Brunetti is confronting yet another appalling, and apparently senseless, death.
Audio CD
First published January 1, 1994
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About the author
Donna Leon
107 books2,924 followersDonna 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,038 reviews
August 23, 2020
Donna Leon, I am sorry! I apologize for not reading any of your books until this year (2020). I LOVE THIS SERIES!!! Set in Venice, I love the plots and characters. Just another super job with Commissario Brunetti. This time he is on the trail of a murderer who has killed a man who is found in the field outside a slaughterhouse. What makes this different is that the man is wearing red womens shoes and a red dress. Was he a cross-dressing whore? Was he a closet gay man? What is the story behind this man, and who is he. Heck we do not even know that much for almost the first 100 pages. Just a really good plot and writing. We have quite a few deaths that derive from this initial murder and all of them seem to be connected to a Morality League, but yet there is no physical evidence of this. Here we are kept waiting until the very end for justice to prevail, or at least we hope it will! Filled with local Venetian landmarks, humor, and murder, we find Brunetti at his very best. Also a new character, Elettera who is the secretary for Vice-Questorre Patta (who himself has problems!!). Just a really good book. Thanks Donna, and again, I am sorry it took me so long to dive into Commissario Brunetti!
September 8, 2024
Melodic!
I love the serene and melodic atmosphere of the Commissario Brunetti series. Donna Leon’s quiet descriptions of Venice makes you feel like you are there.
Although he is supposed to be enjoying a vacation in the mountains with his family, another brutal murder has Brunetti caught up in the search for a killer.
Brunetti feels like the conscience of the whole country. Back in the days when the mafia was the biggest show in town. 😒
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
I love the serene and melodic atmosphere of the Commissario Brunetti series. Donna Leon’s quiet descriptions of Venice makes you feel like you are there.
Although he is supposed to be enjoying a vacation in the mountains with his family, another brutal murder has Brunetti caught up in the search for a killer.
Brunetti feels like the conscience of the whole country. Back in the days when the mafia was the biggest show in town. 😒
Five stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
January 18, 2016
Dressed to Kill, the 3rd book in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti Series starts with a body found behind a slaughterhouse in Marghera. Despite the case falling under the Mestre police department, Brunetti is sent to investigate due to a shortage of detectives in that station. Brunetti is not pleased with the situation as he was due to start his leave and take his family to a vacation in the mountains.
At first, the body is thought to be of a male transvestite prostitute but when it’s identified as a married man and the director of the Bank of Verona, it seems that there is something more than just a prostituted murdered by a client.
Brunetti’s investigation uncovers a world of corruption, where powerful men are using male prostitutes as decoys in the scam involving illegal property rentals in Venice.
The intelligent and sensitive manner in which Brunetti deals with suspects is done so well.
I find the Brunetti family really interesting and fascinating. Their interaction is beautifully done and I particularly enjoy the chemistry between Guido and Paola….
At first, the body is thought to be of a male transvestite prostitute but when it’s identified as a married man and the director of the Bank of Verona, it seems that there is something more than just a prostituted murdered by a client.
Brunetti’s investigation uncovers a world of corruption, where powerful men are using male prostitutes as decoys in the scam involving illegal property rentals in Venice.
The intelligent and sensitive manner in which Brunetti deals with suspects is done so well.
I find the Brunetti family really interesting and fascinating. Their interaction is beautifully done and I particularly enjoy the chemistry between Guido and Paola….
“Once, walking with him, Paola had stopped and asked him what he was thinking about, and the fact that she was the only person in the world he would not be embarrassed to tell just what it was he had been thinking about at that moment convinced him, though a thousand things had already done so, that this was the woman he wanted to marry, had to marry, would marry.”And finally……………….my favorite secretary/hacker is introduced!!!!
A clever and complex mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
September 26, 2016
First a disclaimer, that I'm returning to the earlier Brunetti novels and reading the ones I missed. So this was read after 21 others, although it is only #3 in the series. And I also have to admit that my very favorites are all within the last 10 books when there has been much deeper and "crux /core" peeled down character development.
But this one was GOOD. It was harsher, more sordid and had tougher language and sensibilities in its tone and within Guido's reaction than 90% of all the other 20 plus novels. I can't remember him ever using such base language (foul) or context in any of the others. It's an investigation into the death of a male dressed as a woman and found beaten to death in a field close by the slaughterhouse for cattle, pigs.
It's August and the Brunetti's are just about to go to the mountains on vacation when it begins. Guido is given a task outside of his district too because Patta has promised him to fill in for others sick and on leaves in that location. And it is HOT!
It's rather dated in that AIDS is held to an entity definition, treatment that has rather changed in connotations. But the traipsing for inquiry is hardly different than on other cases. Just in that Guido meets many males in the sex trades here.
But why this one was exceptional and a 4 star for me? Scarpa and Elletra were both introduced! And yes, wouldn't you know it- Scarpa first appears in a scenario where he has been waiting in the August midday sun for hours and is sleeping in a heat collapse. Just because he didn't want to be in or near the abattoir and had no sense to take several other options available. And so from the get-go we begin to understand how he "thinks". And not only 50 pages further on, the flowers and the legs both appear in the former nasty magazine space outside of Patta's office. And the big brown eyes and wide smile proceed to tell Guido that she is having the top notch florist deliver specialty fare on Monday and Thursday indefinitely and thus introduces herself. What a 5 star way to introduce your own operational understanding of Patta's future budget line to all, Elletra. Brava!
