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Commissario Brunetti #29
Trace Elements
The New York Times-bestselling author of Unto Us a Son Is Given continues "one of the most exquisite and subtle detective series ever" (The Washington Post).
When a dying hospice patient gasps that her husband was murdered over "bad money," Commissario Brunetti softly promises he and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, will look into what initially appears to be a private family tragedy. They discover that the man had worked in the field, collecting samples of contamination for a company that measures the cleanliness of Venice's water supply, and that he had recently died in a mysterious motorcycle accident. Piecing together the tangled threads, Brunetti comes to realize the perilous meaning in the woman's accusation and the threat it reveals to the health of the entire region. But justice in this case proves to be ambiguous, as Brunetti is reminded it can be when he reads Aeschylus's classic play The Eumenides.
Praise for Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti Mysteries
"[Leon] has never become perfunctory, never failed to give us vivid portraits of people and of Venice, never lost her fine, disillusioned indignation." --Ursula K. LeGuin, author of Dancing at the Edge of the World
"You become so wrapped up in these compelling characters. . . . Each one is better than the last." --Louise Erdrich, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
"Leon's Venetian mysteries never disappoint, calling up the romantic sights and sounds of La Serenissima even as they acquaint us with the practical matters that concern the city's residents." --The New York Times Book Review
"The sophisticated but still moral Brunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a worthy custodian of timeless values and verities." --The Wall Street Journal
When a dying hospice patient gasps that her husband was murdered over "bad money," Commissario Brunetti softly promises he and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, will look into what initially appears to be a private family tragedy. They discover that the man had worked in the field, collecting samples of contamination for a company that measures the cleanliness of Venice's water supply, and that he had recently died in a mysterious motorcycle accident. Piecing together the tangled threads, Brunetti comes to realize the perilous meaning in the woman's accusation and the threat it reveals to the health of the entire region. But justice in this case proves to be ambiguous, as Brunetti is reminded it can be when he reads Aeschylus's classic play The Eumenides.
Praise for Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti Mysteries
"[Leon] has never become perfunctory, never failed to give us vivid portraits of people and of Venice, never lost her fine, disillusioned indignation." --Ursula K. LeGuin, author of Dancing at the Edge of the World
"You become so wrapped up in these compelling characters. . . . Each one is better than the last." --Louise Erdrich, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction
"Leon's Venetian mysteries never disappoint, calling up the romantic sights and sounds of La Serenissima even as they acquaint us with the practical matters that concern the city's residents." --The New York Times Book Review
"The sophisticated but still moral Brunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a worthy custodian of timeless values and verities." --The Wall Street Journal
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2020
1451 people are currently reading
3173 people want to read
About the author
Donna Leon
105 books2,913 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 774 reviews
July 8, 2024
In her 29th book featuring Guido Brunetti, Commissario of police in Venice, Donna Leon has once again provided a storyline in which, for the most part it’s not actually certain that a crime has been committed. Brunetti and his colleague Claudio Griffoni are asked to attend the hospice bedside of a 38-year-old woman, Benedetta Toso, who is suffering from cancer. Not only is she certain to die soon, but her husband, Vittorio, was just recently killed when his motorcycle went off the road, and he drowned in a ditch. Benedetta has two daughters who are being cared for by her sister. It’s clear that the dying woman is severely distressed and trying to get a message across to them, but she’s barely able to talk, and they can only really pick up a few sentences. It seems that Vittorio had recently required some ‘bad’ money, and Benedetta believes that this was somehow the cause of his death. It’s not much to go on, but its all they have.
Often in this series, apart from the case or cases being investigated the focus has been on the people associated with Brunetti – his family, friends and colleagues – and long standing readers (like me) have become familiar with a small group of characters who regularly pop up. In this instalment, we become more acquainted with Griffoni, who is a relatively new character in the life of these books but a person with whom Guido has become professionally close to in the past few years. To this point I'd found her to be something of an enigma, a private person with a keen brain and strong interpersonal skills but somebody who is really all business, with little known of her life outside of the police department. Here, her personality is fleshed out somewhat, and we find that she can be charming, but she has a quick tempered prickly side, too. She's able to put Brunetti on edge, and few people are able to do that.
As the story develops, we learn that Vittorio worked for a company charged with maintaining the integrity of Venice’s water supply. He was a collector of samples that he delivered to the company’s lab for testing. There’s no clear evidence from the case file that his death was anything but an accident, and no witnesses have come forward to add to the little knowledge the police have regarding the incident. But we’ve been here before with Brunetti, and we know that his intuition, clever questioning, and nose for deception will dig up the truth if indeed there is anything more to be found. It’s summer, and everyone is suffering from the extreme heat, Guido more than most. He cogitates on the detail and regularly retreats to one of the local bars for a coffee and a glass or two of mineral water, escaping both the heat and the crowds.
In truth, I’m not altogether satisfied with the way this episode ultimately plays out. It’s not that I don’t give credence to the actions described but more that I wonder at the morality of the solution. I’ll say no more and allow readers to draw their own views on this point. But that’s always a side issue for me. The characters and the city of Venice bring me back to this series time and again. Donna Leon has created a world in which I can disappear and go with the flow, enjoying the atmosphere and even the taste and smell of the place as I imbibe the descriptions so deliciously drawn. I really love these books. Hurry back, Guido – I want more!
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Often in this series, apart from the case or cases being investigated the focus has been on the people associated with Brunetti – his family, friends and colleagues – and long standing readers (like me) have become familiar with a small group of characters who regularly pop up. In this instalment, we become more acquainted with Griffoni, who is a relatively new character in the life of these books but a person with whom Guido has become professionally close to in the past few years. To this point I'd found her to be something of an enigma, a private person with a keen brain and strong interpersonal skills but somebody who is really all business, with little known of her life outside of the police department. Here, her personality is fleshed out somewhat, and we find that she can be charming, but she has a quick tempered prickly side, too. She's able to put Brunetti on edge, and few people are able to do that.
As the story develops, we learn that Vittorio worked for a company charged with maintaining the integrity of Venice’s water supply. He was a collector of samples that he delivered to the company’s lab for testing. There’s no clear evidence from the case file that his death was anything but an accident, and no witnesses have come forward to add to the little knowledge the police have regarding the incident. But we’ve been here before with Brunetti, and we know that his intuition, clever questioning, and nose for deception will dig up the truth if indeed there is anything more to be found. It’s summer, and everyone is suffering from the extreme heat, Guido more than most. He cogitates on the detail and regularly retreats to one of the local bars for a coffee and a glass or two of mineral water, escaping both the heat and the crowds.
In truth, I’m not altogether satisfied with the way this episode ultimately plays out. It’s not that I don’t give credence to the actions described but more that I wonder at the morality of the solution. I’ll say no more and allow readers to draw their own views on this point. But that’s always a side issue for me. The characters and the city of Venice bring me back to this series time and again. Donna Leon has created a world in which I can disappear and go with the flow, enjoying the atmosphere and even the taste and smell of the place as I imbibe the descriptions so deliciously drawn. I really love these books. Hurry back, Guido – I want more!
My thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
March 7, 2020
(Please note that there is a little spoiler in here, but anyone with half a brain could figure it out.)
It pains me, but Trace Elements barely ekes out a three-star rating from me.
Let me start with the positive. Leon is a professional novelist. Her writing is crisp and clear. Her body of work is rather vast, and her pacing is good. In my opinion, NO ONE evokes Venice better than Leon. Her descriptions are spot-on, her love for the city (which I immensely enjoy during the off-season) is obvious.
Which brings me to the negative. In the past several novels Leon has come across as a malcontent who is PO'ed by the changes tourists are creating in her beloved home. I understand her position, living in one of America's premier resorts, and I've seen the effects that tourism, particularly large-boat and large-group tourism, is having on Venice, and it's tragic.
But no place is exactly as it was twenty or thirty years ago, and most places haven't changed for the better during that time. By virtue of her education and the opportunity to live as an expatriate in such a magical place, Leon's life is very privileged. (I'm not deprecating the hard work and work ethic that produces these novels.) But "love it or leave it," Donna.
I also understand her recurring theme of water and pollution/contamination. One of my children is an earth scientist (and economist and attorney) with a specialization in hydrology, and we share a love of this most precious natural resource. We advocate for it, as well as conserve it, and have watched the MOSES (mentioned in the novel, and one of the most ambitious and forward-thinking hydrological proposals ever) for years.
This obsession with water and tourism is weakening her storylines. Leon's formerly masterful plotting is becoming transparent to the point that
As relates to another of my favorite authors, I'm tired of repetitive literary lectures. I've stopped reading him, and this is my last Leon book.
I recommend Leon, sometimes highly, but only about the first twenty books in the series. At that point she lost her mojo for me.
It pains me, but Trace Elements barely ekes out a three-star rating from me.
Let me start with the positive. Leon is a professional novelist. Her writing is crisp and clear. Her body of work is rather vast, and her pacing is good. In my opinion, NO ONE evokes Venice better than Leon. Her descriptions are spot-on, her love for the city (which I immensely enjoy during the off-season) is obvious.
Which brings me to the negative. In the past several novels Leon has come across as a malcontent who is PO'ed by the changes tourists are creating in her beloved home. I understand her position, living in one of America's premier resorts, and I've seen the effects that tourism, particularly large-boat and large-group tourism, is having on Venice, and it's tragic.
But no place is exactly as it was twenty or thirty years ago, and most places haven't changed for the better during that time. By virtue of her education and the opportunity to live as an expatriate in such a magical place, Leon's life is very privileged. (I'm not deprecating the hard work and work ethic that produces these novels.) But "love it or leave it," Donna.
I also understand her recurring theme of water and pollution/contamination. One of my children is an earth scientist (and economist and attorney) with a specialization in hydrology, and we share a love of this most precious natural resource. We advocate for it, as well as conserve it, and have watched the MOSES (mentioned in the novel, and one of the most ambitious and forward-thinking hydrological proposals ever) for years.
This obsession with water and tourism is weakening her storylines. Leon's formerly masterful plotting is becoming transparent to the point that
As relates to another of my favorite authors, I'm tired of repetitive literary lectures. I've stopped reading him, and this is my last Leon book.
I recommend Leon, sometimes highly, but only about the first twenty books in the series. At that point she lost her mojo for me.
August 15, 2020
3+
Trace Elements is the 29th book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series. Brunetti investigates crimes in his beloved city of Venice. Sometimes these offenses are particular to this beautiful city, and sometimes they are universal, but they always contain the flavor of Venice. Where else can you take a boat to the airport? They are all well-written with sharp dialogue and references to Ventian landmarks.
The crime in Trace Elements is one that could be committed anywhere. Without giving spoilers, the greed, cover-up, and lack of concern for humanity were frightening but certainly not unheard of. While Brunetti continued to be irresistibly charming with his keen intelligence, love of books and food, and jabs at Italian politics, this was not the best in the series.
I have read many in the Brunetti mystery series and highly recommend starting at the beginning. Especially if Italy has an appeal, this series will definitely be satisfying.
Trace Elements is the 29th book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series. Brunetti investigates crimes in his beloved city of Venice. Sometimes these offenses are particular to this beautiful city, and sometimes they are universal, but they always contain the flavor of Venice. Where else can you take a boat to the airport? They are all well-written with sharp dialogue and references to Ventian landmarks.
The crime in Trace Elements is one that could be committed anywhere. Without giving spoilers, the greed, cover-up, and lack of concern for humanity were frightening but certainly not unheard of. While Brunetti continued to be irresistibly charming with his keen intelligence, love of books and food, and jabs at Italian politics, this was not the best in the series.
I have read many in the Brunetti mystery series and highly recommend starting at the beginning. Especially if Italy has an appeal, this series will definitely be satisfying.
April 12, 2020
I think Donna Leon is running out of fresh ideas - perhaps not surprisingly after 29 novels in this series. I found the continual complaints about tourism in Venice all too familiar (maybe she will write something different now about the summer of 2020 when no-one is visiting and the canals are running clean.) Over recent novels she has chosen themes that show the corruption or mismanagement in Italian politics and business and I felt this was also becoming predictable. (In this book the issue is one of the contamination of Venice's drinking water.)
I still enjoyed meeting Guido again and his police colleagues but I found the novel for the most part rather dreary. The ending was good though, asking the perennial question of how justice can best be delivered in a flawed system.
I still enjoyed meeting Guido again and his police colleagues but I found the novel for the most part rather dreary. The ending was good though, asking the perennial question of how justice can best be delivered in a flawed system.
January 28, 2020
(3.5 stars) Donna Leon and her literary creation Commissario Guido Brunetti love Venice. But they don't look at that beautiful and historic city and the country of Italy itself with rose-colored glasses. No, in this, Leon's 29th in her detective series, you can see how problems, both internal to Venice and global ones also, are getting Leon, and hence Brunetti, a little down.
Mass tourism, with its resulting crisis of overcrowding, pollution, and overall major inconvenience to the locals, rising crime, global warming's effect on "acqua alta" flooding and on weather in general, cronyism and corruption and bureaucracy in politics and business... You name it, Brunetti is suffering from its effects.
But, as I said, Brunetti loves Venice, as does expat author Leon (born in New Jersey). Leon lived in Venice for perhaps 35 years beginning in the very early 1980s, only moving to Switzerland in 2015 (but even now visiting Venice perhaps one week per month). And her personal experiences and warm regard for the city shine through in her writing. We readers feel we are gaining some intimate knowledge of the real Venice even as we enjoy solving the mysteries with Brunetti.
