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Commissario Brunetti #28
Ein Sohn ist uns gegeben
Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejeda - ursprünglich aus Spanien stammend - hat im Kunsthandel ein Vermögen gemacht. Nun verbringt er seinen Lebensabend in Venedig. Was kommt dann? Soll die rigide Familie, die mit seinem freizügigen Lebenswandel noch nie einverstanden war, seine Schätze erben? Oder wer ist der Auserwählte? Brunettis Schwiegervater fürchtet, seinem Freund Gonzalo könne Übles zustoßen. Der Commissario soll helfen - und verläuft sich beinahe in den Abgründen des menschlichen Herzens.
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First published March 5, 2019
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About the author
Donna Leon
106 books2,920 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 935 reviews
February 13, 2024
When is a crime fiction novel not a crime fiction novel? When there’s no crime, of course. Well, like this book. Except finally a crime is revealed after nearly three quarters of the story has been told. Is this a problem? Not in the least, such is the nature of this series that the crime itself is often a side issue, the main focus being a broader theme affecting the inhabitants of Venice. The star of the show is Guido Brunetti, a senior police officer in the city. Correction – the star is really the city itself, its people, customs and idiosyncrasies.
This time Guido is approached by his well-to-do father-in-law with a personal request concerning a close friend. The resultant, seemingly innocuous, task ends up opening a whole can of worms. Social custom amongst the Venetian elite, Italian inheritance tax laws, the rights and wrongs of adoption and sundry other topics are touched on. Brunneti, meanwhile, seeks enlightenment and solutions amongst the Greek Classics.
The little rituals involving food and drink pepper these books. Coffee and wine are consumed regularly, the latter often in the course of a working day. The characters are well known by now (this is, after all, book 28 in the series) but the relationships have grown and matured. There’s love for each other and for the city, sadness too in the inevitable decline seen in bricks and mortar and human flesh.
These stories are reflective and seem to move slowly but they are rich in atmosphere and the prose is expertly assembled. And there’s always a twist, a surprise lurking amongst the pages. I love these books and my reading year would be incomplete without the latest episode. I always feel warmed after finishing the most recent offering, but a sense of sadness pervades too for it will be twelve months before I can seek solace with these people once more.
My sincere thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This time Guido is approached by his well-to-do father-in-law with a personal request concerning a close friend. The resultant, seemingly innocuous, task ends up opening a whole can of worms. Social custom amongst the Venetian elite, Italian inheritance tax laws, the rights and wrongs of adoption and sundry other topics are touched on. Brunneti, meanwhile, seeks enlightenment and solutions amongst the Greek Classics.
The little rituals involving food and drink pepper these books. Coffee and wine are consumed regularly, the latter often in the course of a working day. The characters are well known by now (this is, after all, book 28 in the series) but the relationships have grown and matured. There’s love for each other and for the city, sadness too in the inevitable decline seen in bricks and mortar and human flesh.
These stories are reflective and seem to move slowly but they are rich in atmosphere and the prose is expertly assembled. And there’s always a twist, a surprise lurking amongst the pages. I love these books and my reading year would be incomplete without the latest episode. I always feel warmed after finishing the most recent offering, but a sense of sadness pervades too for it will be twelve months before I can seek solace with these people once more.
My sincere thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 13, 2020
4 stars.
Another pleasant addition to the Guido Brunetti series. He is asked to privately investigate a companion of an old friend by Guido's father in law. There is a murder and a long buried secret. There is only one murder and little violence. I recommend this book to Donna Leon/cozy mystery fans.
One quote: "Like most Venetians, he was accustomed to swimming in the swirling froth of information and misinformation that flowed through so much of daily life;..."
Thanks to Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
Another pleasant addition to the Guido Brunetti series. He is asked to privately investigate a companion of an old friend by Guido's father in law. There is a murder and a long buried secret. There is only one murder and little violence. I recommend this book to Donna Leon/cozy mystery fans.
One quote: "Like most Venetians, he was accustomed to swimming in the swirling froth of information and misinformation that flowed through so much of daily life;..."
Thanks to Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
February 5, 2019
If you come to this wanting primarily a crime novel then you might well be disappointed - someone is killed, but you'll have to wait till about 60% of the way through the book for that to happen. For those of us, though, who enjoy Leon's depiction of characters and relationships that won't be a problem.
I'd say that this is a book which thinks about the question of family: what makes one, what happens when someone tries to artificially create one, what bonds tie people together making them a kind of quasi-family. As context, Guido is reading Euripides' The Trojan Women and uses it as a conduit to think about the ways in which families are destroyed through war or through corrupt political regimes, and the resultant vulnerabilities of its members.
To offset this view, we have the lovely Brunetti family: the warmth, the humour, the subtle signs of care that holds that family together. The book opens with a plea from Guido's father-in-law, their brittle relationship now in the past.
With an interesting insight into Italy's inheritance laws, this is - once again - an easy but engrossing read. Leon's prose and story just flows seamlessly and even if the police case is wound up somewhat perfunctorily, I still enjoyed this hugely.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic for an ARC via NetGalley.
I'd say that this is a book which thinks about the question of family: what makes one, what happens when someone tries to artificially create one, what bonds tie people together making them a kind of quasi-family. As context, Guido is reading Euripides' The Trojan Women and uses it as a conduit to think about the ways in which families are destroyed through war or through corrupt political regimes, and the resultant vulnerabilities of its members.
To offset this view, we have the lovely Brunetti family: the warmth, the humour, the subtle signs of care that holds that family together. The book opens with a plea from Guido's father-in-law, their brittle relationship now in the past.
With an interesting insight into Italy's inheritance laws, this is - once again - an easy but engrossing read. Leon's prose and story just flows seamlessly and even if the police case is wound up somewhat perfunctorily, I still enjoyed this hugely.
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic for an ARC via NetGalley.
March 15, 2019
I guess I am different from some readers who may complain that the mystery enters late in the book and the suspect can be guessed, thought not the reasons....but then I never read the Brunetti books for the mystery. I read them for the people and Brunetti himself, and the love he has for his Venice and his colleagues and his family. I read it for his saddened but always a little hopeful view of life, and the glasses of wine with his wife, and the light fading over the canal. I want to be in that place with those people -- so for this novel I can say I loved it. I don't have to tell the story as so many others have done that. I just loved it.
March 11, 2020
Every bit as good as expected. Favorite quote:
"'Ah,' was all Brunetti managed to say. Like a dog jumping up to protect the home at the sound of the doorbell, his conversational feet slipped repeatedly on the polished marble floor of his mind, scratching back and forth, finding no purchase."
"'Ah,' was all Brunetti managed to say. Like a dog jumping up to protect the home at the sound of the doorbell, his conversational feet slipped repeatedly on the polished marble floor of his mind, scratching back and forth, finding no purchase."
March 30, 2019
4.5 stars and one of her best. Can it be true that the last 10 out of 28 are actually getting BETTER? And all the way to superb.
So why didn't I give it a five? I had to wait 1/2 a day to convince myself- because it's truly almost there. The length, for instance, is perfection. (How few, few can write a book without verbosity any longer, and no more so than in fiction and some within this exact genre of series.) Perhaps, it is because the depth of these characters to each other! Yet they are so acclimated to their own smugness that they seem blind to it. Insular Venice- you live in this story!
Leon's Beastly Things was perfect 5. This one comes next at 4.75 stars. I correct myself, and am more precise than just 4.5 average. Almost all of hers get to past the 4 anyway.