Paola is her usual "know it all" critique expert on the subject of gays and also makes a tuna sauce that sounds intriguing.
The rest is pure Guido. He's like a beast of burden pulling the shafts around and around the grinding mill. Finding out who, and then finding out why/how! Justice as equates within Italia in the Veneto.
And Guido also cooks from scratch too. Over-ripe tomatoes, figs and some traditional verbiage mixed deliciously.
But this one was GOOD. It was harsher, more sordid and had tougher language and sensibilities in its tone and within Guido's reaction than 90% of all the other 20 plus novels. I can't remember him ever using such base language (foul) or context in any of the others. It's an investigation into the death of a male dressed as a woman and found beaten to death in a field close by the slaughterhouse for cattle, pigs.
It's August and the Brunetti's are just about to go to the mountains on vacation when it begins. Guido is given a task outside of his district too because Patta has promised him to fill in for others sick and on leaves in that location. And it is HOT!
It's rather dated in that AIDS is held to an entity definition, treatment that has rather changed in connotations. But the traipsing for inquiry is hardly different than on other cases. Just in that Guido meets many males in the sex trades here.
But why this one was exceptional and a 4 star for me? Scarpa and Elletra were both introduced! And yes, wouldn't you know it- Scarpa first appears in a scenario where he has been waiting in the August midday sun for hours and is sleeping in a heat collapse. Just because he didn't want to be in or near the abattoir and had no sense to take several other options available. And so from the get-go we begin to understand how he "thinks". And not only 50 pages further on, the flowers and the legs both appear in the former nasty magazine space outside of Patta's office. And the big brown eyes and wide smile proceed to tell Guido that she is having the top notch florist deliver specialty fare on Monday and Thursday indefinitely and thus introduces herself. What a 5 star way to introduce your own operational understanding of Patta's future budget line to all, Elletra. Brava!
Paola is her usual "know it all" critique expert on the subject of gays and also makes a tuna sauce that sounds intriguing.
The rest is pure Guido. He's like a beast of burden pulling the shafts around and around the grinding mill. Finding out who, and then finding out why/how! Justice as equates within Italia in the Veneto.
And Guido also cooks from scratch too. Over-ripe tomatoes, figs and some traditional verbiage mixed deliciously.
August 26, 2023
3.5 stars. I enjoyed going back to Venice and spending time with Commissario Brunetti. He is unusual in that he doesn't participate in a lot of gossip, has an openness & compassion for the human condition, and is contemptuous of the systemic corruption in many Italian governmental departments and businesses. Those characteristics are in full as he is lent to the Questore in Mestre when that city's Commissario's are all unavailable. He is sent to investigate a murder of what appears to be of a transvestite prostitute. There is a lot going on in this story as this one murder leads to shady goings on with a bank, and a charitable organization. Before this case is wrapped up there are two more murders and a death of one of their own in the police force. It was an interesting labyrinth to travel but I did think the capitulation of some of the characters at the end seemed somewhat implausible.
July 22, 2018
Donna Leon has created a lovable character in Comissario Guido Brunetti and a highly entertaining series of novels built around the city of Venice as backdrop. This is my second and I intend to read more. Highly recommended!
January 29, 2011
Not my favorite Donna Leon-- a bit more grizzly and sordid than some-- but really worth the read for the start of Chapter Twenty-Three, in which our hero, Commissario of Police Guido Brunetti, having a rare night home alone without his wife and children, cooks his supper and reads Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome... "The heat usually robbed Brunetti of all appetite, but that night he found himself really hungry... He stopped at Rialto on the way home, surprised to find some of the fruit and vegetable stalls still open after eight. He bought a kilo of plum tomatoes so ripe the vendor warned him to carry them carefully and not put anything on top. At another stall, he bought a kilo of dark figs and got the same warning. Luckily, each warning had come with a plastic bag, so he arrived at home with a bag in each hand.
"When he got inside, he opened all the windows in the apartment, changed into loose cotton pants and a T-shirt, and went into the kitchen. He chopped onions, dropped the tomatoes in boiling water, the more easily to peel them, and went out on the terrace to pick some leaves of fresh basil. Working automatically, not really paying attention to what he was doing, he prepared a simple sauce and then put water on to cook the pasta. When the salted water rose to a rolling boil, he threw half a package of penne rigate into the water and stirred them around.
"...When the pasta was done, he poured it through a colander, tossed it into a serving bowl, then poured the sauce on top of it. With a large spoon, he swirled it round, then went out on to the terrace, where he had already taken a fork, a glass and a bottle of Cabernet. He ate from the bowl. Their terrace was so high that the only people close enough to see what he was doing would have to be in the bell tower of the church of San Polo. He ate all the pasta, wiping the remaining sauce up with a piece of bread, then took the bowl inside and came out with a plate of freshly washed figs.
"Before he started on them, he went back inside and picked up his copy of Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome. Brunetti picked up where he had left off, with the account of the myriad horrors of the reign of Tiberius, an emperor for whom Tacitus seemed to have an especial distaste. These Romans murdered, betrayed, and did violence to honour and to one another. How like us they were, Brunetti reflected. He read on, learning nothing to change that conclusion, until the mosquitoes began to attack him, driving him inside. On the sofa, until well after midnight, he read on, not at all troubled by the knowledge that this catalogue of crimes and villainies committed almost two thousand years ago served to remove his mind from those that were being committed around him. His sleep was deep and dreamless, and he awoke refreshed, as if he believed that Tacitus' fierce, uncompromising morality would somehow help him through the day."