In this latest of the series, Brunetti and his colleague Claudia Griffoni are called to the bedside of a dying woman whose husband had recently died in a motorcycle accident. "They killed him. It was bad money. I told him so." That's all they can get out of her in her medically-drugged and cancer-weakened state. Not much to go on but, with the help of intrepid internet wiz Elettra Zorzi, the secretary to Brunetti's boss Vice Questore Patta, they will manage to uncover a whole nest of intrigue and corruption and find a murderer.
This is not a favorite of mine in Leon's series. It spends a bit too much time as advocacy literature, with an agenda of pointing fingers at various environmental, social and political issues, without enough time on the actual crime and its solution. I have no problem with Brunetti becoming an "eco-detective" but I did need more murder investigation and detective work here to counterbalance the dark issues of global warming, corruption, pollution and tourism crisis.
This is really a 3-star book for me that I'm giving 4 stars, somewhat paradoxically, for the very fact that Leon is using Brunetti and this mystery for a bit of a soapbox. We need more people to realize that these are serious issues and that the times are indeed dark. Brunetti has always been an introspective and thoughtful character and his worries here seem quite in keeping with his personality. And one can only hope that his thoughtfulness in this book will encourage more thought from readers.
BTW, the title of this, TRACE ELEMENTS, is clever in its double meaning. First, the obvious one of chemical pollution of water sources, and, second, that mentioned by Brunetti of his having "no optimism about these trace elements of behaviour [i.e., in people], not with a daughter who, on the subject of the environment, was as grim as any of Dante's damned."
Yep, I'm giving this 4 stars because of my being so in sync with Brunetti and Leon in their concerns.
Mass tourism, with its resulting crisis of overcrowding, pollution, and overall major inconvenience to the locals, rising crime, global warming's effect on "acqua alta" flooding and on weather in general, cronyism and corruption and bureaucracy in politics and business... You name it, Brunetti is suffering from its effects.
But, as I said, Brunetti loves Venice, as does expat author Leon (born in New Jersey). Leon lived in Venice for perhaps 35 years beginning in the very early 1980s, only moving to Switzerland in 2015 (but even now visiting Venice perhaps one week per month). And her personal experiences and warm regard for the city shine through in her writing. We readers feel we are gaining some intimate knowledge of the real Venice even as we enjoy solving the mysteries with Brunetti.
In this latest of the series, Brunetti and his colleague Claudia Griffoni are called to the bedside of a dying woman whose husband had recently died in a motorcycle accident. "They killed him. It was bad money. I told him so." That's all they can get out of her in her medically-drugged and cancer-weakened state. Not much to go on but, with the help of intrepid internet wiz Elettra Zorzi, the secretary to Brunetti's boss Vice Questore Patta, they will manage to uncover a whole nest of intrigue and corruption and find a murderer.
This is not a favorite of mine in Leon's series. It spends a bit too much time as advocacy literature, with an agenda of pointing fingers at various environmental, social and political issues, without enough time on the actual crime and its solution. I have no problem with Brunetti becoming an "eco-detective" but I did need more murder investigation and detective work here to counterbalance the dark issues of global warming, corruption, pollution and tourism crisis.
This is really a 3-star book for me that I'm giving 4 stars, somewhat paradoxically, for the very fact that Leon is using Brunetti and this mystery for a bit of a soapbox. We need more people to realize that these are serious issues and that the times are indeed dark. Brunetti has always been an introspective and thoughtful character and his worries here seem quite in keeping with his personality. And one can only hope that his thoughtfulness in this book will encourage more thought from readers.
BTW, the title of this, TRACE ELEMENTS, is clever in its double meaning. First, the obvious one of chemical pollution of water sources, and, second, that mentioned by Brunetti of his having "no optimism about these trace elements of behaviour [i.e., in people], not with a daughter who, on the subject of the environment, was as grim as any of Dante's damned."
Yep, I'm giving this 4 stars because of my being so in sync with Brunetti and Leon in their concerns.
February 25, 2020
A quandary for Brunetti!
Two seemingly simple cases that had no connection. A couple of Roma girls have pick pocketed the wife of a powerful person who wants them out of Venice in case further enquiries open up something they don't want exposed.
A dying woman who has something to confess to the police.
As investigations unfold, both cases are a minefield of complexities for Commissari Guido Brunetti and Claudia Griffoni. As always they are ably assisted by the highly efficient Signorina Elettra, whose computer skills allow them into places that they normally couldn't access.
One case involves a question of the health of the planet. Both cases speak to what the powerful are able to get away with. Brunetti is faced with conflicting choices.
As Brunetti summarizes his reflections and the questions the situation demands we are reminded of his love of mythologies of the past,
"His thoughts turned to the Eumenides and the characters’ desperate search for an understanding of justice based on something other than vengeance."
"Brunetti was both accuser and accused. He had to decide which crime to punish, which to ignore, and choose the greater criminal, or the better odds."
As always a complex, yet rewarding read. Leon's underlying themes of the environment, politics, graft and corruption, bubble away, rising to the surface throughout.
It took me sometime to understand the title. I was as confused as Brunetti--until we both weren't!
A Grove Atlantic ARC via NetGalley
Two seemingly simple cases that had no connection. A couple of Roma girls have pick pocketed the wife of a powerful person who wants them out of Venice in case further enquiries open up something they don't want exposed.
A dying woman who has something to confess to the police.
As investigations unfold, both cases are a minefield of complexities for Commissari Guido Brunetti and Claudia Griffoni. As always they are ably assisted by the highly efficient Signorina Elettra, whose computer skills allow them into places that they normally couldn't access.
One case involves a question of the health of the planet. Both cases speak to what the powerful are able to get away with. Brunetti is faced with conflicting choices.
As Brunetti summarizes his reflections and the questions the situation demands we are reminded of his love of mythologies of the past,
"His thoughts turned to the Eumenides and the characters’ desperate search for an understanding of justice based on something other than vengeance."
"Brunetti was both accuser and accused. He had to decide which crime to punish, which to ignore, and choose the greater criminal, or the better odds."
As always a complex, yet rewarding read. Leon's underlying themes of the environment, politics, graft and corruption, bubble away, rising to the surface throughout.
It took me sometime to understand the title. I was as confused as Brunetti--until we both weren't!
A Grove Atlantic ARC via NetGalley
July 22, 2020
...and that's a "barely okay." Signorina Leon seems to be losing steam, I'm afraid. After 28 Brunetti mysteries, this one feels plodding and pedestrian, in both senses of the word. The first 100 pages are a slog: it's hot in Venice. Everyone is sweating. Brunetti and colleague Griffoni watch a canal being dredged. A dying woman manages to gasp that her husband has been killed for "bad money." Brunetti's contemptible boss Patta is fussed because some pickpockets have been busy, and he has air conditioning in his office. 100 pages. It picks up a bit after that, but not much. We already know about the scourge of tourists in Venice, and the plot involves chicanery in the water supply services, which Bruno astutely figures out with the aid of the stretched-to-incredulity hacking genius of Elettra Zorzi. (Half the time basic links on the website of the major American university for which I work don't work, and IT shrugs and never calls back. Five minutes and the intrepid Zorzi has every scrap of info, with nary a profanity or dead link or network crash in sight.)