Guido is stuck in the crack of relative and friend intrigue to stop a much beloved Uncle and patron from committing a huge mistake in his 84th year. Adoption!
But the crime is minimal in importance to the onus of this book. At least until the last 70 pages- it's not even committed yet. This is about the crux of life long (40 to 70 year) friendships and what lines that embedded relationship mark in the sand FOR the friends, and for those friends of both. And when humans deem to cross that line for goodwill purposes. Or selfish purposes? And can they be English "polite" when they commit the line crossing?
Venetians, you are not singular in a culture of friendship and "loving" in general becoming secondary to other and more worldly considerations- especially when it comes to elderly "beloved".
Yes, all you need to do really, is imitate Guido. Follow the money. And knowing the Italian inheritance laws won't hurt either.
The kids and Paola all have their conversations in this one too. Plus it is within a warm spring and oodles of Venice walking zigzags. Fao only needs to pilot once or twice.
This one is probably a 5 star perfection in a couple of categories for Leon in general, as well. One is the exquisite and at the same time wide-world nuance connotations set in 14 words or less within one sentence- that evinces more about a new "appearing" character than 7 pages do in other "norm" popular series work. As she did for the man who was the greeter/ front desk clerk at the hotel, and who diplomatically knows all the REAL ways to get information for Guido.
Here it is also more international and especially European- beyond Italy. Spain and England are central too. And systems for which documentation is exact and held. For instance in Spain they use that "other way" to complete authorizations for exact documentation. Other than the "you need to know someone" method so perfected in Italy.
Guido is also making comparisons to the Greek classics he is reading. Ironically two other books I'm reading right now DO or have characters doing the same thing. Yes, war is bad. But that doesn't mean all of them were always purposeless.
And Patta is seen to have a core of humanity too, despite being from the South. Unbelievable.
The usual number of religion jabs. This time the Jesuits are called the "earth is flat" cartographers. That's the nicest one but they are Guido stated too.
Il Conte's crowd. And I won't even tell you about the remarks from our flower loving 3 week vacation going secretary either. "Fear" is her weapon alright. Like most authoritarians who "empathize" and smile.
Magnifico!
So why didn't I give it a five? I had to wait 1/2 a day to convince myself- because it's truly almost there. The length, for instance, is perfection. (How few, few can write a book without verbosity any longer, and no more so than in fiction and some within this exact genre of series.) Perhaps, it is because the depth of these characters to each other! Yet they are so acclimated to their own smugness that they seem blind to it. Insular Venice- you live in this story!
Leon's Beastly Things was perfect 5. This one comes next at 4.75 stars. I correct myself, and am more precise than just 4.5 average. Almost all of hers get to past the 4 anyway.
Guido is stuck in the crack of relative and friend intrigue to stop a much beloved Uncle and patron from committing a huge mistake in his 84th year. Adoption!
But the crime is minimal in importance to the onus of this book. At least until the last 70 pages- it's not even committed yet. This is about the crux of life long (40 to 70 year) friendships and what lines that embedded relationship mark in the sand FOR the friends, and for those friends of both. And when humans deem to cross that line for goodwill purposes. Or selfish purposes? And can they be English "polite" when they commit the line crossing?
Venetians, you are not singular in a culture of friendship and "loving" in general becoming secondary to other and more worldly considerations- especially when it comes to elderly "beloved".
Yes, all you need to do really, is imitate Guido. Follow the money. And knowing the Italian inheritance laws won't hurt either.
The kids and Paola all have their conversations in this one too. Plus it is within a warm spring and oodles of Venice walking zigzags. Fao only needs to pilot once or twice.
This one is probably a 5 star perfection in a couple of categories for Leon in general, as well. One is the exquisite and at the same time wide-world nuance connotations set in 14 words or less within one sentence- that evinces more about a new "appearing" character than 7 pages do in other "norm" popular series work. As she did for the man who was the greeter/ front desk clerk at the hotel, and who diplomatically knows all the REAL ways to get information for Guido.
Here it is also more international and especially European- beyond Italy. Spain and England are central too. And systems for which documentation is exact and held. For instance in Spain they use that "other way" to complete authorizations for exact documentation. Other than the "you need to know someone" method so perfected in Italy.
Guido is also making comparisons to the Greek classics he is reading. Ironically two other books I'm reading right now DO or have characters doing the same thing. Yes, war is bad. But that doesn't mean all of them were always purposeless.
And Patta is seen to have a core of humanity too, despite being from the South. Unbelievable.
The usual number of religion jabs. This time the Jesuits are called the "earth is flat" cartographers. That's the nicest one but they are Guido stated too.
Il Conte's crowd. And I won't even tell you about the remarks from our flower loving 3 week vacation going secretary either. "Fear" is her weapon alright. Like most authoritarians who "empathize" and smile.
Magnifico!
April 1, 2019
I recently saw some negative reviews here for this series. The complaints were mainly concerned with, "this is not a police procedural" and/or "not a whodunit". In my opinion based on having read all of the Commissario Brunetti series, these books are meant to be the furthest thing from those two criticisms. This series, for me, is mainly about the characters and how they interact with each other. It is also about the Venice of today and how the city and venetians grapple with the problematic issues of the day. That being said, for me these books are always a pleasure and I savor them like a fine wine.
December 30, 2018
This is a lovely addition to the Guido Brunetti series but it's a stretch to call it a mystery novel. The crime does not even happen until the book is more than half the way through. The killer was obvious although the reasoning was interesting. I was surprised at the background details but the actual crime was no surprise at all.
I do enjoy the setting though. How romantic is Venice? I love people catching boats to get around. I love the differing ways of viewing life. I love the culture. The insight into Venetian life is 5 stars. If that's what you are looking for then this is a five star read. If you are looking for a satisfying and absorbing mystery, this is not it. Still it's a delightful way to spend some time.
I do enjoy the setting though. How romantic is Venice? I love people catching boats to get around. I love the differing ways of viewing life. I love the culture. The insight into Venetian life is 5 stars. If that's what you are looking for then this is a five star read. If you are looking for a satisfying and absorbing mystery, this is not it. Still it's a delightful way to spend some time.
March 26, 2019
Unto Us a Son Is Given by Donna Leon is the 28th in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series but it easily reads as a standalone. Beautiful Venice is as much a part of this novel as Brunetti himself. Guido is approached by his father-in-law in the hope that he will discourage their mutual friend Gonzalo in his endeavour to adopt a much younger man as his son. The inheritance laws in Italy permit that this adoptee can then become heir to Gonzalo's entire fortune in the event of the old man's death. Guido sees nothing wrong with Gonzalo's plan but soon after, the old man collapses in the street and dies. It is at this point that the story becomes a mystery. I found that this book read more as a cozy than a police procedural. However, this takes nothing away from the enjoyment of this title. Although the action ramps up slowly, this novel packs quite a wallop. I look forward to reading other books by Donna Leon. Thank you to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2019
‘Lots of us have different spheres of friends, and many of them never meet the other set, sometimes don’t even know about them…it’s one of the reasons funerals are so interesting: you see people show up you’d never expect to see there. It’s as if the dead person had lived in two separate worlds. Or three.’