He cooks, he reads. In Venice, mind you. I don't know about you, but this is my kind of guy.
"When he got inside, he opened all the windows in the apartment, changed into loose cotton pants and a T-shirt, and went into the kitchen. He chopped onions, dropped the tomatoes in boiling water, the more easily to peel them, and went out on the terrace to pick some leaves of fresh basil. Working automatically, not really paying attention to what he was doing, he prepared a simple sauce and then put water on to cook the pasta. When the salted water rose to a rolling boil, he threw half a package of penne rigate into the water and stirred them around.
"...When the pasta was done, he poured it through a colander, tossed it into a serving bowl, then poured the sauce on top of it. With a large spoon, he swirled it round, then went out on to the terrace, where he had already taken a fork, a glass and a bottle of Cabernet. He ate from the bowl. Their terrace was so high that the only people close enough to see what he was doing would have to be in the bell tower of the church of San Polo. He ate all the pasta, wiping the remaining sauce up with a piece of bread, then took the bowl inside and came out with a plate of freshly washed figs.
"Before he started on them, he went back inside and picked up his copy of Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome. Brunetti picked up where he had left off, with the account of the myriad horrors of the reign of Tiberius, an emperor for whom Tacitus seemed to have an especial distaste. These Romans murdered, betrayed, and did violence to honour and to one another. How like us they were, Brunetti reflected. He read on, learning nothing to change that conclusion, until the mosquitoes began to attack him, driving him inside. On the sofa, until well after midnight, he read on, not at all troubled by the knowledge that this catalogue of crimes and villainies committed almost two thousand years ago served to remove his mind from those that were being committed around him. His sleep was deep and dreamless, and he awoke refreshed, as if he believed that Tacitus' fierce, uncompromising morality would somehow help him through the day."
He cooks, he reads. In Venice, mind you. I don't know about you, but this is my kind of guy.
May 27, 2020
I'd read other Donna Leon books prior to picking up the first of the series. If it had been the first I'd read, it would definitely got me into reading the remainder. It provided an excellent introduction to Commissario Brunetti and the other main characters who make up the cast in the series; his lovely wife, Paola and his two children, son Reggio and precocious daughter Chiara, his team of assistants, Sgt Vianello and secretary Signora Elletro (who I've always had a crush on) and of course, his politically motivated boss, Patta. I love the locale, the city of Venice and environs, the political intrigue, the food and of course, the story, the mystery and Brunetti's somewhat world-weary, but still dedication to his work and the people of his city. Excellent!
October 11, 2021
The Curious Banker
Review of the Blackstone Audio audiobook edition (August 2009) of the Harper Collins hardcover original (June 1994)
I am continuing to enjoy the Brunetti series, especially for the Venice atmosphere created by writer Donna Leon, who lived in the city for 30 years until retiring recently to a small village in Switzerland. Dressed for Death finds Brunetti investigating the murder of a man found dressed as a woman. The clues seem to lead to the transvestite community, but Brunetti begins to suspect that there is something else behind the initial obfuscation.
Dressed for Death was good as a police procedural, but I definitely missed the participation of Brunetti's wife Paula and children Chiara and Rafaelli who are off on vacation during most of the book. This meant that the Brunetti home life and interaction which is the real heart of the series was missing. One curiousity occurred when Brunetti went home to cook a solo meal and takes the trouble to make a fresh tomato sauce for only a single meal of pasta. On the plus side, this 3rd book introduces the character of Signorina Elettra Zorzi, the secretary to Brunetti's nemesis, Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta. Signorina Elettra becomes a mainstay of the series and Brunetti's regular aid when he needs assistance with computers and/or hacking databases.
The narration by David Colacci in the audiobook edition was fine. Colacci is the regular English language narrator for the series, except for The Golden Egg #22 which is narrated by David Rintoul. 17 of the current 30 books are available for free on Audible Plus.
Actor Karl Fischer as Sergente Lorenzo Vianello and actor Joachim Król as Commissario Guido Brunetti enjoying a tea break in Venice, Italy in a film still from the German television adaptation of "Dressed for Death" (2000). Image sourced from IMDB.
Trivia and Links
There is a really fascinating interview with author Donna Leon at ItalianMysteries.Com even if it was done 18 years ago. She discusses all sorts of background to the books and characters and also gives the reason that she won't allow the books to be translated into Italian (and it wasn't because she feared criticism by her neighbours in Venice).
Although it was the 3rd book, Dressed for Death was filmed as the 2nd episode "Venezianische Scharade" (Venetian Charade) (2000) of the German language TV series (2000-2019) based on the Donna Leon / Commissario Brunetti series. I was unable to locate a trailer or a copy of the episode.
An English language summary of the German language Commissario Brunetti TV series is available at Fictional Cities (Spoilers Obviously). The 2nd episode is titled "The Anonymous Venetian" here for some reason. As explained in the above interview, the TV-series was a German production as the books took off in popularity the most in the German speaking countries of Europe as Leon's publishing agent was Swiss-German and knew that market the best.