Then there's the writing. Leon has simply padded out an insufficient plot with unedited narration of every motion made and every syllable spoken by the characters. On nearly any random page, you will find passages like this: "He led her towards the bridge but did not cross it, turned right along the canal to the second bridge, left, narrow street, popping up from nowhere on the right, another bridge into an underpass...began to swivel his body a half-step before he reached the corner where he had to turn, glanced across canals to the buildings on the other side, slowed to watch a cormorant dive under the water, and kept going." And this goes on for another 6 lines. Seriously? Have we no editors? And oh, by the way, it's still really hot and everyone is sweaty. The pickpocket plot vanishes after a nudge at some involvement of the evil Lieutenant Scarpa. But I'm not sure I care enough to read the next book to find out if it goes anywhere.
I have read that Leon has finally moved out of Venice and lives mostly in Switzerland now. That's sad. Perhaps she's going to take her leave of good, thoughtful, serious Guido as well, if she can't do him any better justice than this.
juliestielstra.com
Then there's the writing. Leon has simply padded out an insufficient plot with unedited narration of every motion made and every syllable spoken by the characters. On nearly any random page, you will find passages like this: "He led her towards the bridge but did not cross it, turned right along the canal to the second bridge, left, narrow street, popping up from nowhere on the right, another bridge into an underpass...began to swivel his body a half-step before he reached the corner where he had to turn, glanced across canals to the buildings on the other side, slowed to watch a cormorant dive under the water, and kept going." And this goes on for another 6 lines. Seriously? Have we no editors? And oh, by the way, it's still really hot and everyone is sweaty. The pickpocket plot vanishes after a nudge at some involvement of the evil Lieutenant Scarpa. But I'm not sure I care enough to read the next book to find out if it goes anywhere.
I have read that Leon has finally moved out of Venice and lives mostly in Switzerland now. That's sad. Perhaps she's going to take her leave of good, thoughtful, serious Guido as well, if she can't do him any better justice than this.
juliestielstra.com
January 8, 2020
As per usual in her latest novels Donna Leon uses her books to comment on social, political or, in this case, environmental matters. Also, there's a subplot about pickpocket minors and the police inability to deal with them. Although a crime novel, the crime itself is secondary. In fact, it's not even clear if a murder has been committed, becoming almost incidental, but the story is no less entertaining because of it. At the end, Brunetti is presented with a moral dilemma, and although the ending it's not as satisfying as I would have like from the story point of view, it's a faithful reflection of today's world, as there are times when things don't wrap up as neatly as we wish.
I've been reading this series for years and I keep doing it not for the crimes or the plots themselves, but for its characters. Each book offers a glimpse into their daily lives, sometimes with more interesting stories than others, but always a pleasure to come back.
If you've been a fan of this series for years you'll like this one, but if it's your first Brunetti story and you're expecting a traditional murder mystery I suggest you start with the first books in the series, if only for getting to know these beloved characters from the beginning.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Atlantic Month Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
I've been reading this series for years and I keep doing it not for the crimes or the plots themselves, but for its characters. Each book offers a glimpse into their daily lives, sometimes with more interesting stories than others, but always a pleasure to come back.
If you've been a fan of this series for years you'll like this one, but if it's your first Brunetti story and you're expecting a traditional murder mystery I suggest you start with the first books in the series, if only for getting to know these beloved characters from the beginning.
Thanks to Edelweiss and Atlantic Month Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 24, 2020
First Sentence: A man and a woman deep in conversation approached the steps of Pone dei Lustraferi, both looking hot and uncomfortable on this late July afternoon.
Benedetta Toso, a dying hospice patient who asks to speak with the police, claims her husband, Vittorio Fadalto, was murdered over “bad money.” Commissario Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, promise to investigate the matter, but was it murder or an accident? Suspicions mount as they learn more about Vittorio's job collecting samples of water to be tested for contamination. Piecing together the tangled threads, Brunetti comes to realize the perilous meaning in the woman’s accusation and the threat it reveals to the health of the entire region.
With an excellent beginning, one learns that being a Neapolitan in Venice is a "far greater handicap than being a woman."—and that one may not want to visit Venice during the summer. Leon's voice is always a pleasure. When talking about the heat, she conveys the sense of it without referencing it directly --"Brunetti realized only then how hot he was. He tried to lift his right leg, but it was glued to the chair by sweat." It is these touches that bring Venice to life by allowing us to see the city as those who live there do.
There is a second plot thread of two Romany pickpockets. It is interesting to learn the differences between how crimes are handled in Italy versus the United States. The secondary plot does raise interesting points.
Leon's descriptions, from the route to an address Brunetti takes that only a resident would know, to his description of a room badly decorated, to food, are a delight and bring the city to life. Even a plate of sandwiches at a bar sound good--"From the sides of the sandwiches spilled ham, egg tomato, tuna salad, radicchio, rucola, shrimp, artichokes, asparagus, and olives."
Leon is wonderful at injecting verbal exchanges to make one chuckle. When called into his boss's office, Signorina Elettra remarks--"If you aren't out in fifteen minutes, I'll call the police." However, she is also very good at making one pause and consider, as with Bruno's conversation with a nurse--"But if you work with death, you have to become spiritual, or you can't do it any more. ... when they get close to the end, you can sense their spirit, or you sense that it's there. They do, too. And it helps them. And us." She knows how to touch one's emotions-- "Griffoni…raised a hand and threw open her palm, as if to release the dead woman's spirit into the air. The three of them remained silent for enough time to allow that spirit to escape the room..."
There is something wonderful about a policeman who reads Lysistrata for pleasure and describes Agamemnon as a "windbag commander." The relationship between Brunetti and his wife Paoli adds normality. It is one of a couple who has been married a long time and still loves one another. An interesting characteristic of Leon is that when her characters are in a professional setting, she references them by their surnames, yet when in a personal setting, or amongst one another as friends, she uses their first names.
Leon is incredibly good at building a story. She takes one along with her through the steps with an amazing subtlety to the clues.
"Trace Elements" is a police procedural without car chases or gunplay, but with a somewhat political theme. It is a very contemporary mystery with a contemporary crime. It reflects on the degradation of true justice in our time and on compromise. For some, the ending may not seem satisfactory, but upon reflection, there is some small justice amidst justice that cannot be achieved.
