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Commissario Brunetti #32
So Shall You Reap
PRE-ORDER THE NEXT INSTALMENT IN DONNA LEON'S COMMISSARIO BRUNETTI SERIES, A REFINER'S FIRE, NOW. AVAILABLE JULY 2024.
'Donna Leon provides another delectable slice of the thoughtful policeman's life at work and at home... So Shall You Reap is as witty and wise as anything Leon has written. To read her is to restore the soul.' Mark Sanderson, The Times
'Like all of Leon's novels, it ultimately feels like a glorious invigorating holiday.' Daily Express
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On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant. Because no official record of the man's presence in Venice exists, Brunetti is forced to use the city's far richer sources of gossip and the memories of people who knew the victim. Curiously, he had been living in a garden house on the grounds of a palazzo owned by a university professor, in which Brunetti discovers books revealing the victim's interest in Buddhism, the revolutionary Tamil Tigers, and the last crop of Italian political terrorists, active in the 1980s.
As the investigation expands, Brunetti, Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and Signorina Elettra each assemble pieces of a puzzle-random information about real estate and land use, books, university friendships-that appear to have little in common. Until Brunetti stumbles over something that transports him back to his own student days, causing him to reflect on lost ideals and the errors of youth, on Italian politics and history, and on the accidents that sometimes lead to revelation.
'Donna Leon provides another delectable slice of the thoughtful policeman's life at work and at home... So Shall You Reap is as witty and wise as anything Leon has written. To read her is to restore the soul.' Mark Sanderson, The Times
'Like all of Leon's novels, it ultimately feels like a glorious invigorating holiday.' Daily Express
---
On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant. Because no official record of the man's presence in Venice exists, Brunetti is forced to use the city's far richer sources of gossip and the memories of people who knew the victim. Curiously, he had been living in a garden house on the grounds of a palazzo owned by a university professor, in which Brunetti discovers books revealing the victim's interest in Buddhism, the revolutionary Tamil Tigers, and the last crop of Italian political terrorists, active in the 1980s.
As the investigation expands, Brunetti, Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and Signorina Elettra each assemble pieces of a puzzle-random information about real estate and land use, books, university friendships-that appear to have little in common. Until Brunetti stumbles over something that transports him back to his own student days, causing him to reflect on lost ideals and the errors of youth, on Italian politics and history, and on the accidents that sometimes lead to revelation.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 9, 2023
904 people are currently reading
4675 people want to read
About the author
Donna Leon
107 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 669 reviews
January 19, 2023
I’ve been a big fan of the Guido Brunetti series and have made my way through the first 24 of them. Thanks to Netgalley, I’m jumping ahead to So Shall You Reap, # 32 in the series. It’s also the first of the series I’ve read, rather than listened to. It works just as well in either format.
The story begins when Alvise is detained at a gay rights demonstration in Treviso for resisting arrest. It gives Paola a good laugh that Guido has never realized after years of working with him that Alvise is gay.
Things soon take a more serious turn when a hand is seen in a canal and the body of an undocumented worker is soon found.
There’s lots of humor in this story, but also some deeper themes, in this case the idealism of youth when it comes to politics. “Young people longed to change the world, regardless of the cost to themselves or others. Older people longed for the world not to change so there would be no cost to themselves.” We learn more about both Brunetti and Vionello as they reveal their own youthful thoughts and actions. I enjoyed the look back into the history of the Red Brigade.
These stories rarely move at a brisk pace. This one meanders as Brunetti attempts to find connections between the past and present. The ending was very satisfactory (especially for an animal lover) even if it was fairly obvious.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.
The story begins when Alvise is detained at a gay rights demonstration in Treviso for resisting arrest. It gives Paola a good laugh that Guido has never realized after years of working with him that Alvise is gay.
Things soon take a more serious turn when a hand is seen in a canal and the body of an undocumented worker is soon found.
There’s lots of humor in this story, but also some deeper themes, in this case the idealism of youth when it comes to politics. “Young people longed to change the world, regardless of the cost to themselves or others. Older people longed for the world not to change so there would be no cost to themselves.” We learn more about both Brunetti and Vionello as they reveal their own youthful thoughts and actions. I enjoyed the look back into the history of the Red Brigade.
These stories rarely move at a brisk pace. This one meanders as Brunetti attempts to find connections between the past and present. The ending was very satisfactory (especially for an animal lover) even if it was fairly obvious.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.
December 31, 2022
This is a marvellous addition to Donna Leon's Venice based series featuring Commissario Guido Brunnetti, giving us a glimpse into Italian political history, from a more personal angle capturing the idealism with its problematic nature with insights into young Guido's student days. It opens with Ispecttore Lorenzo Vianello and Guido engaging in tricky dance to rescue Alvisse, a police officer who had attended a gay protest. To help his father in law, Guido visits the Palazzo Zaffo dei Leoni in an effort to discover whether the rumours it is for sale are true, where he meets a Sri Lankan man living in the garden house in the grounds. A late night call alerts him to the sighting of a hand in a canal, and it is not long once he arrives on the scene that a body is recovered with multiple stab wounds.
To Guido's surprise, he recognises the murdered man, he had met him the previous day, the undocumented Sri Lankan, Inesh Kavinda, a peace loving Buddhist who did various job's for the Palazzo's owners, a Italian academic Professor Renato Molin and his wife, Gloria Forcolin, who he had met previously. There seems to be no motive for Kavinda's killing, accounts seem to bear out that he was a good man, although there are papers in his home that make no sense. They relate to Italy's turbulent political and violent history, with its kidnappings and disappearances, but why would the Sri Lankan man be interested in this? Guido follows a number of threads, aided by the able Signorina Elettra, who refines a method she learns of at a conference, along with Vianello and Commissario Claudia Griffoni.