Review of the Blackstone Audio audiobook edition (August 2009) of the Harper Collins hardcover original (June 1994)
I am continuing to enjoy the Brunetti series, especially for the Venice atmosphere created by writer Donna Leon, who lived in the city for 30 years until retiring recently to a small village in Switzerland. Dressed for Death finds Brunetti investigating the murder of a man found dressed as a woman. The clues seem to lead to the transvestite community, but Brunetti begins to suspect that there is something else behind the initial obfuscation.
Dressed for Death was good as a police procedural, but I definitely missed the participation of Brunetti's wife Paula and children Chiara and Rafaelli who are off on vacation during most of the book. This meant that the Brunetti home life and interaction which is the real heart of the series was missing. One curiousity occurred when Brunetti went home to cook a solo meal and takes the trouble to make a fresh tomato sauce for only a single meal of pasta. On the plus side, this 3rd book introduces the character of Signorina Elettra Zorzi, the secretary to Brunetti's nemesis, Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta. Signorina Elettra becomes a mainstay of the series and Brunetti's regular aid when he needs assistance with computers and/or hacking databases.
The narration by David Colacci in the audiobook edition was fine. Colacci is the regular English language narrator for the series, except for The Golden Egg #22 which is narrated by David Rintoul. 17 of the current 30 books are available for free on Audible Plus.
Actor Karl Fischer as Sergente Lorenzo Vianello and actor Joachim Król as Commissario Guido Brunetti enjoying a tea break in Venice, Italy in a film still from the German television adaptation of "Dressed for Death" (2000). Image sourced from IMDB.
Trivia and Links
There is a really fascinating interview with author Donna Leon at ItalianMysteries.Com even if it was done 18 years ago. She discusses all sorts of background to the books and characters and also gives the reason that she won't allow the books to be translated into Italian (and it wasn't because she feared criticism by her neighbours in Venice).
Although it was the 3rd book, Dressed for Death was filmed as the 2nd episode "Venezianische Scharade" (Venetian Charade) (2000) of the German language TV series (2000-2019) based on the Donna Leon / Commissario Brunetti series. I was unable to locate a trailer or a copy of the episode.
An English language summary of the German language Commissario Brunetti TV series is available at Fictional Cities (Spoilers Obviously). The 2nd episode is titled "The Anonymous Venetian" here for some reason. As explained in the above interview, the TV-series was a German production as the books took off in popularity the most in the German speaking countries of Europe as Leon's publishing agent was Swiss-German and knew that market the best.
March 18, 2018
This is the third Donna Leon book that I have read. I truly enjoy the Venetian ambience while reading her books. Most of all, I really do like the protagonist, Guido Brunetti. Not only does he love his wife and children, but he’s also hard-working and upright. What a refreshing change! This is from the TV series.
He often goes home for lunch and of course for dinner, and let me just say that the food descriptions are superb. There’s even a Brunetti cookbook that I’m seriously considering.
The story here was good, but not the best. I wish that I liked this series more. I have to be honest. I probably wouldn’t continue with these books if we weren’t planning on visiting Venice soon. I’ve been reading these mainly for the atmosphere.
He often goes home for lunch and of course for dinner, and let me just say that the food descriptions are superb. There’s even a Brunetti cookbook that I’m seriously considering.
The story here was good, but not the best. I wish that I liked this series more. I have to be honest. I probably wouldn’t continue with these books if we weren’t planning on visiting Venice soon. I’ve been reading these mainly for the atmosphere.
February 5, 2018
Bored. Slogged through it on the strength of the reviews and the hope of a series I might enjoy.
I listened to the audio and never adapted to the narrator. I never figured out how much of the problem was him and how much was the book. Often I can get past a so-so narrator once the story takes over in my mind. This story never hooked.
I understand the plot and tone of this book are different from others in the series. Maybe it’s he wrong place to start.
I’m reading the first of the series on kindle and have some hopes for that one. I’m not giving up yet, but if I didn’t have any other input than just having listened to this one I wouldn’t give the others another thought.
I listened to the audio and never adapted to the narrator. I never figured out how much of the problem was him and how much was the book. Often I can get past a so-so narrator once the story takes over in my mind. This story never hooked.
I understand the plot and tone of this book are different from others in the series. Maybe it’s he wrong place to start.
I’m reading the first of the series on kindle and have some hopes for that one. I’m not giving up yet, but if I didn’t have any other input than just having listened to this one I wouldn’t give the others another thought.
May 8, 2025
While out on a cigarette break, a man notices a red shoe off in the long grass. Curious, he investigates. When he tried to retrieve the matching shoe, he sees it has a foot in it. He runs back inside the slaughter house and informs his supervisor there is a dead woman outside. The supervisor calls the police. It turns out the dead woman is really a man in drag. His face is unidentifiable and it is several days before a wife reports her husband missing.
Despite the murder having been committed outside of his Venice jurisdiction, Brunetti is called in. As these investigations go, one thing leads to another and the murder is solved. There are also several domestic scenes, one of the things I like about this series. Brunetti is definitely a family man and when he arrives for dinner after a long day, any reader who likes Italian food will have her/his mouth watering.
His being a family man affects how he thinks about murder, too. Originally published in 1994, this happens at the peak of the AIDs epidemic and how the gay community is both viewed and affected. No matter the victim's proclivity, he didn't deserve his death and Brunetti refuses to sweep this one under the rug as some on the force were inclined to do.