TRACE ELEMENTS (PolProc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-Venice-Contemp) - VG
Leon, Donna – 29th in series
Atlantic Monthly - Mar 2020
Benedetta Toso, a dying hospice patient who asks to speak with the police, claims her husband, Vittorio Fadalto, was murdered over “bad money.” Commissario Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, promise to investigate the matter, but was it murder or an accident? Suspicions mount as they learn more about Vittorio's job collecting samples of water to be tested for contamination. Piecing together the tangled threads, Brunetti comes to realize the perilous meaning in the woman’s accusation and the threat it reveals to the health of the entire region.
With an excellent beginning, one learns that being a Neapolitan in Venice is a "far greater handicap than being a woman."—and that one may not want to visit Venice during the summer. Leon's voice is always a pleasure. When talking about the heat, she conveys the sense of it without referencing it directly --"Brunetti realized only then how hot he was. He tried to lift his right leg, but it was glued to the chair by sweat." It is these touches that bring Venice to life by allowing us to see the city as those who live there do.
There is a second plot thread of two Romany pickpockets. It is interesting to learn the differences between how crimes are handled in Italy versus the United States. The secondary plot does raise interesting points.
Leon's descriptions, from the route to an address Brunetti takes that only a resident would know, to his description of a room badly decorated, to food, are a delight and bring the city to life. Even a plate of sandwiches at a bar sound good--"From the sides of the sandwiches spilled ham, egg tomato, tuna salad, radicchio, rucola, shrimp, artichokes, asparagus, and olives."
Leon is wonderful at injecting verbal exchanges to make one chuckle. When called into his boss's office, Signorina Elettra remarks--"If you aren't out in fifteen minutes, I'll call the police." However, she is also very good at making one pause and consider, as with Bruno's conversation with a nurse--"But if you work with death, you have to become spiritual, or you can't do it any more. ... when they get close to the end, you can sense their spirit, or you sense that it's there. They do, too. And it helps them. And us." She knows how to touch one's emotions-- "Griffoni…raised a hand and threw open her palm, as if to release the dead woman's spirit into the air. The three of them remained silent for enough time to allow that spirit to escape the room..."
There is something wonderful about a policeman who reads Lysistrata for pleasure and describes Agamemnon as a "windbag commander." The relationship between Brunetti and his wife Paoli adds normality. It is one of a couple who has been married a long time and still loves one another. An interesting characteristic of Leon is that when her characters are in a professional setting, she references them by their surnames, yet when in a personal setting, or amongst one another as friends, she uses their first names.
Leon is incredibly good at building a story. She takes one along with her through the steps with an amazing subtlety to the clues.
"Trace Elements" is a police procedural without car chases or gunplay, but with a somewhat political theme. It is a very contemporary mystery with a contemporary crime. It reflects on the degradation of true justice in our time and on compromise. For some, the ending may not seem satisfactory, but upon reflection, there is some small justice amidst justice that cannot be achieved.
TRACE ELEMENTS (PolProc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-Venice-Contemp) - VG
Leon, Donna – 29th in series
Atlantic Monthly - Mar 2020
May 31, 2021
The best part of this book for me were the interactions between Guido Brunetti and his wife Paola. I loved how they enjoyed talking about books and taking walks together and the caring companionship that they shared. Additionally, they have a good rapport with their children and seem a strong family.
When Brunetti arrives home distraught after experiencing the death of an elderly lady firsthand Paola is there to listen and he is "aware of the solace of her hand" as she gently touches him bring him comfort. Indeed, beforehand, he had recognized that paola "would understand how terrible the experience had been and how spiritual."
Later, as they discuss books companionably, he had a sudden feeling of "wanting this conversation never to end, to stand and talk about books to the woman he loved and to have the good sense to see this this moment as one of the greatest gifts life has given him."
About taking a walk with Brunetti, Paola says, "I can think of no more joyful thing to do." On their walk, they secretly enjoy some ice-cream just before dinner and vow not to tell their children. Then, after dinner when Paola serves gelato from a kilo container (about 2 litres), she and Brunetti sit horrified as their children devour all the rest after they have had a small taste! They seem like a typical family.
When Brunetti arrives home distraught after experiencing the death of an elderly lady firsthand Paola is there to listen and he is "aware of the solace of her hand" as she gently touches him bring him comfort. Indeed, beforehand, he had recognized that paola "would understand how terrible the experience had been and how spiritual."
Later, as they discuss books companionably, he had a sudden feeling of "wanting this conversation never to end, to stand and talk about books to the woman he loved and to have the good sense to see this this moment as one of the greatest gifts life has given him."
About taking a walk with Brunetti, Paola says, "I can think of no more joyful thing to do." On their walk, they secretly enjoy some ice-cream just before dinner and vow not to tell their children. Then, after dinner when Paola serves gelato from a kilo container (about 2 litres), she and Brunetti sit horrified as their children devour all the rest after they have had a small taste! They seem like a typical family.
July 4, 2020
2,5 Stars
This book is like the way people move in the hot summer sun in Venice: leisurely. It starts with the case (that I only recognized as a 'case' because it is mentioned in the blurb) but then it takes Brunetti a third of the book - which equals one day - before he picks up his inquiries.
In between there are young pickpocketing girls mentioned (I had no clue why that was in there in the first place) and detailled description of every step Brunetti takes, every move he makes, every snack he eats, every room he enters or plaza he crosses or book he opens. I appreciate a sense for detail, but the author should also keep in mind the pace of the story.
And this pace was way to slow, which made the whole story a bit boring to me. Although the topic as such is worth a detective story, but it is dwarfed by too much insignificant 'trace elements'.
This book is like the way people move in the hot summer sun in Venice: leisurely. It starts with the case (that I only recognized as a 'case' because it is mentioned in the blurb) but then it takes Brunetti a third of the book - which equals one day - before he picks up his inquiries.
In between there are young pickpocketing girls mentioned (I had no clue why that was in there in the first place) and detailled description of every step Brunetti takes, every move he makes, every snack he eats, every room he enters or plaza he crosses or book he opens. I appreciate a sense for detail, but the author should also keep in mind the pace of the story.
And this pace was way to slow, which made the whole story a bit boring to me. Although the topic as such is worth a detective story, but it is dwarfed by too much insignificant 'trace elements'.
May 7, 2020
La nueva entrega de nuestro querido comisario Brunetti incide en temas ya tratados en alguna trama anterior, desastres ecológicos, masificación turística, inmigrantes delincuentes... en esto puede sonar repetitivo pero a muchos creo que no nos importa. Nuestro esperado placer anual de revisitar a la familia Brunetti con los personajes secundarios que le dan el contrapunto, está más que colmado. La trama criminal es un personaje secundario más, lo que prefiere contar Donna Leon es la posición del comisario ante nuestro mundo, obligado a verlo a través de los ojos de un espectador de las mayores miserias morales: avaricia, lujuria, soberbia... Estos son los desencadenantes del crimen como todos sabemos. Ya estamos contando los días para la trigésima entrega.