The story opens with Brunetti’s father-in-law, the Conti Falier, expressing concern for his best friend, the Spaniard Gonzalo who has lived in Venice for many years and who is the Godfather to Chiara, Brunetti’s daughter. Earlier in his life Gonzalo lived in Chile where he owned a cattle ranch, returning first to Madrid during the Pinochet regime, before moving to Venice, where he ran a gallery and was a doyen of the arts scene, openly but not flamboyantly gay. No longer in the best of health Gonzalo wants to “adopt” a young man as his son, circumvent Italy’s inheritance laws and exclude his own relatives back in Spain from the will. The Conti asks Brunetti to make discrete inquiries on the would-be heir.
When Gonzalo dies suddenly on a trip to visit his sister, his former lover, German Rudy and Gonzalo’s other best friend, Berta, arrive in Venice to arrange a memorial service for Gonzalo; and Berta is soon the victim of foul play.
Author Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series has been on my “to read” list for some time, and seeing the cover on the new releases stand I could no longer resist. Immediately I realised her popularity: the setting Venice, is explored in some detail; the Commissario seems able to go home for lunch with his academic wife who he adores, and eats dinner with their two teenage children (food, wine and conversation hold sway here – eyes not locked onto cell-phones or video games, a family that reads rather than watches TV.)
Verdict: a leisurely and pleasant read, a welcome break from “noir”, and I look forward to reading other titles in the series.
The story opens with Brunetti’s father-in-law, the Conti Falier, expressing concern for his best friend, the Spaniard Gonzalo who has lived in Venice for many years and who is the Godfather to Chiara, Brunetti’s daughter. Earlier in his life Gonzalo lived in Chile where he owned a cattle ranch, returning first to Madrid during the Pinochet regime, before moving to Venice, where he ran a gallery and was a doyen of the arts scene, openly but not flamboyantly gay. No longer in the best of health Gonzalo wants to “adopt” a young man as his son, circumvent Italy’s inheritance laws and exclude his own relatives back in Spain from the will. The Conti asks Brunetti to make discrete inquiries on the would-be heir.
When Gonzalo dies suddenly on a trip to visit his sister, his former lover, German Rudy and Gonzalo’s other best friend, Berta, arrive in Venice to arrange a memorial service for Gonzalo; and Berta is soon the victim of foul play.
Author Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series has been on my “to read” list for some time, and seeing the cover on the new releases stand I could no longer resist. Immediately I realised her popularity: the setting Venice, is explored in some detail; the Commissario seems able to go home for lunch with his academic wife who he adores, and eats dinner with their two teenage children (food, wine and conversation hold sway here – eyes not locked onto cell-phones or video games, a family that reads rather than watches TV.)
Verdict: a leisurely and pleasant read, a welcome break from “noir”, and I look forward to reading other titles in the series.
May 2, 2019
Thought-provoking, and with a wonderful sense of place, prolific author Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series is set in and around Venice, Italy. Her books have been adapted into a German television series, and have won numerous international awards. In a very thoughtful way, they often gently explore topics pertaining to cronyism, nepotism, abuses of power, and environmental concerns. Interestingly, Leon, an American who has lived in Italy for decades, and whose novels have been published in thirty-five languages, has always requested that her books not be translated into the language of her adopted home.
What are the odds that I would read two, separate, crime fiction novels (The Silent Patient and Unto Us a Son Is Given), both referencing Euripides, within months of one another? In this installment, Donna Leon’s Police Commissario, Guido Brunetti, featuring in his twenty-eighth mystery, partakes of, ponders, and applies universal, life lessons from, Ancient Greek tragedies. Brunetti is a patient and learned police chief who, with the encouragement of his wife, reads the classics in his spare time! His wife, Paola, often reads with him when she is not teaching at the University, or shopping for, and preparing delicious lunches for the family (the descriptions of meals in the book will make the reader’s mouth water). An heiress to one of the largest fortunes in Venice, Paola is devoted to Brunetti and their two children, and still fills, and seemingly enjoys, the traditional role of doing the lion’s share of the household chores, while still holding her role as a professor.
Within Unto Us a Son Is Given, the Commissario’s very well-to-do father-in-law, Orazio Falier, a count and a descendant of Florentine princes, asks Brunetti to discreetly look into a legal situation involving Falier’s best friend and also godfather to Paola. It would seem that this particular family friend, Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejeda, has been consulting with “avvocati" (lawyers) to be able to legally adopt a much younger man, but an adult, nonetheless. Il Conte would like to know the motivation for this adoption. Is his dear friend making a sound decision, or is he being manipulated, as Gonzalo’s legal heir stands to inherit his estate? When bodies start collecting at the morgue, the need to understand Gonzalo’s legal, and personal, arrangement, and whether the deaths are related in some way, becomes even more urgent.
Fans of this long-running series will be happy to be in the company, once again, of Brunetti’s loving family, and to experience a bit of the culture and traditions of the beautiful, historic city of Venice, this time around, in Springtime. Many of the regular and beloved secondary characters are in attendance, such as Brunetti’s police colleague, Dottoressa Claudia Griffoni, Vice-Questore Patta, who is Brunetti’s superior at the Questura (the police headquarters), and of course, essential and valued team member, Dottore Patta’s secretary (and unofficial Brunetti researcher), Elettra Zorzi. I have only read, years ago, a couple of other books in this series, and was able to slip right back into Brunetti’s world. That being said, Unto Us a Son Is Given is a police procedural that is very light on police procedure; it is light, as well, on violence, darkness, and grit. Its underlying mystery and interweaving subplots unfold at a measured, traditional, “la dolce far niente pace”. Reading Donna Leon’s latest mystery novel is like returning to Venice on a warm, spring evening to savor a gelato and a relaxing passegiata with old friends.
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What are the odds that I would read two, separate, crime fiction novels (The Silent Patient and Unto Us a Son Is Given), both referencing Euripides, within months of one another? In this installment, Donna Leon’s Police Commissario, Guido Brunetti, featuring in his twenty-eighth mystery, partakes of, ponders, and applies universal, life lessons from, Ancient Greek tragedies. Brunetti is a patient and learned police chief who, with the encouragement of his wife, reads the classics in his spare time! His wife, Paola, often reads with him when she is not teaching at the University, or shopping for, and preparing delicious lunches for the family (the descriptions of meals in the book will make the reader’s mouth water). An heiress to one of the largest fortunes in Venice, Paola is devoted to Brunetti and their two children, and still fills, and seemingly enjoys, the traditional role of doing the lion’s share of the household chores, while still holding her role as a professor.
Within Unto Us a Son Is Given, the Commissario’s very well-to-do father-in-law, Orazio Falier, a count and a descendant of Florentine princes, asks Brunetti to discreetly look into a legal situation involving Falier’s best friend and also godfather to Paola. It would seem that this particular family friend, Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejeda, has been consulting with “avvocati" (lawyers) to be able to legally adopt a much younger man, but an adult, nonetheless. Il Conte would like to know the motivation for this adoption. Is his dear friend making a sound decision, or is he being manipulated, as Gonzalo’s legal heir stands to inherit his estate? When bodies start collecting at the morgue, the need to understand Gonzalo’s legal, and personal, arrangement, and whether the deaths are related in some way, becomes even more urgent.