This is an early installment of the Brunetti series, which does not need to be read in order. It feels as if I haven't read one recently enough. Was that why I thought this one is better than some others? Maybe, though I still think there was something that made this one just a tad better and I'm not unhappy coloring in a 4th star. It resides a bit above the halfway mark in that group.
Despite the murder having been committed outside of his Venice jurisdiction, Brunetti is called in. As these investigations go, one thing leads to another and the murder is solved. There are also several domestic scenes, one of the things I like about this series. Brunetti is definitely a family man and when he arrives for dinner after a long day, any reader who likes Italian food will have her/his mouth watering.
His being a family man affects how he thinks about murder, too. Originally published in 1994, this happens at the peak of the AIDs epidemic and how the gay community is both viewed and affected. No matter the victim's proclivity, he didn't deserve his death and Brunetti refuses to sweep this one under the rug as some on the force were inclined to do.
This is an early installment of the Brunetti series, which does not need to be read in order. It feels as if I haven't read one recently enough. Was that why I thought this one is better than some others? Maybe, though I still think there was something that made this one just a tad better and I'm not unhappy coloring in a 4th star. It resides a bit above the halfway mark in that group.
January 13, 2023
This was a reread, I started this series decades ago, when first published, and read a few, out of order, when they became available through my library. I always meant to get back to the series, set in modern Venice, and starring Commissario Guido Brunetti. I’m glad to be rereading with the Reading the Detectives group.
As this book opens, Brunetti is looking forward to escaping the steamy summer of Venice with his family; his plans are put on hold when the body of a badly beaten man is discovered in an industrial wasteland, frequented by prostitutes and their clients.
The man is dressed in high heels and a dress, and is thought be a transvestite prostitute. In an effort to identify the victim, Brunetti begins questioning homosexual prostitutes, but the investigation takes an interesting turn involving wealthy, powerful men who secretly frequent the prostitutes, and are also involved with a shady Venetian charity that operates as a moral watchdog, while renting scarce Venetian apartments to ‘worthy tenants’ at a nominal rent.
I’ve never been to Venice, but can imagine what rents must be now, if they were this high back in the 1990s! With the current outlandishly high real estate prices and housing shortages, this book seemed timeless.
As always, a satisfying, interesting case, a wonderful look at Venice, and an enjoyable visit with a likable, decent main character and his family and co-workers. Grateful Leon has written (and is still writing) many Brunetti mysteries to look forward to.
As this book opens, Brunetti is looking forward to escaping the steamy summer of Venice with his family; his plans are put on hold when the body of a badly beaten man is discovered in an industrial wasteland, frequented by prostitutes and their clients.
The man is dressed in high heels and a dress, and is thought be a transvestite prostitute. In an effort to identify the victim, Brunetti begins questioning homosexual prostitutes, but the investigation takes an interesting turn involving wealthy, powerful men who secretly frequent the prostitutes, and are also involved with a shady Venetian charity that operates as a moral watchdog, while renting scarce Venetian apartments to ‘worthy tenants’ at a nominal rent.
I’ve never been to Venice, but can imagine what rents must be now, if they were this high back in the 1990s! With the current outlandishly high real estate prices and housing shortages, this book seemed timeless.
As always, a satisfying, interesting case, a wonderful look at Venice, and an enjoyable visit with a likable, decent main character and his family and co-workers. Grateful Leon has written (and is still writing) many Brunetti mysteries to look forward to.
November 6, 2018
What appears at first glance to be a murdered woman is found behind a slaughterhouse. Upon closer examination, however, the body in the red dress turns out to be that of a man, and the first officers on the scene immediately jump to the conclusion that he must be a transvestite prostitute. Commissario Brunetti, handed the case because none of the detectives actually assigned to the relevant precinct are available, takes that assumption with a grain of salt, and the further he looks into the case, the more it looks like the truth lies somewhere else entirely.
This book was first published in 1994, and it does show in some of the attitudes and comments therein. But as Brunetti himself, guided by the ever openminded and liberal Paola, assumes a far more accepting stance than most of the unpleasant characters he encounters, this didn't grate as much as I'd feared. Another quick and entertaining read, with enough twists to keep one guessing.
This book was first published in 1994, and it does show in some of the attitudes and comments therein. But as Brunetti himself, guided by the ever openminded and liberal Paola, assumes a far more accepting stance than most of the unpleasant characters he encounters, this didn't grate as much as I'd feared. Another quick and entertaining read, with enough twists to keep one guessing.
May 11, 2023
I find the plot of these serial mysteries I read secondary to my contentment in reading about a protagonist’s occupation - whether it be Commissario or Private Investigator or something else - and their personal relationships. It creates comfort reading for me. I need large doses of comfort reading in my life just now.
In this installment Guido Brunetti says goodbye to his family for the entirety of the book as they head on vacation without him. In their absence, we learn how precious they are to him through his loneliness. We also are introduced to Guido’s aged Mother with dementia. We are treated to his Venetian apartment, pasta dishes, peaches and figs, and the idea of him reading a book about the Roman Empire until well after midnight one night. This home life part of the story is essential to my contentment.
So, you see, I’m glad Guido solved the crime as I always am but I don’t really care what that crime actually was.
In this installment Guido Brunetti says goodbye to his family for the entirety of the book as they head on vacation without him. In their absence, we learn how precious they are to him through his loneliness. We also are introduced to Guido’s aged Mother with dementia. We are treated to his Venetian apartment, pasta dishes, peaches and figs, and the idea of him reading a book about the Roman Empire until well after midnight one night. This home life part of the story is essential to my contentment.