June 4, 2020
Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti series is definitely not your typical police procedural. Brunetti is a quiet intellectual policeman who loves his city and his family. He is also practical enough to understand that policing in Venice also involves a lot of politics. He understand that everytime he has to deal with his superior, Patta. This time though, the story focuses on a dying woman in a hospice who asked to speak to the police. She proceeded to tell Brunetti and his colleague, Commissario Griffoni, about her husband being killed over "bad money". Unfortunately, she died before being able to explain her cryptic words. Feeling bound by his promise to look into the situation to the dying woman, Brunetti and Griffoni finds themself investigating what was a motorcycle accident of the woman's husband. If one is familiar with this series, one knows there's no big action or even big reveals like in a typical cop show. But, Brunetti is still one of my favourite literary characters. He knows and have to grudgingly accept that Italian justice system is far from perfect. He's doing his best in this situation, knowing that there are a lot of grey areas in life.
February 18, 2020
While Trace Elements may be missing a bit of the warmth of Donna Leon’s previous titles in this series (I’ve read the first 12), this 29th installment exposes the challenges of living in a metropolitan city instead of romanticizing Venice. Our favorite, albeit now a somewhat less tolerant Commissario Guido Brunetti tackles protecting the environment and the public paired with a new colleague in Commissario Claudia Griffoni. I was worried when Vianello took his time appearing on the page, but all the usual characters are here to sort out the details, especially my favorite, Signorina Elettra.
Leon is very generous and inclusive as a writer with subtle storytelling making Trace Elements a great read on its own. I appreciate receiving an advance, uncorrected proof copy and inspired to read the remaining 16 titles in the series ASAP! #GoodreadsGiveaway.
Leon is very generous and inclusive as a writer with subtle storytelling making Trace Elements a great read on its own. I appreciate receiving an advance, uncorrected proof copy and inspired to read the remaining 16 titles in the series ASAP! #GoodreadsGiveaway.
February 13, 2020
Brunetti receives an unusual request: a woman in hospice requests a visit from the police. He and Claudia Griffoni meet with the young woman, who is not only dying but also has just lost her husband. They investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, and as in may of Leon's other novels, we learn of corruption in Venice. It is wonderful to revisit these favorite characters again, even if it does get depressing to hear about all of the corruption in Brunetti's beautiful city. Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.
March 15, 2020
If you have never read one of Donna Leon’s marvelous Guido Brunetti mysteries, don’t let the unfamiliar locale and culture --- Venice --- or the fact that the newly published TRACE ELEMENTS is the 29th installment in the series dissuade you. These novels are written so that one can pick them up in any order at any time without missing a beat. As for the culture of Venice, there are elements of it that remain a mystery to all, including the Venetians themselves. Commissario Brunetti of the Venetian police is more an observer than an interpreter, which is just perfect for this long-running, character-driven series that never fails to winningly entertain.
As with most of these books, TRACE ELEMENTS includes a strong primary plotline anchored by an intriguing mystery as well as a secondary problem, the presentation of which constitutes an interlude. Let’s discuss the latter first. The number of pickpockets in Venice are skyrocketing for reasons that are not entirely known to Brunetti. He is not tasked with discovering why, though he figures it out. He is merely instructed to deal with the issue and make it go away for a few days. This he does, and along the way readers get an idea of how law enforcement, politics and the news media interact in Venice.
The primary mystery here takes longer to resolve. It begins when Brunetti receives a call from a physician at a local hospice advising him that a dying patient wishes to speak to the police. Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, respond to the bedside of Benedetta Toso, a tragic figure under any circumstances. In addition to being terminally ill, Benedetta has recently lost her husband, Vittorio Fadalto, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his motorcycle. She is only able to offer a couple of cryptic statements that appear to be related to her husband’s efforts to obtain additional money for her care at a different hospice. Brunetti and Griffoni learn that Vittorio had a fairly innocuous job working as a sample collector for a company that measures the cleanliness of the Venetian water supply.
It is the enigmatic Signora Elettra Zorzi, secretary to Brunetti’s immediate superior, Vice Questore Patta, who effectively runs the department. Her superior ability to gather research no matter where it may be is ultimately what provides Brunetti with the informational key he needs to unlock the doors that reveal the why and the who behind Vittorio’s death, among other things. All Brunetti has to decide is what to do with the information, which is not nearly as simple as it may seem.
I say this at least once a year, but it bears repeating: Anyone who has even a passing interest in mystery literature should be reading this series religiously. Leon is incapable of writing badly and is a subtle, nuanced storyteller of the first order. TRACE ELEMENTS continues her wondrous string of memorable police procedurals, all of which are keepers.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
As with most of these books, TRACE ELEMENTS includes a strong primary plotline anchored by an intriguing mystery as well as a secondary problem, the presentation of which constitutes an interlude. Let’s discuss the latter first. The number of pickpockets in Venice are skyrocketing for reasons that are not entirely known to Brunetti. He is not tasked with discovering why, though he figures it out. He is merely instructed to deal with the issue and make it go away for a few days. This he does, and along the way readers get an idea of how law enforcement, politics and the news media interact in Venice.
The primary mystery here takes longer to resolve. It begins when Brunetti receives a call from a physician at a local hospice advising him that a dying patient wishes to speak to the police. Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, respond to the bedside of Benedetta Toso, a tragic figure under any circumstances. In addition to being terminally ill, Benedetta has recently lost her husband, Vittorio Fadalto, who was killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his motorcycle. She is only able to offer a couple of cryptic statements that appear to be related to her husband’s efforts to obtain additional money for her care at a different hospice. Brunetti and Griffoni learn that Vittorio had a fairly innocuous job working as a sample collector for a company that measures the cleanliness of the Venetian water supply.
It is the enigmatic Signora Elettra Zorzi, secretary to Brunetti’s immediate superior, Vice Questore Patta, who effectively runs the department. Her superior ability to gather research no matter where it may be is ultimately what provides Brunetti with the informational key he needs to unlock the doors that reveal the why and the who behind Vittorio’s death, among other things. All Brunetti has to decide is what to do with the information, which is not nearly as simple as it may seem.