One of the delights of the series is the indepth picture of Venice as a location, from its geography to its culture, and the intimate picture we are privy to of Guido's family life, his academic wife Paola, and his children. Our understanding of Guido as a character is deepened here as we learn of his past, and how Italian political history is central to solving the murder of Kavinda. This is a wonderfully engaging read, a terrific addition to a brilliant series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
To Guido's surprise, he recognises the murdered man, he had met him the previous day, the undocumented Sri Lankan, Inesh Kavinda, a peace loving Buddhist who did various job's for the Palazzo's owners, a Italian academic Professor Renato Molin and his wife, Gloria Forcolin, who he had met previously. There seems to be no motive for Kavinda's killing, accounts seem to bear out that he was a good man, although there are papers in his home that make no sense. They relate to Italy's turbulent political and violent history, with its kidnappings and disappearances, but why would the Sri Lankan man be interested in this? Guido follows a number of threads, aided by the able Signorina Elettra, who refines a method she learns of at a conference, along with Vianello and Commissario Claudia Griffoni.
One of the delights of the series is the indepth picture of Venice as a location, from its geography to its culture, and the intimate picture we are privy to of Guido's family life, his academic wife Paola, and his children. Our understanding of Guido as a character is deepened here as we learn of his past, and how Italian political history is central to solving the murder of Kavinda. This is a wonderfully engaging read, a terrific addition to a brilliant series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
April 28, 2024
The latest episode in this long-running series features Guido Brunetti in a reflective mood. You can feel his age here (though I’m not sure precisely what that is) as he wonders around his beautiful home city of Venice, picking out routes that will pass a certain church he hasn’t seen in a while or even one that features some flagstones he particularly likes. Guido is a senior police officer, a Commissario, a rank he’s held since Donna Leon first introduced him over thirty years ago. He’s an affable fellow, family orientated, and in love with his city, but he can show a steely side when called upon to do so. This is crime fiction, so there’s always a crime here – but sometimes it’s hard to spot.
Three separate events occur in the opening section of this book: an officer who has played a minor part in the series is arrested at a pride parade; there’s news that a prolific burglar, well known to Brunetti, is back in business; Guido’s well connected and wealthy father-in-law has been asked whether a particular palazzo in the city is for sale. Which one of these will lead us to the core of the story this time? It’ll take a while, and in the meantime, much coffee will be drunk (expresso, of course), meals will be carefully described and consumed, and internal police politics will forever linger in the background.
The beauty for me in these books is in the little things, the details of everyday life and small interactions between the city’s people. An atmosphere is created of a place unchanged on the surface but ever changing underneath. Brunetti harbours a certain resentment in respect of the incremental changes ongoing in this place, but isn’t that true of all of us as we reach a certain age? And as the story settles into the investigation of a recognisable crime, he gathers those police officers close to him (characters well known to regular readers) and, between coffees, they ruminate on possible motives and root around to discover information that might lead them to a suspect. As always, it’s beautifully done and once more I experienced a pang of regret when I reached the story’s end and had to say farewell to these people and this place until (hopefully) the next book in the series is published.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Three separate events occur in the opening section of this book: an officer who has played a minor part in the series is arrested at a pride parade; there’s news that a prolific burglar, well known to Brunetti, is back in business; Guido’s well connected and wealthy father-in-law has been asked whether a particular palazzo in the city is for sale. Which one of these will lead us to the core of the story this time? It’ll take a while, and in the meantime, much coffee will be drunk (expresso, of course), meals will be carefully described and consumed, and internal police politics will forever linger in the background.
The beauty for me in these books is in the little things, the details of everyday life and small interactions between the city’s people. An atmosphere is created of a place unchanged on the surface but ever changing underneath. Brunetti harbours a certain resentment in respect of the incremental changes ongoing in this place, but isn’t that true of all of us as we reach a certain age? And as the story settles into the investigation of a recognisable crime, he gathers those police officers close to him (characters well known to regular readers) and, between coffees, they ruminate on possible motives and root around to discover information that might lead them to a suspect. As always, it’s beautifully done and once more I experienced a pang of regret when I reached the story’s end and had to say farewell to these people and this place until (hopefully) the next book in the series is published.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for providing an early copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2025
3.5 stars
In this 32nd book in the 'Commissario Guido Brunetti' series, the Italian policeman investigates the murder of an immigrant from Sri Lanka. The story can be read as a standalone with regard to the mystery, but readers familiar with the characters will enjoy it more.
*****
One of my favorite things about this mystery series, set in Venice, is the slow pace. Unlike detectives on American television shows, who are always running around at a frenetic pace, Commissario Brunetti ambles around Venice by foot and on vaporettos (water buses); walks home for lunch every day; goes out for coffee with his colleagues in the middle of the work day; and so on.
It's also fun to get glimpses of Brunetti's home life, with his wife and teenage children. Guido's wife Paola, an English professor, prepares delicious meals and the family discusses all manner of interesting things, like the statue of the wild boar in Venice, and the ethics of eating meat.
As the story opens, one of Brunetti's policemen, Officer Alvise, is detained at a Gay Pride Parade.
Brunetti and his colleague, Ispettore Lorenzo Vianello, determine that Alvise did nothing wrong and manage to smooth over the incident. Brunetti and Vianello then marvel at the fact that - although they've worked with Alvise for years - they didn't know he was gay, and they're pleased the incident gave Alvise the opportunity to come out to them.
After this, Brunetti's father-in-law, aristocratic Conte Falier, asks Guido to find out if a certain palazzo (grand manor) in Venice is for sale. Brunetti rings the bell at the palazzo's gate......
......and the caretaker, a Sri Lankan immigrant named Inesh Kavinda, informs Brunetti that the home is not for sale.
A day or so later, caretaker Inesh Kavinda is murdered, and his body is found in a canal. The Commissario and his team proceed to investigate the homicide, and Brunetti learns that Kavinda worked in the palazzo of university Professor Molin and his wife Gloria for eight years.
Kavinda resided in a small house on the grounds, and did necessary maintenance and repairs. In addition, after Professor Molin had a stroke, Kavinda served as a personal aide, helping the Professor get around Venice.
Brunetti interviews Kavinda's employer Gloria and several of the caretaker's acquaintances, and is told that Kavinda was a gentle man who worked hard and sent money to his wife and children back in Sri Lanka. Brunetti's perusal of Kavinda's little house reveals that the caretaker was neat and clean; had an altar to Buddha; and had shelves full of books, including mystery novels and books about The Red Brigades.