So, you see, I’m glad Guido solved the crime as I always am but I don’t really care what that crime actually was.
October 20, 2025
2024: Small side thought that isn't really a spoiler, would the Brunettis really not have had their kids immunized?
Original review:This is a critical book in the series, because in on her high,high,heels comes Signorina Elettra who is almost a deus ex machina in the books to come as she becomes Brunetti's one stop information center. In future books you can trace the changes in information technology and the rise of the Internet in Europe through her adventures. Heads up:another character appears in a minor role here who will become a focal character in a later book .
Original review:This is a critical book in the series, because in on her high,high,heels comes Signorina Elettra who is almost a deus ex machina in the books to come as she becomes Brunetti's one stop information center. In future books you can trace the changes in information technology and the rise of the Internet in Europe through her adventures. Heads up:another character appears in a minor role here who will become a focal character in a later book .
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July 20, 2022I have enjoyed all of Donna Leon's Brunetti books, and this is one of her best.
May 20, 2023
Wow, I really like Brunetti and his wife!
I am really enjoying listening to David Colacci narrate the stories too!
I am really enjoying listening to David Colacci narrate the stories too!
July 10, 2025
Snabbläst för hängmattan en vilsam dag.
Plus för känslan att befinna sig i Italien (Venedig), den italienska maten som dyker upp emellanåt, positiv bild av Brunetti själv och hans familj. Har dock 30 år på nacken. Brunetti börjar fundera på att skaffa sig dator! Men falskhet och dubbelmoral är väl ungefär densamma.
Plus för känslan att befinna sig i Italien (Venedig), den italienska maten som dyker upp emellanåt, positiv bild av Brunetti själv och hans familj. Har dock 30 år på nacken. Brunetti börjar fundera på att skaffa sig dator! Men falskhet och dubbelmoral är väl ungefär densamma.
August 15, 2007
What follows is less a review than a series of anecdotes and digressions (rather like Tristram Shandy).
I found myself in a quandry; I was getting ready to leave work, and I had misplaced my copy of The Worst Intentions (according to Freud, there are no accidents), which left me without a book to read on my weekend. I picked up a knackered pocketbook copy of Dressed For Death, which, if you have ever tried to sell books at Green Apple, tells you all you need to know about Donna Leon: we simply do not buy knackered pocketbooks unless the author is wildly popular amongst our customers. I have always been resistant to the Donna Leon phenomenon; looking at the covers of her books, I had always had them figured as picturesque, twee mysteries, set in a Henry Jamesean Venezia of white flannels and high culture (I once read twenty pages into James' Italian Hours; the level of Anglo-American condescension he displayed toward Italy made me want to scream "Hey buddy, we fucking invented civilization...stick your thumb up your ass and rotate!").
Well, was I pleasantly surprised. The story takes place in Mestre, the industrial suburb of Venice, amongst transvestite prostitutes and crooked lawyers and bankers. It's plenty gritty, if not exactly hard-boiled, and, in common with just about every novel I've read set in the Italy of Sylvio Berlusconi, breathes an atmoshere of rampant greed. It is well constructed and well written, but I do have a couple of bones to pick: first, the ending is too neatly wrapped up; even Sherlock Holmes had some failures, and the last line Dashiell Hammett ever had published (at the end of The Thin Man) was "That may be...but it's all pretty unsatisfactory". There's value in occasionally letting the bad guy get away with it. Secondly, it's palpably obvious that Ms. Leon has no real interest in food;she gratuitously describes the protagonist's wife preparing insalata caprese (oooo...how adventurous!). In future, she would be much better served leaving the food writing to Andrea Camilleri, whose mouthwatering descriptions of Sicilian cuisine in the Inspector Montalbano novels have often made me feel very hungry, indeed.
I found myself in a quandry; I was getting ready to leave work, and I had misplaced my copy of The Worst Intentions (according to Freud, there are no accidents), which left me without a book to read on my weekend. I picked up a knackered pocketbook copy of Dressed For Death, which, if you have ever tried to sell books at Green Apple, tells you all you need to know about Donna Leon: we simply do not buy knackered pocketbooks unless the author is wildly popular amongst our customers. I have always been resistant to the Donna Leon phenomenon; looking at the covers of her books, I had always had them figured as picturesque, twee mysteries, set in a Henry Jamesean Venezia of white flannels and high culture (I once read twenty pages into James' Italian Hours; the level of Anglo-American condescension he displayed toward Italy made me want to scream "Hey buddy, we fucking invented civilization...stick your thumb up your ass and rotate!").
Well, was I pleasantly surprised. The story takes place in Mestre, the industrial suburb of Venice, amongst transvestite prostitutes and crooked lawyers and bankers. It's plenty gritty, if not exactly hard-boiled, and, in common with just about every novel I've read set in the Italy of Sylvio Berlusconi, breathes an atmoshere of rampant greed. It is well constructed and well written, but I do have a couple of bones to pick: first, the ending is too neatly wrapped up; even Sherlock Holmes had some failures, and the last line Dashiell Hammett ever had published (at the end of The Thin Man) was "That may be...but it's all pretty unsatisfactory". There's value in occasionally letting the bad guy get away with it. Secondly, it's palpably obvious that Ms. Leon has no real interest in food;she gratuitously describes the protagonist's wife preparing insalata caprese (oooo...how adventurous!). In future, she would be much better served leaving the food writing to Andrea Camilleri, whose mouthwatering descriptions of Sicilian cuisine in the Inspector Montalbano novels have often made me feel very hungry, indeed.