Fans of this long-running series will be happy to be in the company, once again, of Brunetti’s loving family, and to experience a bit of the culture and traditions of the beautiful, historic city of Venice, this time around, in Springtime. Many of the regular and beloved secondary characters are in attendance, such as Brunetti’s police colleague, Dottoressa Claudia Griffoni, Vice-Questore Patta, who is Brunetti’s superior at the Questura (the police headquarters), and of course, essential and valued team member, Dottore Patta’s secretary (and unofficial Brunetti researcher), Elettra Zorzi. I have only read, years ago, a couple of other books in this series, and was able to slip right back into Brunetti’s world. That being said, Unto Us a Son Is Given is a police procedural that is very light on police procedure; it is light, as well, on violence, darkness, and grit. Its underlying mystery and interweaving subplots unfold at a measured, traditional, “la dolce far niente pace”. Reading Donna Leon’s latest mystery novel is like returning to Venice on a warm, spring evening to savor a gelato and a relaxing passegiata with old friends.
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April 23, 2019
Compulsively readable with an unassuming, graceful prose...
The exotic Venetian settings and Commissario Guido Brunetti’s old-school investigative methods are very charming, but it is the character-driven narrative that makes Donna Leon’s Brunetti series highly addictive. In this 28th Brunetti novel, Brunetti is urged by his father-in-law Count Falier to investigate the seemingly innocent plan of his best friend Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada’s adoption of an adult male as his son. Despite his reluctance to intervene in personal affairs of the elderly Gonzalo, Brunetti agrees to look into the matter, but Gonzalo dies soon after. The investigation becomes a homicide affair after one of Gonzalo’s close lady friends is found strangled in her hotel room. The victim has arrived in the city for Gonzalo’s memorial service. It’s up to Commissario Brunetti to solve the mystery now. Tagging along Brunetti, readers marvel at the antiquity and majesty of the city and experience Brunetti’s musings: they get to read another classic and see the city like a native Venetian while the former solves the murder in his usual style—by concentrating on the people behind the crime rather than on the crime. The case changes with every new book, but Leon’s sleuth is the same guy as ever; he still reads, appreciates good food and wine, deals sensitively with victims of crimes, is happily married and have great kids, thousands of things still bother him as always, and he is very much a humane cop. There are a few misleading diversions, but that wouldn’t stop readers from enjoying Leon’s latest slow burning mystery.
The exotic Venetian settings and Commissario Guido Brunetti’s old-school investigative methods are very charming, but it is the character-driven narrative that makes Donna Leon’s Brunetti series highly addictive. In this 28th Brunetti novel, Brunetti is urged by his father-in-law Count Falier to investigate the seemingly innocent plan of his best friend Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada’s adoption of an adult male as his son. Despite his reluctance to intervene in personal affairs of the elderly Gonzalo, Brunetti agrees to look into the matter, but Gonzalo dies soon after. The investigation becomes a homicide affair after one of Gonzalo’s close lady friends is found strangled in her hotel room. The victim has arrived in the city for Gonzalo’s memorial service. It’s up to Commissario Brunetti to solve the mystery now. Tagging along Brunetti, readers marvel at the antiquity and majesty of the city and experience Brunetti’s musings: they get to read another classic and see the city like a native Venetian while the former solves the murder in his usual style—by concentrating on the people behind the crime rather than on the crime. The case changes with every new book, but Leon’s sleuth is the same guy as ever; he still reads, appreciates good food and wine, deals sensitively with victims of crimes, is happily married and have great kids, thousands of things still bother him as always, and he is very much a humane cop. There are a few misleading diversions, but that wouldn’t stop readers from enjoying Leon’s latest slow burning mystery.
October 12, 2024
The first couple of chapters explains the title. An elderly man, Gonzalo, wants to adopt a much younger man so that Gonzalo's great wealth doesn't go to his sisters and brother who he dislikes intensely. Apparently Italian law is such that one cannot give to just anyone and the law will see that one's assets go to the "correct" parties.
Gonzalo is the best friend of Conte Falier, Brunettis' father-in-law and the godfather of Brunetti's wife, Paola. Gonzalo is known and loved by all of the family. Conte Falier asks Brunetti to investigate the younger man. Why, Brunetti asks. Conte Falier tells Brunetti to think like a policeman.
This installment of the series reads like a straight novel more than a mystery for at least the first two-thirds. That might be a complaint in other circumstances, but I was happy to have it such just now. There is a murder, but it happens with less than 1/3 of the book left to read. Anyone who has read more than one mystery can easily determine the perpetrator. The question then, becomes why. When why is known will Brunetti be able to get the evidence to charge and convict.
This was a solid 4-stars for me and I look forward to my next journey to Venice.
Gonzalo is the best friend of Conte Falier, Brunettis' father-in-law and the godfather of Brunetti's wife, Paola. Gonzalo is known and loved by all of the family. Conte Falier asks Brunetti to investigate the younger man. Why, Brunetti asks. Conte Falier tells Brunetti to think like a policeman.
This installment of the series reads like a straight novel more than a mystery for at least the first two-thirds. That might be a complaint in other circumstances, but I was happy to have it such just now. There is a murder, but it happens with less than 1/3 of the book left to read. Anyone who has read more than one mystery can easily determine the perpetrator. The question then, becomes why. When why is known will Brunetti be able to get the evidence to charge and convict.
This was a solid 4-stars for me and I look forward to my next journey to Venice.
March 16, 2019
I'm between three and four stars on this Leon book, and I love her work. Brunetti is one of my favorite fictional characters; she's developed him beautifully, and he never disappoints. I also appreciate his wife, Paola, and his family life. Actually, every single Leon character is just magnificent, and her depiction of Venice is a mini-vacation to one of my favorite places.
I'm wavering between three and four stars for one major reason, though: the storyline. The killer was obvious to me very early on in the book. And I figured out the relationship (a marriage) that led to the death of one character very early. I don't read fiction to engage my brain, so it's not that I'm a super-sleuth or anything. It's that the plot wasn't as complex and obscured as most Leon works. It's too transparent.
Nonetheless, the book is a lovely read, and well worth vicariously spending an evening in Venice, sipping an espresso.
I'm wavering between three and four stars for one major reason, though: the storyline. The killer was obvious to me very early on in the book. And I figured out the relationship (a marriage) that led to the death of one character very early. I don't read fiction to engage my brain, so it's not that I'm a super-sleuth or anything. It's that the plot wasn't as complex and obscured as most Leon works. It's too transparent.
Nonetheless, the book is a lovely read, and well worth vicariously spending an evening in Venice, sipping an espresso.
April 18, 2019
Another Goodreads reviewer put it very well--if you're looking for a cracking good mystery, this isn't it; if you're looking for a beautiful evocation of Venice and the people who live there, this is on the same high level as Leon's other books. I've greatly admired most of them, but this one didn't really add much (other than to outline Venice's laws of inheritance). And the murder was late, the murderer obvious, the solution perfunctory.
March 11, 2019
I never want her books to end
April 22, 2019
This story didn't stick to me at all. Slow and not particularly interesting. . . .and I love mysteries. Go figure. Moving on.
March 18, 2019
A Venetian treat!
A brilliant, yet understated performance by Guido Brunetti, offset by his reading of The Trojan Women which seem to act as a reflective prompt for Guido all the way through.
Along the way we are treated to an insight into Venetian culture and practices. I love it!
Paolo's godfather, Gonzalo RodrÃguez de Tejada, and a longtime family friend wants to adopt a younger man as his son. His friends, including Guido's father-in-law Count Orazio Falier, are shocked and try to dissuade him. For the younger man would inherit all.
Then Gonzalo fall and dies in the street, and a close friend from Gonzalo's days in Chile comes to Venice, along with a former lover of Gonzalo's to hold a memorial dinner. Unfortunately she is strangled in her hotel room.