The Red Brigades was a violent leftist organization - notorious for terrorism, kidnappings, and murders - that was active in Italy in the 1970s and 1980s. In fact, The Red Brigades had much in common with the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.
The writings about the Red Brigades remind Brunetti of his college days, during which Guido and his friends flirted with political activism - loudly damning the rich and advocating for the working classes. In these scenes, we meet Brunetti's mother, whose wise comments set him straight.
The Commissario's investigation makes important connections between the past and present, and eventually reveals a shocking motive for Kavinda's murder. To identify the killer, Brunetti consults the incomparable Signorina Elettra, the fashionable secretary who's a whiz at using computers to get helpful information.
In a minor ancillary plot, Brunetti learns about the recent parole of a 'gentleman art thief', for whom Brunetti has an odd soft spot.
All these story threads come together in the end, when the puzzle pieces are assembled.
This is an enjoyable mystery, set in the lovely ambiance of Venice.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
December 15, 2022
As a long-time fan of Leon and Brunetti, this series has been tailing off, but there are still pleasures to be had in the company of characters who feel like old friends: Guido and his adorable family, the divine Signorina Elettra and the others. The plot meanders without much direction or even investigation, and time is taken up with a minor character revealing he is gay - sadly, still a fraught revelation in some groups but it feels a little laboured as an exercise for Guido to display his tolerance and humanity. There is much delving into the past and while Leon ties it up with some neatness, this is not classic Leon. New readers would be better starting with the earlier hard-hitting books.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
March 22, 2023
I honestly do not know why I keep doing in, keep choosing Donna Leon's books to read. I guess I am still hoping for the joy of the first books in the series... However, I am sorely disappointed, once again.
This book felt like the author had a list of current hot-topics and virtue signals and kept ticking them of while writing this book.
So Shall You Reap lost all the interest, depth but it gained very busy language that is so hard to comprehend, I had to re-read some passages numerous times. And Brunetti lost his appeal...
Very disappointing
This book felt like the author had a list of current hot-topics and virtue signals and kept ticking them of while writing this book.
So Shall You Reap lost all the interest, depth but it gained very busy language that is so hard to comprehend, I had to re-read some passages numerous times. And Brunetti lost his appeal...
Very disappointing
March 6, 2023
So Shall You Reap is the thirty-second book in the Commissario Brunetti series by award-winning American-born author, Donna Leon. Another visit to Guido Brunetti’s Venice, and it’s a good one! While there are plenty of day-to-day tasks and issues keeping Commissario Guido Brunetti busy, it’s the vicious stabbing murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan servant that draws his attention from them.
What is unsettling is that Guido spoke to the man only the day before his death, while trying to do his father-in-law a favour. Those who know Inesh Kavinda well pronounce him a good, kind man, so Guido is puzzled to find “the books he’d seen on the shelves: they were morally at odds with the man described to him” on topics like the Tamil Tigers and the Italian terrorists of the 1980s.
Guido patiently talks to the man’s employer and the neighbours, but he is still mystified as to why someone would want to kill him. By the time Guido has gathered a number of apparently-unrelated names that he feels are somehow connected to the murder, Signorina Elettra Zorzi has returned from a cybersecurity conference with a handy website address that may just help to tie it all together.
Against a background of a Sardinian pecorino tasting, a respected colleague’s imminent retirement, a call from Genova about a Venetian stalker, the relocation of a walnut door and frame at the Questura, baby gangs progressing from looting and vandalism to violence on the vulnerable, the tedium of personnel assessments, and an art thief taking a different career direction, the true facts of the mystery gradually unfold.
As well, a certain incident in Treviso causes Guido and Lorenzo realise how little they know about the personal lives of those they work with every day; Guido narrowly escapes a cobra-like attack from Paola about sensitivity; and he wishes for a Roman augur to help him deal with Vice-Questore Patta. One thing that will endear Guido to the reader is his ready acceptance that he does not know it all, that others might know better: he is willing to learn and seems utterly devoid of arrogance.
Leon’s descriptive prose is delightful: “Bocchese was at his desk, along with the detritus of days, if not years. Papers, reports, surveys, drawings lay across his desk like leaves in October. There was no order, no plan, only apparent chaos, anti-design, mess. Yet Bocchese, by some system he nursed in his bosom and revealed to no one, could find in that clutter, with the accuracy of a heron spearing a fish, any paper requested of him.” Leon manages to convey her setting with consummate ease. This is another excellent dose of Italian crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Grove Atlantic
What is unsettling is that Guido spoke to the man only the day before his death, while trying to do his father-in-law a favour. Those who know Inesh Kavinda well pronounce him a good, kind man, so Guido is puzzled to find “the books he’d seen on the shelves: they were morally at odds with the man described to him” on topics like the Tamil Tigers and the Italian terrorists of the 1980s.
Guido patiently talks to the man’s employer and the neighbours, but he is still mystified as to why someone would want to kill him. By the time Guido has gathered a number of apparently-unrelated names that he feels are somehow connected to the murder, Signorina Elettra Zorzi has returned from a cybersecurity conference with a handy website address that may just help to tie it all together.
Against a background of a Sardinian pecorino tasting, a respected colleague’s imminent retirement, a call from Genova about a Venetian stalker, the relocation of a walnut door and frame at the Questura, baby gangs progressing from looting and vandalism to violence on the vulnerable, the tedium of personnel assessments, and an art thief taking a different career direction, the true facts of the mystery gradually unfold.
As well, a certain incident in Treviso causes Guido and Lorenzo realise how little they know about the personal lives of those they work with every day; Guido narrowly escapes a cobra-like attack from Paola about sensitivity; and he wishes for a Roman augur to help him deal with Vice-Questore Patta. One thing that will endear Guido to the reader is his ready acceptance that he does not know it all, that others might know better: he is willing to learn and seems utterly devoid of arrogance.