August 9, 2025
It's amazing how soothing a somewhat gory murder mystery can be. I read this when stressed out by the news and personal troubles and it was on the whole very cheering. It even helped me go back to sleep once when I was lying awake worrying.
One scene made me laugh out loud and also made it obvious that this book is more than 30 years old. I enjoyed so much when Guido's friend Padovani decides to call himself "Professore" on his answering machine, on remarkably flimsy grounds. Then he describes how he got so confused and frustrated trying to record the invitation to leave a message that he accidentally recorded himself swearing foully and then wondered why no one left him a message for days. He didn't figure out what was wrong till he called his home from a payphone. Remember payphones?
Everybody lies in the book, even the police, sometimes in the interest of justice, even a saintly nun, out of love. Even when Guido uncovers the truth about the crimes, how is he to get anyone in power - or a jury - to believe it?
I think the encouragement comes from Guido's essential decency, his acceptance of other people, his kindness even to his awful boss who is going through a tough time, and his happy family life. And as with all proper mysteries, from the pursuit of justice and restoration of order at the end.
I'm glad to know that there are thirty Guido Brunetti novels left for me to discover and may eventually be even more. May Donna Leon enjoy a green old age.
One scene made me laugh out loud and also made it obvious that this book is more than 30 years old. I enjoyed so much when Guido's friend Padovani decides to call himself "Professore" on his answering machine, on remarkably flimsy grounds. Then he describes how he got so confused and frustrated trying to record the invitation to leave a message that he accidentally recorded himself swearing foully and then wondered why no one left him a message for days. He didn't figure out what was wrong till he called his home from a payphone. Remember payphones?
Everybody lies in the book, even the police, sometimes in the interest of justice, even a saintly nun, out of love. Even when Guido uncovers the truth about the crimes, how is he to get anyone in power - or a jury - to believe it?
I think the encouragement comes from Guido's essential decency, his acceptance of other people, his kindness even to his awful boss who is going through a tough time, and his happy family life. And as with all proper mysteries, from the pursuit of justice and restoration of order at the end.
I'm glad to know that there are thirty Guido Brunetti novels left for me to discover and may eventually be even more. May Donna Leon enjoy a green old age.
June 18, 2010
Thoroughly bland, but then we don't read mysteries hoping they're actually Joyce or Pynchon, do we? Here, Brunetti investigates the corpse of a transvestite prostitute found outside an abattoir in Mestre....or is it? (A transvestite prostitute, that is. It is an abattoir, it is Mestre.) As always, Venetian corruption dogs his efforts as he ingests insalata caprese, penne rigate in simple sauces, and kilos of peaches, with plenty of acqua minerale to combat the swampy sweaty miasmas of summertime. At night, he reads Tacitus' Annals of Imperial Rome. His wife has taken the children to Bolzano and is reading James's The Sacred Fount which she loves because "nothing happens, absolutely nothing." I think this is the first mystery I've read containing the word marmoreal.
February 17, 2015
Sometimes even the bad guys do fall
Commissario Brunetti gets assigned a case that is in neighboring Mestre, across the causeway from Venice. It starts out as a murder of a transvestite, beaten nearly beyond recognition. But was is initially unrecognizable is the accumulating set of small details that start to form a clearer picture of the case, and reverse the direction if the investigation.
This is a story about power, financial greed and the insightful persistence of a first class writer unveiling twists and turns that engage your interest and hour thoughts about society, misfits, the rich and social web that holds us together.
it's quite a good read.
Commissario Brunetti gets assigned a case that is in neighboring Mestre, across the causeway from Venice. It starts out as a murder of a transvestite, beaten nearly beyond recognition. But was is initially unrecognizable is the accumulating set of small details that start to form a clearer picture of the case, and reverse the direction if the investigation.
This is a story about power, financial greed and the insightful persistence of a first class writer unveiling twists and turns that engage your interest and hour thoughts about society, misfits, the rich and social web that holds us together.
it's quite a good read.
January 18, 2018
Of all the superbly crafted mysteries by Donna Leon, this was the only one which began in an exceptionally offensive way. Granted that her touch is always decisive, I continued to another well plotted and believable finish.
The blood and guts authors, such as Lee
Child, also have highly convoluted plots, but each of Donna Leon’s seem to evolve as natural outgrowths of the human nature of her characters.
The blood and guts authors, such as Lee
Child, also have highly convoluted plots, but each of Donna Leon’s seem to evolve as natural outgrowths of the human nature of her characters.
January 28, 2020
I am really enjoying this series even though it did take me awhile to get back to it for this third book. The subject matter was more disturbing but I really like the characters, Brunetti and his family. The setting of Venice is very enjoyable and seems like another character. I do plan to continue and hope to read these in order though probably at a slow pace because once I start one I have a hard time putting it down.
January 1, 2021
It's so easy to slip into a Leon novel: here the summer heat in Venice is palpable as a complex tale of greed, hypocrisy and corruption is uncovered. Some of the attitudes to gay and trans men feel awkward (this is about 25 years old now) and while Brunetti is a little shocked, his inherent humanity carries him through. It's a shame that Paola and the children are mostly absent but we are treated to the introduction of the divine Signorina Elettra.