All of Brunetti's instincts come to the fore. He is on high alert. Yet the way forward seemingly comes to a full stop. The past haunts the future, but how?
The delight is in Bruenetti's, instinctive and intelligent sleuthing, his pleasant ways with his co-workers and his accurate reading of situations and people.
A thoughtful crime mystery set in one of the world's great cities.
A NetGalley ARC
A brilliant, yet understated performance by Guido Brunetti, offset by his reading of The Trojan Women which seem to act as a reflective prompt for Guido all the way through.
Along the way we are treated to an insight into Venetian culture and practices. I love it!
Paolo's godfather, Gonzalo RodrÃguez de Tejada, and a longtime family friend wants to adopt a younger man as his son. His friends, including Guido's father-in-law Count Orazio Falier, are shocked and try to dissuade him. For the younger man would inherit all.
Then Gonzalo fall and dies in the street, and a close friend from Gonzalo's days in Chile comes to Venice, along with a former lover of Gonzalo's to hold a memorial dinner. Unfortunately she is strangled in her hotel room.
All of Brunetti's instincts come to the fore. He is on high alert. Yet the way forward seemingly comes to a full stop. The past haunts the future, but how?
The delight is in Bruenetti's, instinctive and intelligent sleuthing, his pleasant ways with his co-workers and his accurate reading of situations and people.
A thoughtful crime mystery set in one of the world's great cities.
A NetGalley ARC
March 19, 2019
I may just have to back up and start over at page one to spend more time with Commissario Guido Brunetti. He is given a task in this book, first by his father-in-law and then forced by his job to learn more about plans of a family friend to adopt a young man. Things end badly.
Beyond what results in a murder investigation, other benefits we are granted in spending time with Guido and his family are finding examples of a loving, respectful relationship between Guido and his wife, a walking tour of Venice at times and intelligent police work.
Themes interwoven include sons, natural and unnatural; both natural and enslaved love.
The construction was taut and enriching to such a high degree that the reader may find the gift of serenity as the end result of reading this novel. Beautiful read!
Beyond what results in a murder investigation, other benefits we are granted in spending time with Guido and his family are finding examples of a loving, respectful relationship between Guido and his wife, a walking tour of Venice at times and intelligent police work.
Themes interwoven include sons, natural and unnatural; both natural and enslaved love.
The construction was taut and enriching to such a high degree that the reader may find the gift of serenity as the end result of reading this novel. Beautiful read!
March 12, 2019
In the twenty-eighth novel in Donna Leon's best-selling mystery series, the apparent indiscretion of an elderly family friend involves a reluctant Commissario Guido Brunetti...until the sudden natural death of his friend sets in motion a murder. (Release 3/19)
Each Donna Leon novel I read is a gift. That being said, Leon has blessed me now with the gift of 28 novels in the terrific Commissario Guido Brunetti series. This recurring set of novels may very well be the finest and most humane in all of the overcrowded Mystery genre. She finds a way to get to the core of every human being she writes about and highlights their complexities and moral struggles and examines this through the choices they make.
What is the most underrated yet powerful part of each Leon novel is the city of Venice --- which plays its' part almost like another living, breathing character, as instrumental to the plot as any of the flesh and blood characters who drive the narrative. UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN is no different from the high-level quality Leon's readers have gotten used to. It is also important to include that her writing is so accommodating a reader can dive right in without having read prior novels in the series and still be able to fully enjoy the story.
At the beginning of the novel, Commissario Brunetti is approached by his father-in-law, Il Conte Falier, who seeks his help with a very personal matter involving a close friend o his. To say Brunetti and his father-in-law had a difficult relationship would be an understatement. However, Il Conte fully supplicates himself to Brunetti's experience as an investigator and urges him to intervene in the situation that is troubling him. Il Conte Falier's close friend, a man of Spanish descent named Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejada, is an openly homo-sexual man in the twilight of his life who appears on the verge of making a seemingly bad decision. Feeling that he will die without any love in his life, Gonzalo has indicated he is considering adopting a much younger man who has had relations with in order to be able to bequeath him his entire estate as written under Italian law.
Brunetti starts with the person he trusts the most in matters that require intricate electronic investigation as well as the highest level of discretion, his bosses Executive Assistant, Signorina Elettra. Loyal readers of the series will also smile as the regular undercurrent of sexual tension is always present between Brunetti and the beguiling Elettra. He needs her to look into Gonzalo's background to find out what may be driving his decision to 'adopt' and to see if he may have already followed through on that intent.
Of course, with the fine bunch of characters involved in this series, Leon is always able to sprinkle in unrelated plot-lines to keep things feeling true. In this novel, a secondary story involving Brunetti's boss, Vice-Questore Patta, and their neighbor's young son who has made several inappropriate comments and gestures to his wife. Patta enjoys using Brunetti as his go-to investigator even though he does not fully trust him. Meanwhile, Brunetti has a face-to-face meeting with Gonzalo that is one of the highlights of the novel and still does not completely answer all the questions Brunetti has.
Unfortunately, Gonzalo dies suddenly from a brain hemorrhage, leaving the case unfinished yet closed for the moment. Things do not stay quiet for long as a number of Gonzalo's friends and relations travel to Venice for his memorial. A woman who considers herself Gonzalo's closest friend, Berta Dodson, is the most intriguing figure to Brunetti as he had never heard of her before. Matters get even more complex when Signora Dodson is found strangled to death in the hotel she was staying at on the first night she was in Venice.
UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN is never predictable yet rings with truth and, in ideal Donna Leon fashion, does not tie up every loose end neatly by the novels end. As Brunetti continues his pursuit of Berta Dodson's murderer, as well as the reason why her relationship with Gonzalo may have marked her for death, he is reminded of a statement his mother often used: 'It would be nice if we could choose the people we love, but love chooses them'. I hope readers enjoy spending time with Brunetti as much as I do and continue to seek out everything Leon has written with in this series. It's always a nice break from the often predictable and over-the-top mystery-thrillers on the market.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Criminal Element
Each Donna Leon novel I read is a gift. That being said, Leon has blessed me now with the gift of 28 novels in the terrific Commissario Guido Brunetti series. This recurring set of novels may very well be the finest and most humane in all of the overcrowded Mystery genre. She finds a way to get to the core of every human being she writes about and highlights their complexities and moral struggles and examines this through the choices they make.
What is the most underrated yet powerful part of each Leon novel is the city of Venice --- which plays its' part almost like another living, breathing character, as instrumental to the plot as any of the flesh and blood characters who drive the narrative. UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN is no different from the high-level quality Leon's readers have gotten used to. It is also important to include that her writing is so accommodating a reader can dive right in without having read prior novels in the series and still be able to fully enjoy the story.
At the beginning of the novel, Commissario Brunetti is approached by his father-in-law, Il Conte Falier, who seeks his help with a very personal matter involving a close friend o his. To say Brunetti and his father-in-law had a difficult relationship would be an understatement. However, Il Conte fully supplicates himself to Brunetti's experience as an investigator and urges him to intervene in the situation that is troubling him. Il Conte Falier's close friend, a man of Spanish descent named Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejada, is an openly homo-sexual man in the twilight of his life who appears on the verge of making a seemingly bad decision. Feeling that he will die without any love in his life, Gonzalo has indicated he is considering adopting a much younger man who has had relations with in order to be able to bequeath him his entire estate as written under Italian law.