Leon’s descriptive prose is delightful: “Bocchese was at his desk, along with the detritus of days, if not years. Papers, reports, surveys, drawings lay across his desk like leaves in October. There was no order, no plan, only apparent chaos, anti-design, mess. Yet Bocchese, by some system he nursed in his bosom and revealed to no one, could find in that clutter, with the accuracy of a heron spearing a fish, any paper requested of him.” Leon manages to convey her setting with consummate ease. This is another excellent dose of Italian crime fiction.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Grove Atlantic
November 29, 2023
I read the first book in her series, “Death at La Fenice” and actually saw the same book re-created in an Italian series movie version. It was rather interesting to watch. (And yes, the book was better than the movie.) (Side note: My review of Death at La Fenice is here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....)
And now...
Here she is, with her 32nd book (her latest) showcasing Commissario Guido Brunetti, as always.
The good news is that she ages him – so there is a sense of realness about her characters, which makes him and others believable.
In this story...
The Commissario starts out where he would rather be culling his crowded bookshelves than heading off to the mainland to retrieve one of their policemen, who’s somehow been caught up in a protest march that has turned violent.
(Wouldn’t we all rather be culling our bookshelves?!)
And...
Onward we go into the crime/mystery.
Even though I have only read these two books, I have come to notice an underlying theme beyond the mystery itself.
And...
Although at some point that theme pretty much gives away the solution to the murder, the book is still a delight to read.
Scenes in the Brunetti apartment with Paola (his wife) and the children, are some favorite moments.
I’m in awe of their parenting skills, and I would happily sit down to any meal at their dining table.
And of course...
There is always the mystery. Enjoy.
And now...
Here she is, with her 32nd book (her latest) showcasing Commissario Guido Brunetti, as always.
The good news is that she ages him – so there is a sense of realness about her characters, which makes him and others believable.
In this story...
The Commissario starts out where he would rather be culling his crowded bookshelves than heading off to the mainland to retrieve one of their policemen, who’s somehow been caught up in a protest march that has turned violent.
(Wouldn’t we all rather be culling our bookshelves?!)
And...
Onward we go into the crime/mystery.
Even though I have only read these two books, I have come to notice an underlying theme beyond the mystery itself.
And...
Although at some point that theme pretty much gives away the solution to the murder, the book is still a delight to read.
Scenes in the Brunetti apartment with Paola (his wife) and the children, are some favorite moments.
I’m in awe of their parenting skills, and I would happily sit down to any meal at their dining table.
And of course...
There is always the mystery. Enjoy.
April 13, 2025
a later book in the Donna Leon commissario Guido Brunetti series which takes place in glorious Venice.
this time the story is about a fellow policeman whose lovelife is being questioned by his macho collegeas and then there is the dead body in the canals. the dead man was a fellow from Sri Lanka whose stay in Venice went mostly unnoticed as hé took residence in a gardenhouse in a large Palazzo in the City of Venice.
Soon Brunetti's attention taken by a scrapbook from the darter and bloodier days of Italy, trainstation bombing in Bologna and the many kidnappings in those days by the radical left. this story ties in with those days.
the story creeps slowly ahead and you feel its sad conclusion coming.
Brunetti spends more time on Venice and Italy her dark recent past, a terror shared across the European continent, no homely story this time.
as always a entertaining policier taking place in Venice, the writer still has strong stories left in her.
this time the story is about a fellow policeman whose lovelife is being questioned by his macho collegeas and then there is the dead body in the canals. the dead man was a fellow from Sri Lanka whose stay in Venice went mostly unnoticed as hé took residence in a gardenhouse in a large Palazzo in the City of Venice.
Soon Brunetti's attention taken by a scrapbook from the darter and bloodier days of Italy, trainstation bombing in Bologna and the many kidnappings in those days by the radical left. this story ties in with those days.
the story creeps slowly ahead and you feel its sad conclusion coming.
Brunetti spends more time on Venice and Italy her dark recent past, a terror shared across the European continent, no homely story this time.
as always a entertaining policier taking place in Venice, the writer still has strong stories left in her.
March 25, 2023
This is a masterpiece from Donna Leon. I have read all the Commissario Brunetti books, this the 32nd, and always enjoy the visit to Venice with the quiet family life of the Brunetti's as a side dish. This time around there is little of the domestic as the concentration is the focus on the death of a Sri Lankan man. The book is beautifully measured from start to finish with laser focus on seeing the truth from deception.
Library Loan
Library Loan
February 15, 2023
March is one of my favorite months because that is usually when Donna Leon’s latest Commissario Guido Brunetti book is published. I was fortunate enough to read an #ARC of 2023’s book.
In this case, Guido and his associates look into the death of a Sri Lankan immigrant, who has, coincidentally, been working for an old school friend of Brunnetti and living in a garden house on their property. The investigation takes the players back to the 1980s and the days of the terrorist group, The Red Brigade.
This is the thirty second installment of this series and I have read all of them. Obviously, I am a huge fan. Leon captures so well the the pulse and rhythm of Venice. Not the Venice that the hoards of day trippers experience, but the real city of the Venetians who reside there. It is a joy to read such a literate writer whose books touch on philosophy, classical literature, political science, history, justice.
The cases, while always intriguing, are almost secondary to the wonderful characterizations and musings and observations of life, especially Venetian life, by Brunetti. So nice to visit again with all the familiar actors, flamboyant Signora Elletra, strong and wise Paola, philosophical Guido, comical Patta, capable Griffoni, loyal Foa.
While there is an interesting plot, don’t read this book for fast action, but rather savor the words and thoughts, the pace of daily life in La Serenissima. And note that Brunetti’s mother has a lesson modern politicians would do well to heed.
It was so nice to visit again with all the familiar players, stroll past familiar Venetian landmarks, stopping for a coffee along the way. For anyone new to Brunetti, this can be read as a stand alone, but why deprive yourself? Go back to the beginning of the series and enjoy getting to know all of these memorable characters.
Thanks to #netgalley and #groveaatlantic #atlanticmonthlypress for the ARC.
In this case, Guido and his associates look into the death of a Sri Lankan immigrant, who has, coincidentally, been working for an old school friend of Brunnetti and living in a garden house on their property. The investigation takes the players back to the 1980s and the days of the terrorist group, The Red Brigade.