I say this at least once a year, but it bears repeating: Anyone who has even a passing interest in mystery literature should be reading this series religiously. Leon is incapable of writing badly and is a subtle, nuanced storyteller of the first order. TRACE ELEMENTS continues her wondrous string of memorable police procedurals, all of which are keepers.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
November 11, 2023
Und wieder habe ich Donna Leon gelesen, die in der Menge etwas ermüdet. Es ist wie ein jährlicher Kurzurlaub in Venedig bei guten Bekannten. Das meiste ist wie immer, aber man lernt doch auch neue Aspekte der Stadt kennen. Wobei die Kriminalfälle alle irgendwie Italienklischees bedienen – Korruption, Vetternwirtschaft, politische Einflussnahme, Beteiligung mafiöser Strukturen – von denen ich hoffe, dass sie in der Realität inzwischen keine so große Rolle mehr spielen. In Venedig werden wohl auch nicht so viele Morde vorkommen, wie die Buchreihe vermuten lässt. Dieser Fall steht in Verbindung mit der Wasserversorgung und mit Umweltvergehen, nicht völlig realitätsfern, aber sehr voraussehbar. Doch dank meiner Tochter, die mir das Buch aussuchte, gab es bei diesem Venedigbesuch eine neue Herausforderung: es ist die Orginalausgabe in amerikanischem Englisch. Um englisches Lesen zu üben, ist die Krimireihe um Kommissar Brunetti bestens geeignet. Die Sprache ist nicht zu komplex, nicht zweideutig, nicht in verschiedenen Erzählebenen, sondern gut verständlich, wenn einzelne unbekannte Wörter nachgeschlagen werden. Wunderbar für Einsteiger geeignet.
May 1, 2020
I have read all 29 of these compelling Venetian mysteries, but now they only make me sad. Her vivid portrayals of the beauty and enchantment of Venice and the corruption of its system of justice were usually leavened by the richness of Brunetti's life with his professor wife and their lively and engaging children, their devotion to food and to family, and his work relationships, both rewarding and terrifying. This one, however, has little of that and much of corruption and destruction.
December 27, 2020
Having enjoyed Leon's early novels, I picked up her latest one - and was very disappointed. The pace is excruciatingly slow, the plot runs thin and I found the ending most dissatisfying.
I suppose this is just another great series that has gone downhill unfortunately.
I suppose this is just another great series that has gone downhill unfortunately.
March 24, 2020
A 3.5 rounded up to 4. I enjoyed this latest Donna Leon & am now worrying about how Brunetti and the other characters are faring in the Venice of the moment.
The plot in this is fairly simple, involving a pay off for tampering with chemical samples from water pollution checks. But it spins in several different directions (the story line with the young pickpockets never seems to integrate with the main plot) and is resolved in a morally ambiguous way that still has me thinking about it . But there are no easy true paths in the world of today.
Particularly liked all the descriptions of Brunetti's struggles with the Venice extremes of heat, humidity and super air conditioning -- living in a similar climate, I related to how much that affected his daily summer life.
The plot in this is fairly simple, involving a pay off for tampering with chemical samples from water pollution checks. But it spins in several different directions (the story line with the young pickpockets never seems to integrate with the main plot) and is resolved in a morally ambiguous way that still has me thinking about it . But there are no easy true paths in the world of today.
Particularly liked all the descriptions of Brunetti's struggles with the Venice extremes of heat, humidity and super air conditioning -- living in a similar climate, I related to how much that affected his daily summer life.
January 5, 2024
Première lecture de cette auteure. Longtemps désarçonné: une foultitude de détails totalement en dehors de l'enquête de base: Vittorio a-t-il été assassiné? Par qui? Pourquoi? Venise dans ses moindres détails, des pages sur deux adolescentes rom voleuses à la tire, la chaleur moite, étouffante collant les vêtements à la peau, l'horreur des touristes déferlant sur Venise, mais aussi un duo de policiers, le commissaire Brunetti et son adjointe Claudia pleins d'empathie pour leurs semblables, plus prêts à verser une larme qu'à brandir leur arme, ces descriptions fouillées et ces états d'âme sont tellement peints avec finesse que l'on oublie que l'enquête avance à peine. Et donc in fine conquis par la plume d'une Américaine tombée en amour de Venise. Je tenterai un autre bouquin de Donna Leon, je veux savoir si l'ambiance y est toujours du même style.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2020
No, I did not like the end result. However, Donna Leon remains true to her characters, so who am I to argue? This is my 29th in this series and I will hope for more.
Brunetti works with southerner Claudia Griffoni in a decidedly hot July time period on a crime investigation that starts with a visit to a hospice to interview a dying woman. I would say that the weather is so often and well described that it serves as one of the main characters.
Naturally, Patta's secretary Elettra makes her own contributions to grease the wheels of information gathering as they try to understand the dying woman's words about her husband who had just died in a motorcycle incident that looks very suspicious.
The other thread of criminal pursuit centers on Patta's command to get a couple of pickpockets who had been operating in Venice for years out of sight while the city is featured in a major article. He asks Brunetti to work with a magistrate from Treviso on a plan to remove the two girls. At the conclusion of this meeting: "Ah, thought Brunetti, hearing Patta say, 'leave it to you', if ever a person had a slogan that could be carried in advance of him, as the flags bearing the words 'Deus vult' led the crusaders to their fate, this was Patta's."
This episode had some humorous events, but also ends with the same acceptance of crime as part of life that can rarely be controlled. Lots o' philosophical reasoning and referencing back to the Greeks in this book.
"So...if you have one police officer for every pickpocket, then the crime would be stopped?" "It would be very nice to be able to think that," Brunetti said. "But we don't have that many people on the force and pickpockets are like raspberries. No matter how many you pick, the branches are always full again the next day."
Poor Brunetti has given up trying to be entertained by reading Lysistrata and his wife tells him to read Importance of Being Earnest if he wants to read something funny.
Brunetti does resolve the puzzle of what the dying woman meant to tell them, what happened to her husband who had discovered dumping of mercury and vinyl chloride into the river, and how some of the highly unpleasant criminals avoided prosecution.
Library Loan
Brunetti works with southerner Claudia Griffoni in a decidedly hot July time period on a crime investigation that starts with a visit to a hospice to interview a dying woman. I would say that the weather is so often and well described that it serves as one of the main characters.
Naturally, Patta's secretary Elettra makes her own contributions to grease the wheels of information gathering as they try to understand the dying woman's words about her husband who had just died in a motorcycle incident that looks very suspicious.
The other thread of criminal pursuit centers on Patta's command to get a couple of pickpockets who had been operating in Venice for years out of sight while the city is featured in a major article. He asks Brunetti to work with a magistrate from Treviso on a plan to remove the two girls. At the conclusion of this meeting: "Ah, thought Brunetti, hearing Patta say, 'leave it to you', if ever a person had a slogan that could be carried in advance of him, as the flags bearing the words 'Deus vult' led the crusaders to their fate, this was Patta's."
This episode had some humorous events, but also ends with the same acceptance of crime as part of life that can rarely be controlled. Lots o' philosophical reasoning and referencing back to the Greeks in this book.
"So...if you have one police officer for every pickpocket, then the crime would be stopped?" "It would be very nice to be able to think that," Brunetti said. "But we don't have that many people on the force and pickpockets are like raspberries. No matter how many you pick, the branches are always full again the next day."
Poor Brunetti has given up trying to be entertained by reading Lysistrata and his wife tells him to read Importance of Being Earnest if he wants to read something funny.