March 6, 2016
I've just discovered the Guido Brunetti mystery series, and have a lot of great reading ahead of me!
This is book 3 in the series (I think she's on 24 or 25!), and was published in 1994.
Great character development, and a quick, enjoyable read.
This is book 3 in the series (I think she's on 24 or 25!), and was published in 1994.
Great character development, and a quick, enjoyable read.
January 20, 2020
The August heat has driven many residents out of Venice and nearby mainland cities for vacations in cooler climes, so just as Commissario Guido Brunetti is about to take his family to the mountains, he is asked by the police in Mestre to take charge of a murder case; their own detectives are mostly away on leave. So Brunetti stays behind as his family go to the mountains.
The case is sordid--a man dressed in women's clothing was found beaten to death in a field near a slaughterhouse, an area known as a rendezvous between prostitutes and factory workers heading home after work. But as Brunetti and the Mestre force begin investigating, it becomes likely that the man was neither a transvestite nor a prostitute. When Brunetti encounters a noted lawyer in the home of a transvestite on their interview list, and Brunetti suspects the man is lying about recognizing the murdered man's photo, the case assumes a different shape. Soon Brunetti is pursuing the strangely anonymous activities of La Lega della Moralita, a charitable group supposedly helping the "deserving poor" find apartments in Venice's labyrinthine real estate world. A massive fraud begins to rise to the surface--and then, on the way home from a routine stakeout, an officer is killed in a hit-and-run accident.
Now the case is personal for Brunetti and his team.
This is a fine entry in this long-running series, with all the elements of the best mysteries--an ammoral villain, dangerous accomplices, decent and honorable witnesses, innocent victims, and a satisfying conclusion for readers eager to see justice at the end. This entry also introduces Signorina Elletra as Vice Questure Patta's unusual secretary.
The case is sordid--a man dressed in women's clothing was found beaten to death in a field near a slaughterhouse, an area known as a rendezvous between prostitutes and factory workers heading home after work. But as Brunetti and the Mestre force begin investigating, it becomes likely that the man was neither a transvestite nor a prostitute. When Brunetti encounters a noted lawyer in the home of a transvestite on their interview list, and Brunetti suspects the man is lying about recognizing the murdered man's photo, the case assumes a different shape. Soon Brunetti is pursuing the strangely anonymous activities of La Lega della Moralita, a charitable group supposedly helping the "deserving poor" find apartments in Venice's labyrinthine real estate world. A massive fraud begins to rise to the surface--and then, on the way home from a routine stakeout, an officer is killed in a hit-and-run accident.
Now the case is personal for Brunetti and his team.
This is a fine entry in this long-running series, with all the elements of the best mysteries--an ammoral villain, dangerous accomplices, decent and honorable witnesses, innocent victims, and a satisfying conclusion for readers eager to see justice at the end. This entry also introduces Signorina Elletra as Vice Questure Patta's unusual secretary.
March 30, 2024
It's the middle of August when the heat is oppressive, the tourists are pulsing through Italy, and many of the Italians are taking holiday to escape the city, heat, and tourists. Venice is no different. When a badly beaten body is discovered in Marghera just outside of Venice, the police call for reinforcements and Commissario Brunetti from Venice is called into the investigation. A badly beaten man dressed in women's clothes has been discovered in a field near an area known as a prostitution hot spot. Initially the victim is assumed to be a transvestite. Brunetti is not convinced that all is at it appears, and so begins the investigation. With little to go on, the case is rapidly going nowhere until someone comes forward with information that leads to the identification of the victim, and everything changes. There are some good plot twists but putting the sequence together and identifying exactly who was involved and how is gradually built into the story until the very end.
Brunetti is sly, witty, somewhat irritated by the incompetence of others, yet manages to endear himself to just about everyone. He has the adoration of his family, and the dude eats and drinks well. One of the things I love about this character is his occasional irreverent sense of humor. “One of the secrets Paula and Brunetti never revealed to anyone was their decades-long search for the ugliest Christ child in western art.” Haha! I’ve got to find out how that turns out.
These stories can be standalone, but I am enjoying reading them in sequence. This one the best so far, and yes I realize it is only the third in the series. Looking forward to reading more.
Brunetti is sly, witty, somewhat irritated by the incompetence of others, yet manages to endear himself to just about everyone. He has the adoration of his family, and the dude eats and drinks well. One of the things I love about this character is his occasional irreverent sense of humor. “One of the secrets Paula and Brunetti never revealed to anyone was their decades-long search for the ugliest Christ child in western art.” Haha! I’ve got to find out how that turns out.
These stories can be standalone, but I am enjoying reading them in sequence. This one the best so far, and yes I realize it is only the third in the series. Looking forward to reading more.
April 6, 2018
Another very good installment in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series of mysteries, all set in Venice, where the author has lived for more than thirty years, important because it means she knows the city and the descriptions she writes are always a favorite part of her novels. This mystery involves a man dressed as a woman who is discovered murdered outside a slaughterhouse not far from Venice. Was he a transvestite? Was he a transvestite prostitute? In any event, why was he murdered? All questions Guido, mostly on his own in this novel because his wife and kids are spending the hottest part of the summer in the mountains, must answer. A very good story that I recommend; in fact, I highly recommend all of these mysteries!
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