This is the thirty second installment of this series and I have read all of them. Obviously, I am a huge fan. Leon captures so well the the pulse and rhythm of Venice. Not the Venice that the hoards of day trippers experience, but the real city of the Venetians who reside there. It is a joy to read such a literate writer whose books touch on philosophy, classical literature, political science, history, justice.
The cases, while always intriguing, are almost secondary to the wonderful characterizations and musings and observations of life, especially Venetian life, by Brunetti. So nice to visit again with all the familiar actors, flamboyant Signora Elletra, strong and wise Paola, philosophical Guido, comical Patta, capable Griffoni, loyal Foa.
While there is an interesting plot, don’t read this book for fast action, but rather savor the words and thoughts, the pace of daily life in La Serenissima. And note that Brunetti’s mother has a lesson modern politicians would do well to heed.
It was so nice to visit again with all the familiar players, stroll past familiar Venetian landmarks, stopping for a coffee along the way. For anyone new to Brunetti, this can be read as a stand alone, but why deprive yourself? Go back to the beginning of the series and enjoy getting to know all of these memorable characters.
Thanks to #netgalley and #groveaatlantic #atlanticmonthlypress for the ARC.
November 7, 2022
Late one night, Commissario Guido Brunetti receives a call that a body has been found in the canal. Coincidentally it is an undocumented Sri Lankan man Brunetti had spoken to recently. Who would murder this peaceful Buddhist? And could his interest in 1980's terrorism be relevant to the case? With the invaluable assistance of Signorina, Elettra, Vianello, and Griffoni, Guido is determined to see that justice is served. This series continues to be one of my favorites--I just couldn't put this book down. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
February 16, 2024
Erst zum Ende hin packend, war insgesamt etwas zäh. Und dennoch kehre ich auch nach Jahrzehnten immer gerne zu Brunetti zurück
November 12, 2023
I listened to the audiobook narrated by the sublime David Colacci on a Playaway borrowed from my local library. This is volume 32 of the Commissario Brunetti series, and I have enjoyed all the previous volumes. I particularly enjoyed Donna Leon's turn of phrase. Here are my two favorite quotes:
"Silence stole into the room, in train with her handmaiden, Embarrassment."
"Autumn had stopped fooling around and had apparently decided to hand things over to winter."
"Silence stole into the room, in train with her handmaiden, Embarrassment."
"Autumn had stopped fooling around and had apparently decided to hand things over to winter."
March 3, 2025
Originally read Summer 2023
Reread 3/2/2025
This is one of my favorite books in the Donna Leon series IS set in Venus.it’s number 32. It starts with one of our familiar officers coming out as a gay man to his boss and his boss and others. It did take a long time to talk about gay men on the force in this series,; but they did a really nice job with it. One of the characters here is a dog named Sarah. One of the nuns who lives on this property has taken her under under her wing since Sarah’s.owner has recently died. He was a SINGSLSE man. Donna Leon did a wonderful job with Sarsh. She brings her very alive and I sort of I love with her as others except one. most of the regular characters have a roll to play here and it’s fun to have them all in a book that doesn’t happen all the time anymore. The main teams here is about about politics and war ties in very well with a Sri Lankan or a few years back. This doesn’t sound very exciting I know, but it’s really well done and I enjoyed meeting it a lot, but I always like these characters
Reread 3/2/2025
This is one of my favorite books in the Donna Leon series IS set in Venus.it’s number 32. It starts with one of our familiar officers coming out as a gay man to his boss and his boss and others. It did take a long time to talk about gay men on the force in this series,; but they did a really nice job with it. One of the characters here is a dog named Sarah. One of the nuns who lives on this property has taken her under under her wing since Sarah’s.owner has recently died. He was a SINGSLSE man. Donna Leon did a wonderful job with Sarsh. She brings her very alive and I sort of I love with her as others except one. most of the regular characters have a roll to play here and it’s fun to have them all in a book that doesn’t happen all the time anymore. The main teams here is about about politics and war ties in very well with a Sri Lankan or a few years back. This doesn’t sound very exciting I know, but it’s really well done and I enjoyed meeting it a lot, but I always like these characters
April 11, 2023
Number 32 in the Inspector Brunetti series, set like all of them, in Venice.
Nothing happened in the first 80 pages, then there was a murder committed, and by page number 200 the inspector has only spoken to 3 people about it, because he seems to have spent the majority of his time drinking coffee and having lunch, and continually questioning his conscience in order to confirm what thoroughly decent and good people he and his family are. In tact, they are so goody-goody that they're becoming a little mundane.
The story could have been a novella, you can get every thing you need in about 100 pages.
In between times, the author goes off on tangents about long past terrorist acts in Italy, but most of the time spends paragraphs having the characters justify what they think and say.
There is a sort of anal-retentive nature to the character dialogue and prose.
This is the most disappointing of the 32 books, for me, but many others sincerely enjoyed it, so it may just have been the mood I was in while reading, and perhaps I'm too critical.
There is not a lot I can say about the book though, because really ...... not much actually happens.
The inspector gets hold of some manuscripts and spends about 200 pages of the novel in his office reading them and gazing out the window and drinking coffee, while at the same time the author uses these pages to illustrate how woke her characters are.
At one stage I just thought that some of the writing was a little poor compared to the other books in the series.
The story seems slow, and for me the characterizations were a little dull and bland.
There was very little tension or passion or action or comedy or ..... well .... anything much.
This was a disappointing read for me, but I'm glad others enjoyed it.
I have read the whole series, so perhaps the next one will appeal to me more, but I am most grateful to the author for all the work she has put into the series, it's largely very enjoyable.
But when ... oh when .... is inspector Brunetti going to become the boss, the Vice Questore, because after 32 books it's about time.
Nothing happened in the first 80 pages, then there was a murder committed, and by page number 200 the inspector has only spoken to 3 people about it, because he seems to have spent the majority of his time drinking coffee and having lunch, and continually questioning his conscience in order to confirm what thoroughly decent and good people he and his family are. In tact, they are so goody-goody that they're becoming a little mundane.