Brunetti starts with the person he trusts the most in matters that require intricate electronic investigation as well as the highest level of discretion, his bosses Executive Assistant, Signorina Elettra. Loyal readers of the series will also smile as the regular undercurrent of sexual tension is always present between Brunetti and the beguiling Elettra. He needs her to look into Gonzalo's background to find out what may be driving his decision to 'adopt' and to see if he may have already followed through on that intent.
Of course, with the fine bunch of characters involved in this series, Leon is always able to sprinkle in unrelated plot-lines to keep things feeling true. In this novel, a secondary story involving Brunetti's boss, Vice-Questore Patta, and their neighbor's young son who has made several inappropriate comments and gestures to his wife. Patta enjoys using Brunetti as his go-to investigator even though he does not fully trust him. Meanwhile, Brunetti has a face-to-face meeting with Gonzalo that is one of the highlights of the novel and still does not completely answer all the questions Brunetti has.
Unfortunately, Gonzalo dies suddenly from a brain hemorrhage, leaving the case unfinished yet closed for the moment. Things do not stay quiet for long as a number of Gonzalo's friends and relations travel to Venice for his memorial. A woman who considers herself Gonzalo's closest friend, Berta Dodson, is the most intriguing figure to Brunetti as he had never heard of her before. Matters get even more complex when Signora Dodson is found strangled to death in the hotel she was staying at on the first night she was in Venice.
UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN is never predictable yet rings with truth and, in ideal Donna Leon fashion, does not tie up every loose end neatly by the novels end. As Brunetti continues his pursuit of Berta Dodson's murderer, as well as the reason why her relationship with Gonzalo may have marked her for death, he is reminded of a statement his mother often used: 'It would be nice if we could choose the people we love, but love chooses them'. I hope readers enjoy spending time with Brunetti as much as I do and continue to seek out everything Leon has written with in this series. It's always a nice break from the often predictable and over-the-top mystery-thrillers on the market.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Criminal Element
February 23, 2019
I received this book as a digital ARC from the publisher through Net Galley in return for an honest review.
Opening lines:
"Your situation is always ambiguous, isn't it, Guido?", his father-in-law, Count Orazio Falier.
If you are expecting to read a suspense-thriller book from the beginning you might be disappointed. On the other hand, the writer just provides us a daily-life of Commissario Brunetti with a good sense of humour which is quite peculiar to Italian people.
About the plot: Count Falier was yearning his son-in-law to investigate the apparently innocent plan of the Count's best friend, the elderly Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejada, to adopt a much younger man as his son.
What can go wrong with this kind of story? You should find out by reading this book. Even if I haven't read the whole series on Commissario Brunetti, I am really enjoying them since the author furnishes a quite original way of writing crime novels.
4* Beastly Things (Commissario Brunetti, #21)
4.5* Unto Us a Son Is Given (Commissario Brunetti, #28)
Opening lines:
"Your situation is always ambiguous, isn't it, Guido?", his father-in-law, Count Orazio Falier.
If you are expecting to read a suspense-thriller book from the beginning you might be disappointed. On the other hand, the writer just provides us a daily-life of Commissario Brunetti with a good sense of humour which is quite peculiar to Italian people.
About the plot: Count Falier was yearning his son-in-law to investigate the apparently innocent plan of the Count's best friend, the elderly Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejada, to adopt a much younger man as his son.
What can go wrong with this kind of story? You should find out by reading this book. Even if I haven't read the whole series on Commissario Brunetti, I am really enjoying them since the author furnishes a quite original way of writing crime novels.
4* Beastly Things (Commissario Brunetti, #21)
4.5* Unto Us a Son Is Given (Commissario Brunetti, #28)
April 7, 2019
First Sentence: "You know I don't like to meddle in things," Conte Falier told Brunetti.
Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada is a wealthy, titled man who has announced his intention to adopt a much younger man to be his son and heir. Conte Falier, father-in-law to Comm. Guido Brunetti, is concerned about his elderly friend, and asks Guido if he could look into the situation. With the aid of colleagues and contacts, Guido fears things may not be as straightforward they seem.
The theme of family is central this Leon's latest book, as is love. Brunetti's relationship with his family has become a hallmark of the series and that's very true here. But it also looks at what constitutes a family—'It would be nice if we could choose the people we love, but love chooses them." Having Brunetti question his feelings towards his preconceptions of gays is an interesting topic—"Was a preconceived notion the same thing as a prejudice?"
Although the majority of the book is crime-free, it is anything but slow and/or boring. There are so many layers and elements to reading Leon, as there are to life including Brunetti's own family and even his musings over literature and the law. Leon doesn't allow one to be lazy but asks that one take the time to think along the way. Leon's reference to a technique used by writers adds just the right touch of verisimilitude to the story.
Death does come. Even here, Leon's presentation of it is to be contemplated—"It is a terrible thing for us when a person dies here. … I don't mean here, this time, but always. A hotel – any hotel – isn't the same for days, even longer. It's strange because that's what the person is, a stranger to us, and yet we all feel their death. Maybe it's the absence of any real involvement with the person that lets us feel the mystery of death." Leon's insightfulness into the nature of humans often gives on pause. That is, perhaps, her greatest gift and truest strength.
"Unto Us a Son is Given" is a compelling story of relationships. One might wish the mystery had come sooner, but the twist is startling and very effective, and the procedural and investigative elements grab one's interest to the end.
UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN (PolProc-Guido Brunetti-Venice-Contemp) - G+
Leon, Donna – 29th in series
Atlantic Monthly Press – April 2019
Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada is a wealthy, titled man who has announced his intention to adopt a much younger man to be his son and heir. Conte Falier, father-in-law to Comm. Guido Brunetti, is concerned about his elderly friend, and asks Guido if he could look into the situation. With the aid of colleagues and contacts, Guido fears things may not be as straightforward they seem.
The theme of family is central this Leon's latest book, as is love. Brunetti's relationship with his family has become a hallmark of the series and that's very true here. But it also looks at what constitutes a family—'It would be nice if we could choose the people we love, but love chooses them." Having Brunetti question his feelings towards his preconceptions of gays is an interesting topic—"Was a preconceived notion the same thing as a prejudice?"
Although the majority of the book is crime-free, it is anything but slow and/or boring. There are so many layers and elements to reading Leon, as there are to life including Brunetti's own family and even his musings over literature and the law. Leon doesn't allow one to be lazy but asks that one take the time to think along the way. Leon's reference to a technique used by writers adds just the right touch of verisimilitude to the story.
Death does come. Even here, Leon's presentation of it is to be contemplated—"It is a terrible thing for us when a person dies here. … I don't mean here, this time, but always. A hotel – any hotel – isn't the same for days, even longer. It's strange because that's what the person is, a stranger to us, and yet we all feel their death. Maybe it's the absence of any real involvement with the person that lets us feel the mystery of death." Leon's insightfulness into the nature of humans often gives on pause. That is, perhaps, her greatest gift and truest strength.
"Unto Us a Son is Given" is a compelling story of relationships. One might wish the mystery had come sooner, but the twist is startling and very effective, and the procedural and investigative elements grab one's interest to the end.
UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN (PolProc-Guido Brunetti-Venice-Contemp) - G+
Leon, Donna – 29th in series
Atlantic Monthly Press – April 2019
January 26, 2019
I usually enjoy Donna Leon’s Police Commissario Brunetti’s novels. They always provide me with a look at life in Venice through the eyes of an an unusual police official. Leon’s Commissario is a well-read man of the classics, happily married to very wealthy and connected wife, who appears to be a great cook. All the usual characters make an appearance and there is a good deal of quiet, soft humor poked at authority and elsewhere. There are also some really interesting thoughts; “taking a look at one’s unconscious motives and prejudices was like walking barefoot in cloudy water: you never knew whether you were going to step on something disgusting or bang your toe into a rock.”
But this one left me adrift wanting more. The story opens with Brunetti being tasked by his father-in-law to do some digging into his dear friend’s recent questionable behavior. Brunetti wants no part of it but without his research and interference there is no story. What seemed like a very long wind-up delivered a very short punch and even shorter ending. My best description is the story lacked depth and felt unfinished. Three and a half stars and looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy
But this one left me adrift wanting more. The story opens with Brunetti being tasked by his father-in-law to do some digging into his dear friend’s recent questionable behavior. Brunetti wants no part of it but without his research and interference there is no story. What seemed like a very long wind-up delivered a very short punch and even shorter ending. My best description is the story lacked depth and felt unfinished. Three and a half stars and looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy
July 14, 2025
Loved the narration!
September 13, 2020
No le cojo el punto a esta autora. Lo he intentado dos veces pero no llego a los personajes. No sé cual es el problema exactamente, pero me ha decepcionado.
March 13, 2020
I have read all the books in this series and #28 was as good as #1 - Guido is just a nice guy. Still love Elettra, Paola and even the kids. Wholesome and well written. A nice change from the usual detective stories.
I enjoyed that this story touched on two themes I had just read about, Greek mythology and Chile/Allende/Pinochet!
These books always made me want to jump on a plane to Venice - not now with the Coronavirus. She could write a great book with that as the theme. She always complains about too many tourists and all the crowds - be careful what you wish for.
Off to read #29, since I’m not leaving my house until the virus is under control. I can just sit on my sunny patio all afternoon and read my way through this disaster. Not Venice, but not a bad alternative ! 😎
I enjoyed that this story touched on two themes I had just read about, Greek mythology and Chile/Allende/Pinochet!
These books always made me want to jump on a plane to Venice - not now with the Coronavirus. She could write a great book with that as the theme. She always complains about too many tourists and all the crowds - be careful what you wish for.
Off to read #29, since I’m not leaving my house until the virus is under control. I can just sit on my sunny patio all afternoon and read my way through this disaster. Not Venice, but not a bad alternative ! 😎
May 20, 2019
This is the 28th Commissario Brunetti mystery novel by Leon. This one has no mystery though. Once the murder does take place, about 60% of the way through, everyone knows who the killer is. The only question that remains is why. I guess the why is the mystery but it just doesn't do it for me. I expected more from Leon.
This series has gone downhill in the last 10 books or so. I remember the early books of the series gave you a glimpse of Venice and a mystery that Brunetti would solve. Now both have fallen off the table in the presentations Leon puts forward.
In this book Guido is asked by his father-in-law to look into his closest friend's decision to adopt a man half his age. Gonzalez is gay and wants to leave his boy toy his inheritance. Italy must require that some of the inheritance be given to the family. In the USA all Gonzalez would have to do is write a will giving the money to his boy toy.
Gonzalez then dies a natural death and they find out he has already adopted boy toy. Boy toy now inherits all the money despite Gonzalez friends and family wanting to prevent this exact thing from happening. The "mystery" then begins when someone is murdered.
Ms. Leon, please review your earlier Brunetti books and go back to writing a mystery, not a politically correct diatribe with characters we have enjoyed.
This series has gone downhill in the last 10 books or so. I remember the early books of the series gave you a glimpse of Venice and a mystery that Brunetti would solve. Now both have fallen off the table in the presentations Leon puts forward.
In this book Guido is asked by his father-in-law to look into his closest friend's decision to adopt a man half his age. Gonzalez is gay and wants to leave his boy toy his inheritance. Italy must require that some of the inheritance be given to the family. In the USA all Gonzalez would have to do is write a will giving the money to his boy toy.
Gonzalez then dies a natural death and they find out he has already adopted boy toy. Boy toy now inherits all the money despite Gonzalez friends and family wanting to prevent this exact thing from happening. The "mystery" then begins when someone is murdered.
Ms. Leon, please review your earlier Brunetti books and go back to writing a mystery, not a politically correct diatribe with characters we have enjoyed.
March 8, 2019
Leon’s series continues, unabated!
It’s book No. 28 in her Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series and Donna Leon does not disappoint in Unto Us a Son Is Given.
In this episode, Guido receives a request from his father-in-law, Count Falier, to “do something” about his friend Gonzalo, nearing the end of his life, very rich, and is about to adopt a young man as his son so that he can inherit Gonzalo's vast fortune (the inheritance laws in Italy are quite different from ours: when the head of household dies, if there is no son, then, regardless of a will, the family members (or nearest relatives) divide the estate equally). Gonzalo has no children. He is the lifelong friend of the Counts and a dear friend of Guido’s family.
The hitch here is that Gonzalo’s friends fear that the young man he wishes to adopt is most likely a gold digger and they are opposed to it. For his part, Brunetti simply wonders why his friends can just leave Gonzalo in peace and let him do what he wants to do.
Alas, shortly Gonzalo suddenly dies, literally dropping dead on the street! And the plot continues—after arriving for the funeral, one of Gonzalo’s friends is found strangled, and clearly connected to the Gonzalo situation. Brunetti now is left to untangle what soon erupts as a very suspicious—and almost evil—set of entanglements.
And this is where the Leon magic always shines forth. She is so often involved in developing strong characters, strong motives, and plausible outcomes that they interweave into what basically is a simple plot: murder most foul. With introspection, brilliant police work, and common sense, Brunetti, his family, and his staff wade through all the detritus of Gonzalo’s death, in with the usual flair we’ve come to know—and to expect.
Through these 28 books Leon has never flinched when it comes to using pertinent—and viable—socially significant issues, especially issues that directly zero in on the corruption, the scandals, the inner-workings of her own adopted city of Venice. Reading Leon is like sipping a good Bordeaux (or a nice chilled Frescati)--nice and slow and thorough and tasty, with a lot of intelligence thrown in! Or savoring a grand Prosecco and thinking about Euripides and Emperor Hadrian, as Guido is want to do, no dummy, he! Alla nostra salute!
My only complaint: "Unto Us a Son Is Given" is only 259 pages and we’ll have to wait another year for Book 29.
It’s book No. 28 in her Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series and Donna Leon does not disappoint in Unto Us a Son Is Given.
In this episode, Guido receives a request from his father-in-law, Count Falier, to “do something” about his friend Gonzalo, nearing the end of his life, very rich, and is about to adopt a young man as his son so that he can inherit Gonzalo's vast fortune (the inheritance laws in Italy are quite different from ours: when the head of household dies, if there is no son, then, regardless of a will, the family members (or nearest relatives) divide the estate equally). Gonzalo has no children. He is the lifelong friend of the Counts and a dear friend of Guido’s family.
The hitch here is that Gonzalo’s friends fear that the young man he wishes to adopt is most likely a gold digger and they are opposed to it. For his part, Brunetti simply wonders why his friends can just leave Gonzalo in peace and let him do what he wants to do.