Brunetti does resolve the puzzle of what the dying woman meant to tell them, what happened to her husband who had discovered dumping of mercury and vinyl chloride into the river, and how some of the highly unpleasant criminals avoided prosecution.
Library Loan
January 17, 2020
This book should dissuade anyone from visiting Venice especially in the summer. An extraordinary amount of time is spent complaining about the tourists and the trouble they cause. The heat of the summer is explored in great length. Frankly, the tourist board of Venice should hide all copies of this book because I have never felt so unwelcomed.
This deals with environmental concerns particularly the water which is quite important to Venice. It takes about half of the book to even discover that a crime has been committed. It is complex and Guido is not thinking clearly because of the heat and the tourists. He still has time to relax by reading Greek mythology. You gotta love a man who likes to read.
This book did not quite grab me but those who really love this series should enjoy the time spent with Guido when he's not complaining about the tourists.
This deals with environmental concerns particularly the water which is quite important to Venice. It takes about half of the book to even discover that a crime has been committed. It is complex and Guido is not thinking clearly because of the heat and the tourists. He still has time to relax by reading Greek mythology. You gotta love a man who likes to read.
This book did not quite grab me but those who really love this series should enjoy the time spent with Guido when he's not complaining about the tourists.
April 16, 2023
Dieser Brunetti hat mir richtig gut gefallen und mich an seine Anfänge erinnert. Dann gebe ich ihm doch noch ne Chance und bleibe dran
March 31, 2024
I have loved this series but the author has shifted from a good mystery into more of a social commentary on the overwhelming tourist onslaught and abhorrence of large cruise ships that are ruining Venice.
March 8, 2020
Shame on me but it was about 10 years ago that financial misery stopped me from keeping up my collection of ‘Brunetti novels’ as I called them. This was a more than a pleasant reunion. He’s older and his children are almost grown up now but they still live at home. Signorina Elettra, one of my favourite characters is also still on her post as vice-questore Patta’s secretary. And is there some romance lurking in the shadows for her? Patta’s petty politics interfere once again with the proper police work. This time he wants 2 underage Roma pickpocket girls (who had the audacity to target the mayor’s wife) of the streets for the time he’s buying an apartment and until a planned positive article is placed in the press. Eventually, an elegant but funny solution is found for the problem.
What I particularly like in Leon’s books are all the quaint details about Venice’s city-life and local habits as well as some of the specific problems of a tourist industry that’s for a large part dependent on the Chinese. How a police siren on the boats frightens them and most of them can’t swim, so they make only use of them in dire need. Or how the import of all the necessities to cater to the millions of tourists and the tourist taxi’s themselves, cause traffic jams on the canals. What I find missing in this book are the mouthwatering descriptions of all the nice food that’s usually consumed in the Brunetti household.
The main case investigated in this book is about a woman who on her deathbed in a hospice, wants to speak to the police. She tells Brunetti and Griffoni that her husband got ‘bad’ money from somewhere and that ‘they’ murdered him. A promise made to the dying woman weighs heavy on Brunetti. The first thing they discover is that the husband died 2 weeks earlier in a motorcycle accident and that she herself was recently moved to the hospice from an expensive private hospital, presumably because she could no longer afford to pay their fees.
Apart from the usual political shenanigans and corruption, there are three main topics in this feature: water, summer heat and crowds.
I thank Netgalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for this ARC, all opinions in this review are my own.
What I particularly like in Leon’s books are all the quaint details about Venice’s city-life and local habits as well as some of the specific problems of a tourist industry that’s for a large part dependent on the Chinese. How a police siren on the boats frightens them and most of them can’t swim, so they make only use of them in dire need. Or how the import of all the necessities to cater to the millions of tourists and the tourist taxi’s themselves, cause traffic jams on the canals. What I find missing in this book are the mouthwatering descriptions of all the nice food that’s usually consumed in the Brunetti household.
The main case investigated in this book is about a woman who on her deathbed in a hospice, wants to speak to the police. She tells Brunetti and Griffoni that her husband got ‘bad’ money from somewhere and that ‘they’ murdered him. A promise made to the dying woman weighs heavy on Brunetti. The first thing they discover is that the husband died 2 weeks earlier in a motorcycle accident and that she herself was recently moved to the hospice from an expensive private hospital, presumably because she could no longer afford to pay their fees.
Apart from the usual political shenanigans and corruption, there are three main topics in this feature: water, summer heat and crowds.
I thank Netgalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for this ARC, all opinions in this review are my own.
December 24, 2019
If you've ever considered a vacation in Venice in mid-summer, the newest Donna Leon procedural will dissuade you. The weather is so hot even Guido Brunetti, Leon' s affable, literate, reflective police detective, can't stop thinking, feeling ,and describing it; it; in fact, the heat and humidity are practically characters in this unusually slow and torpid novel. The case involves a dying woman's last declarations about the death if her husband, a chemist with the largest water distributor in the Veneto, and the "bad money" that led to his death, which she insists with her final breath was a murder.. It has to do with falsified water samples that lead directly to the money, the murder, and the difficulties in punishing the environmental crimes that toe them together..
It's usually a pleasure to spend time with Brunetti, his clever and understanding wife, and his wonderful Secretary, as well as the minor characters Leon is so skilled at creating. But the heat must have gotten to her while she was writing this, one of her lesser novels.
It's usually a pleasure to spend time with Brunetti, his clever and understanding wife, and his wonderful Secretary, as well as the minor characters Leon is so skilled at creating. But the heat must have gotten to her while she was writing this, one of her lesser novels.
March 20, 2021
This is my second foray into the work of Leon. While I enjoyed the other one far more, I still found this a good read. I like the Venetian setting and the memories it brings back. I like the lead detective/policeman because he is human and decent without being cloyingly so. The story was decent if a little convoluted. My biggest disappointment was in the (realistic) ending. I am a great believer that not all stories can be neatly settled and not all guilty parties get what is coming to them. Yet when actually faced with that scenario, I am left feeling strangely unsettled. The pace of this one dragged for me in spots, too. Get on with it! But it made sense; not everything can be solved in the space of an hourlong episode. I will have to continue to explore her work and see what else I discover about myself.
December 26, 2019
Maybe not quite as good as her best Brunetti novels, but it was still a pleasure to read. Donna Leon knows how to weave some very worrying topics into the story, such as the quality of the water we drink and the effect of mass tourism on the local living environment and the air. Even more so, though, through Brunetti she raises the reader's awareness of the decisions that have to be taken when it comes to punishing criminals. Deciding who to punish and who to ignore for the greater good of society can be a difficult ethical decision. It is one that Brunetti has to make by the end of the book. An interesting read.
March 20, 2020
Not her usual ‘page turner.’ Something happened in the writing of this book. I never picked up momentum with the story. Certainly, if I had not read the earlier books I would have been lost with the characters as they pop in and out. Leon’s editors should have done better on this one.
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