The story could have been a novella, you can get every thing you need in about 100 pages.
In between times, the author goes off on tangents about long past terrorist acts in Italy, but most of the time spends paragraphs having the characters justify what they think and say.
There is a sort of anal-retentive nature to the character dialogue and prose.
This is the most disappointing of the 32 books, for me, but many others sincerely enjoyed it, so it may just have been the mood I was in while reading, and perhaps I'm too critical.
There is not a lot I can say about the book though, because really ...... not much actually happens.
The inspector gets hold of some manuscripts and spends about 200 pages of the novel in his office reading them and gazing out the window and drinking coffee, while at the same time the author uses these pages to illustrate how woke her characters are.
At one stage I just thought that some of the writing was a little poor compared to the other books in the series.
The story seems slow, and for me the characterizations were a little dull and bland.
There was very little tension or passion or action or comedy or ..... well .... anything much.
This was a disappointing read for me, but I'm glad others enjoyed it.
I have read the whole series, so perhaps the next one will appeal to me more, but I am most grateful to the author for all the work she has put into the series, it's largely very enjoyable.
But when ... oh when .... is inspector Brunetti going to become the boss, the Vice Questore, because after 32 books it's about time.
March 30, 2023
I’ve been enjoying the Commissario Brunetti series and listening/reading them - totally out of order - and not missing a beat. They can definitely be read as standalones. In Donna Leon’s latest book, once again we’re in Venice and Guido Brunetti is presented with a challenging situation - an undocumented Sri Lankan, who Brunetti met briefly, is found murdered. The man had been living in a small house on the grounds of a palazzo owned by a professor, whose wife Brunetti happens to know. Well, this is Venice after all! Clues from the murdered man’s residence include a range of books - on Buddhism, the Tamil Tigers, Italian terrorists from the 1980s. Is there a link? If you’re looking for a fast-paced, heart-pounding adventure mystery, the Commissario Brunetti books are not for you. Donna Leon’s books unfold like an onion, layer by layer, thoughtfully, compassionately, humorously, but with little wiggle room for the perpetrator. But I think this one was a tad slower and less exciting than some of the others. Donna Leon is so insightful and has a keen window into the psyche of people - she understands motives, thoughts, and feelings. This is what makes her books so enjoyable - it’s not just the cases to be solved, it’s how they are resolved that is so satisfying. While these books are mysteries, what makes them even more enjoyable is the social, cultural, and political backdrop that the author lays out for us - the good and the bad. I felt this book didn’t do as much justice to the author’s talent and skills as much as some of her other books. But I still enjoyed it and love all the great characters, especially of course, the warm and intelligent Commissario Guido Brunetti! I’ve rated this a 3.5 rounded up to 4. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
January 19, 2023
This is not one of the best in the series. The first one third is very slow and nothing happens. The actual crime takes place in the middle one third and then there is some whimsical musings by Guido. The police investigation doesn’t happen and the chief brings in some connection to the characters through a new algorithm that she acquired in a conference and then the case gets solved. The book didn’t grasp my attention nor interest. 2.5 stars
March 16, 2023
slow and predictable
I was disappointed in this book. The Brunetti family didn’t feature in it much and the solution to the murder mystery was easy to work out from clues scattered throughout the book. Not Donna Leon’s best work.
I was disappointed in this book. The Brunetti family didn’t feature in it much and the solution to the murder mystery was easy to work out from clues scattered throughout the book. Not Donna Leon’s best work.
January 29, 2023
Venice. Hidden places!
Inspector Brunetti is transported back to his student days, to the Italy of the red brigade activists — bombing, kidnapping, disappearances.
What prompted this? A body was found. It was a pleasant Buddhist Sri Lankan, Inesh Kavinda, who was living in the garden shed of the Palazzo Zaffo Sri Leonie.
Brunetti had met him. Days before he’d enquired for his father-in-law if the rumour was true that the palazzo was for sale, a hidden palazzo with its abandoned gardens. (And ok, I’d just viewed a Monty Don program about the gardens of Venice. So I was all a quiver at the idea of mysterious spaces unknown to Brunetti)
At that time the owners were away. It turns out the wife is an old friend of Guido’s from his childhood, Gloria Forcolin.
Mindful of the past, Brunetti has much to ponder. Meanwhile one of his officers runs into trouble at a Gay pride parade. The past and present are on a collision course.
As always an insightful foray into Venetian life, the past, the various laws of inheritance, including titles, and of course food.
A Grove Atlantic ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
Inspector Brunetti is transported back to his student days, to the Italy of the red brigade activists — bombing, kidnapping, disappearances.
What prompted this? A body was found. It was a pleasant Buddhist Sri Lankan, Inesh Kavinda, who was living in the garden shed of the Palazzo Zaffo Sri Leonie.
Brunetti had met him. Days before he’d enquired for his father-in-law if the rumour was true that the palazzo was for sale, a hidden palazzo with its abandoned gardens. (And ok, I’d just viewed a Monty Don program about the gardens of Venice. So I was all a quiver at the idea of mysterious spaces unknown to Brunetti)
At that time the owners were away. It turns out the wife is an old friend of Guido’s from his childhood, Gloria Forcolin.
Mindful of the past, Brunetti has much to ponder. Meanwhile one of his officers runs into trouble at a Gay pride parade. The past and present are on a collision course.
As always an insightful foray into Venetian life, the past, the various laws of inheritance, including titles, and of course food.
A Grove Atlantic ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
July 12, 2023
Una nueva entrega, como cada año, de un caso del comisario Brunetti de Venecia. En esta ocasión aparece el terrorismo en Italia de los años 80 y cómo lo afrontaron, retrospectivamente, los personajes habituales de la saga: Claudia, Viannello, Brunetti... La novela me ha gustado en todo lo que trataba entorno a ese asunto y estaba dispuesto a darle 5 estrellas en cuanto culminase la trama policial del asesinato, pero el final ha sido un poco trompicado y traído por los pelos, no me ha gustado. Le faltan páginas, sinceramente. Una pequeña decepción que perdonaré a Donna Leon en cuanto escriba la próxima novela.