Alas, shortly Gonzalo suddenly dies, literally dropping dead on the street! And the plot continues—after arriving for the funeral, one of Gonzalo’s friends is found strangled, and clearly connected to the Gonzalo situation. Brunetti now is left to untangle what soon erupts as a very suspicious—and almost evil—set of entanglements.
And this is where the Leon magic always shines forth. She is so often involved in developing strong characters, strong motives, and plausible outcomes that they interweave into what basically is a simple plot: murder most foul. With introspection, brilliant police work, and common sense, Brunetti, his family, and his staff wade through all the detritus of Gonzalo’s death, in with the usual flair we’ve come to know—and to expect.
Through these 28 books Leon has never flinched when it comes to using pertinent—and viable—socially significant issues, especially issues that directly zero in on the corruption, the scandals, the inner-workings of her own adopted city of Venice. Reading Leon is like sipping a good Bordeaux (or a nice chilled Frescati)--nice and slow and thorough and tasty, with a lot of intelligence thrown in! Or savoring a grand Prosecco and thinking about Euripides and Emperor Hadrian, as Guido is want to do, no dummy, he! Alla nostra salute!
My only complaint: "Unto Us a Son Is Given" is only 259 pages and we’ll have to wait another year for Book 29.
May 30, 2019
I read this book at the behest of my mother, who thought it was amazing. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, and obviously book 28 is not the ideal place to start, so I gave this book an extra star (for me, it deserved two stars) because I know I am at least part of the problem here.
But, okay. This isn’t actually a mystery. A lonely older gay man dies halfway through, but he isn’t murdered, and a murder does actually take place two-thirds of the way through the book, but it’s immediately obvious who did it and why.
So when you deduct the mystery from a mystery novel, what’s left? The characters, for one. Guido Brunetti, the detective, gets 90% of the page time, and the thing is, I didn’t like him. He’s self-centered, judgmental as hell, and distant from the people around him. I spent most of the time wondering why he didn’t, you know, lift a finger to help out at home (his wife, who is a university professor, does all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning, and a majority of the parenting; he sits around reading), or care more about the people in his life, or reach out to anyone. Then, when he has solved the “mystery,” he decides a lifelong friend was a terrible person for, essentially, being lonely; Brunetti feels zero guilt for having contributed heavily to that loneliness. I can’t like a dude who doesn’t try and still feels qualified to judge everyone around him.
And that just leaves the setting, Venice. It’s an interesting city, and the look at ordinary-ish Italian life is also interesting, but I was constantly aware, reading this, that the author isn’t Italian. (She’s American.) So I couldn’t really enjoy the tourism factor, either.
Basically, this book is well-written and very readable, but there’s no there there, at least not for me. I think what I can take away from this is what I already knew: my mother and I have very different taste in books.
But, okay. This isn’t actually a mystery. A lonely older gay man dies halfway through, but he isn’t murdered, and a murder does actually take place two-thirds of the way through the book, but it’s immediately obvious who did it and why.
So when you deduct the mystery from a mystery novel, what’s left? The characters, for one. Guido Brunetti, the detective, gets 90% of the page time, and the thing is, I didn’t like him. He’s self-centered, judgmental as hell, and distant from the people around him. I spent most of the time wondering why he didn’t, you know, lift a finger to help out at home (his wife, who is a university professor, does all the shopping, cooking, and cleaning, and a majority of the parenting; he sits around reading), or care more about the people in his life, or reach out to anyone. Then, when he has solved the “mystery,” he decides a lifelong friend was a terrible person for, essentially, being lonely; Brunetti feels zero guilt for having contributed heavily to that loneliness. I can’t like a dude who doesn’t try and still feels qualified to judge everyone around him.
And that just leaves the setting, Venice. It’s an interesting city, and the look at ordinary-ish Italian life is also interesting, but I was constantly aware, reading this, that the author isn’t Italian. (She’s American.) So I couldn’t really enjoy the tourism factor, either.
Basically, this book is well-written and very readable, but there’s no there there, at least not for me. I think what I can take away from this is what I already knew: my mother and I have very different taste in books.
September 5, 2021
Brunetti Investigates Inheritance
Review of the Atlantic Monthly Press hardcover edition (March 2019)
"View of the Grand Canal Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana from Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo" (c. 1743) painted by Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780). Image sourced from LitHub
Unto Us a Son is Given is only my 2nd ever Donna Leon / Commissario Brunetti read after being introduced to the series earlier this year via Transient Desires. It is probably not the best idea to read these in reverse order as likely some spoilers will appear. This stood out at the library's Best Bets section at my last visit though and I snapped it up regardless.
Two books does seem to be enough to give an impression of how the Brunetti books are structured though. The books are more about family and the environment of Venice. The crimes are almost secondary and come along very late in the book. The pleasure of these novels is the warm family life of Brunetti and his relationship with his wife and kids. This is such a relief after too many modern books deal with angsty protagonists with tormented backgrounds and issues.
Unto Us a Son is Given has Brunetti being asked by his father-in-law to investigate the planned adoption of a grown man by an elderly friend of their family, who is even a godfather to Brunetti's kids. The suspicion is the 'adoption' is a coverup for the lusts of the old man for a younger companion, and that the adoptee is actually a grifter hoping to inherit the old man's money. Things become even more complicated when another friend of the old man travels to Venice and is murdered. Brunetti has to unravel all the backgrounds in order to arrive at the truth.
I'm definitely planning to continue with more Brunettis in the future, hopefully in chronological order if I can source them. They are an excellent contrast to the Commissario Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri (my other favourite Italian police procedurals) which are more cynical but which also play up the various comic foibles of their characters. Donna Leon's Brunetti is more warm and her capture of the atmosphere of Venice (where she lived for 25 years) is excellent.
Review of the Atlantic Monthly Press hardcover edition (March 2019)
"View of the Grand Canal Santa Maria della Salute and the Dogana from Campo Santa Maria Zobenigo" (c. 1743) painted by Bernardo Bellotto (1722-1780). Image sourced from LitHub
Unto Us a Son is Given is only my 2nd ever Donna Leon / Commissario Brunetti read after being introduced to the series earlier this year via Transient Desires. It is probably not the best idea to read these in reverse order as likely some spoilers will appear. This stood out at the library's Best Bets section at my last visit though and I snapped it up regardless.
Two books does seem to be enough to give an impression of how the Brunetti books are structured though. The books are more about family and the environment of Venice. The crimes are almost secondary and come along very late in the book. The pleasure of these novels is the warm family life of Brunetti and his relationship with his wife and kids. This is such a relief after too many modern books deal with angsty protagonists with tormented backgrounds and issues.
Unto Us a Son is Given has Brunetti being asked by his father-in-law to investigate the planned adoption of a grown man by an elderly friend of their family, who is even a godfather to Brunetti's kids. The suspicion is the 'adoption' is a coverup for the lusts of the old man for a younger companion, and that the adoptee is actually a grifter hoping to inherit the old man's money. Things become even more complicated when another friend of the old man travels to Venice and is murdered. Brunetti has to unravel all the backgrounds in order to arrive at the truth.
I'm definitely planning to continue with more Brunettis in the future, hopefully in chronological order if I can source them. They are an excellent contrast to the Commissario Montalbano series by Andrea Camilleri (my other favourite Italian police procedurals) which are more cynical but which also play up the various comic foibles of their characters. Donna Leon's Brunetti is more warm and her capture of the atmosphere of Venice (where she lived for 25 years) is excellent.
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