September 6, 2023
Donna Leon y el Comisario Brunetti llevan acompañándome más de media vida. Después de más de veinte años, leer cada una de sus nuevas novelas se ha convertido en una especie de ritual en el que reencontrarme con viejos amigos para ponernos al día. Desde hace ya unas cuantas entregas (“Cosecharás tempestades” es la número 32), la serie dejó de interesarme por los crímenes en sí (que también), si no que lo hace por sus maravillosos personajes, que ya siento casi como si fuesen familia. Después del sabor agridulce que me dejó la anterior entrega, me alegra comprobar que en esta ocasión Donna Leon vuelve en plena forma.
En una fría noche de noviembre, Brunetti recibe una llamada del Inspector Vianello comunicando que ha aparecido una mano en uno de los canales de la ciudad. Poco después es encontrado el cuerpo, y se asigna a Brunetti la investigación de la muerte del hombre, un inmigrante de Sri Lanka con un sorprendente interés en el terrorismo italiano ocurrido durante los años 80. La investigación transportará a Brunetti a su etapa de estudiante y a aquellos ideales perdidos y errores de juventud en los que podría encontrarse la solución al caso.
En sus novelas, Leon otorga una importancia capital al trasfondo politico, social o cultural de una ciudad, Venecia, que retrata con habilidad de forma vívida, permitiendo al lector descubrirla a través de los ojos de aquellos que viven allí. Una de las grandes bazas de la serie es el análisis en profundidad que realiza de la sociedad veneciana, desde su geografía hasta su cultura, a la vez que hace un íntimo retrato de la vida personal de Brunetti, a quien en esta ocasión conoceremos algo más gracias a esa incursión en sus años de juventud. La autora tiene un gran habilidad a la hora de crear personajes complejos que cobran vida en sus páginas con aparente sencillez.
El misterio sirve de excusa para echar un vistazo a la historia política reciente de Italia, desde una perspectiva más personal, mostrando el idealismo de la juventud y la naturaleza problemática inherente al mismo. Filosofía, política, historia o justicia, son temas recurrentes en sus obras, mostrando una gran perspicacia a la hora entrar en la psique humana, en las motivaciones, pensamientos o sentimientos de sus personajes. El misterio se presenta como un elemento con múltiples capas en el que la satisfacción final viene dada no solo porque se resuelve el caso, si no por la forma en que se ha resuelto.
Gracias a su prosa descriptiva, Leon captura con pasmosa facilidad el pulso y el ritmo de Venecia, pero no de la Venecia atestada por hordas de turistas, si no de la Venecia real, la de aquellos que viven allí, siendo los momentos más memorables esos pequeños detalles del día a día, esas interacciones en apariencia irrelevantes, pero que permiten crear una atmósfera de un lugar que, aunque no cambia en su superficie, bajo esta se encuentra en continuo cambio.
Si buscáis acción trepidante o una investigación policial al uso, no lo vais a encontrar aquí. Esta no es una historia para devorar, si no para saborear lentamente (como si de uno de los deliciosos platos preparados por Paola se tratase): sus palabras, sus cafés, sus calles. Venecia y Brunetti, una vez más, no decepcionan.
Y sin nada más que añadir…hasta el año que viene, Guido!
En una fría noche de noviembre, Brunetti recibe una llamada del Inspector Vianello comunicando que ha aparecido una mano en uno de los canales de la ciudad. Poco después es encontrado el cuerpo, y se asigna a Brunetti la investigación de la muerte del hombre, un inmigrante de Sri Lanka con un sorprendente interés en el terrorismo italiano ocurrido durante los años 80. La investigación transportará a Brunetti a su etapa de estudiante y a aquellos ideales perdidos y errores de juventud en los que podría encontrarse la solución al caso.
En sus novelas, Leon otorga una importancia capital al trasfondo politico, social o cultural de una ciudad, Venecia, que retrata con habilidad de forma vívida, permitiendo al lector descubrirla a través de los ojos de aquellos que viven allí. Una de las grandes bazas de la serie es el análisis en profundidad que realiza de la sociedad veneciana, desde su geografía hasta su cultura, a la vez que hace un íntimo retrato de la vida personal de Brunetti, a quien en esta ocasión conoceremos algo más gracias a esa incursión en sus años de juventud. La autora tiene un gran habilidad a la hora de crear personajes complejos que cobran vida en sus páginas con aparente sencillez.
El misterio sirve de excusa para echar un vistazo a la historia política reciente de Italia, desde una perspectiva más personal, mostrando el idealismo de la juventud y la naturaleza problemática inherente al mismo. Filosofía, política, historia o justicia, son temas recurrentes en sus obras, mostrando una gran perspicacia a la hora entrar en la psique humana, en las motivaciones, pensamientos o sentimientos de sus personajes. El misterio se presenta como un elemento con múltiples capas en el que la satisfacción final viene dada no solo porque se resuelve el caso, si no por la forma en que se ha resuelto.
Gracias a su prosa descriptiva, Leon captura con pasmosa facilidad el pulso y el ritmo de Venecia, pero no de la Venecia atestada por hordas de turistas, si no de la Venecia real, la de aquellos que viven allí, siendo los momentos más memorables esos pequeños detalles del día a día, esas interacciones en apariencia irrelevantes, pero que permiten crear una atmósfera de un lugar que, aunque no cambia en su superficie, bajo esta se encuentra en continuo cambio.
Si buscáis acción trepidante o una investigación policial al uso, no lo vais a encontrar aquí. Esta no es una historia para devorar, si no para saborear lentamente (como si de uno de los deliciosos platos preparados por Paola se tratase): sus palabras, sus cafés, sus calles. Venecia y Brunetti, una vez más, no decepcionan.
Y sin nada más que añadir…hasta el año que viene, Guido!
December 16, 2023
I just love this series. Brunetti's intelligence shines. His interactions with his boss Patta continue to amuse.
A murder leads to thinking about Italy in the 80's, with unrest and a bombing in Balogna, still unsolved. There were many kidnappings by leftist followers, and much talk about overthrowing capitalism. This does indeed help catch the murderer.
Of course, Venice is a character in this book and always reminds me of the time I spent there.
This is Leon's 32nd book in the series. How much longer can it go on? A few more years until she finally has him retire, I hope.
A murder leads to thinking about Italy in the 80's, with unrest and a bombing in Balogna, still unsolved. There were many kidnappings by leftist followers, and much talk about overthrowing capitalism. This does indeed help catch the murderer.
Of course, Venice is a character in this book and always reminds me of the time I spent there.
This is Leon's 32nd book in the series. How much longer can it go on? A few more years until she finally has him retire, I hope.
April 1, 2025
More of a meandering tale where everything happens in the final chapters as Leon ruminates upon politics, sexuality and refugees. As always though, Brunetti is a fantastic character to spend time with.
April 5, 2023
My annual visit with Commissario Brunetti, his family, the meals they share, and Venice as a hometown…much anticipated and always enjoyed.
May 7, 2023
DNF.
I’m amazed that I could not finish a Guido Brunetti mystery, but after trying for 80 pages, I had to admit defeat.
I have loved this series - I’ve read them all and have given most of them 4 or 5 stars. A few were subpar in my view, or I didn’t like the ending, and so gave them 3 stars.
This one?! Instead of concerning itself with murder mystery and the delightful Brunetti family, there’s a heavy emphasis on current social and political issues, with the “correct side” looking smugly benevolent and wise, and the “incorrect side” looking two-dimensionally belligerent and ugly.
There’s a way to address issues and agendas in a manner that is naturally integrated into a story. Then there’s this way- to use a heavy hand and simplistic, crudely-drawn caricatures, which is beneath the likes of Donna Leon and Brunetti.
Additionally:
— by page 80, I was just starting to learn what the mystery might be. The storyline just dragged.
— there was literally none of Leon’s typical humor and warmth, usually displayed in Brunetti’s interactions with his family and some of his coworkers.
Does anyone know if she had someone ghost write this one?
I will still try her next installment, in hopes that this was just a disappointing departure from her norm.
I’m amazed that I could not finish a Guido Brunetti mystery, but after trying for 80 pages, I had to admit defeat.
I have loved this series - I’ve read them all and have given most of them 4 or 5 stars. A few were subpar in my view, or I didn’t like the ending, and so gave them 3 stars.
This one?! Instead of concerning itself with murder mystery and the delightful Brunetti family, there’s a heavy emphasis on current social and political issues, with the “correct side” looking smugly benevolent and wise, and the “incorrect side” looking two-dimensionally belligerent and ugly.
There’s a way to address issues and agendas in a manner that is naturally integrated into a story. Then there’s this way- to use a heavy hand and simplistic, crudely-drawn caricatures, which is beneath the likes of Donna Leon and Brunetti.
Additionally:
— by page 80, I was just starting to learn what the mystery might be. The storyline just dragged.
— there was literally none of Leon’s typical humor and warmth, usually displayed in Brunetti’s interactions with his family and some of his coworkers.
Does anyone know if she had someone ghost write this one?
I will still try her next installment, in hopes that this was just a disappointing departure from her norm.
November 15, 2022
I discovered Donna Leon books from the former New York Times Book Review crime columnist, Marilyn Stasio. It took me a while to begin reading Leon's Guido Brunetti books, but once I started I was hooked. So with great anticipation I began reading "So Shall You Reap." The beginning chapter illustrates the deeply caring personally of police Commissario Brunetti and the vivid Venice setting that are hallmarks of all of these novels. Sadly, about half way through the story gets overly complicated with the introduction of several characters. I was so confused that I went back about 20 pages and reread the story, trying to figure out what was happening.. Leon takes Guido back to his rebellious student trying to tie the story to the present occurrences. A lovely scene of Guido talking with a nun clarifies the story. Suddenly the crime is solved, the killer arrested, and the book ends.
The ending feels hurried and the events of the first chapter are never brought back to a satisfying conclusion. I was disappointed. But, Leon is 80 and has written many wonderful books set in Venice with Guido and his family, so, a not so good book is forgivable.
#SoShallYouReap #NetGalley
The ending feels hurried and the events of the first chapter are never brought back to a satisfying conclusion. I was disappointed. But, Leon is 80 and has written many wonderful books set in Venice with Guido and his family, so, a not so good book is forgivable.
#SoShallYouReap #NetGalley
March 10, 2023
I nearly didn't finish this one. I find the moral ambivalence very disturbing. As the detectives try to solve and crime and get justice, the forces of relative humanism that seems inherent in the Italian judicial system and these detectives stymie their efforts. They bend and break the law at ill. Even getting colleague off the hook involved blatant lies. The colleague was then treated like victim throughout the book.
The secretary's absolute disregard for the rule of law gets a bit wearing. It seems that without her the detectives or the forensic team cannot do their job. In fact I wonder why they try so hard at times only to have the judges decide there is no case.
The rude, sneery and prejudiced way the two policemen spoke about demonstrators against Gay pride and "anti -vax" rallies was nearly a book refund moment.
The most interesting bits are the flights of philosophical thinking that is involved. Clever writing but dispiriting at times.
The secretary's absolute disregard for the rule of law gets a bit wearing. It seems that without her the detectives or the forensic team cannot do their job. In fact I wonder why they try so hard at times only to have the judges decide there is no case.
The rude, sneery and prejudiced way the two policemen spoke about demonstrators against Gay pride and "anti -vax" rallies was nearly a book refund moment.
The most interesting bits are the flights of philosophical thinking that is involved. Clever writing but dispiriting at times.
September 26, 2023
3.5 stars. An interesting retrospective of the 1970-80s political troubles in Italy with the Red Brigades' kidnappings and murders. What happened to all those angry young men and where are they today? For Guido Brunetti, the brutal murder of a Buddhist Sri Lankan will awaken those memories.
An enjoyable read and a satisfying conclusion.
An enjoyable read and a satisfying conclusion.
March 18, 2023
It is always a pleasure to spend time with Brunetti, his team and his family, for the slow but inexorable solution of murders old and new.
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