A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries (Paperback))

Once again I find myself absorbed in interplay between of the members of the Brunetti family. their strengths and vulnerability uniquely coming out in the openness of the day. There is always a new side shown by the main characters of Donna's detective series. Thank you Donna Leon

This is the third Brunetti novel I have read. Set during the annual Acqua Alta, Brunetti again uses his gut intrinct to solve the apparently unrelated cases of assault upon an ancient chinese artifacts specialist, murder of a musuem director and missing chinese ceramic artifacts. As the waters threaten to engulf the city, Brunetti races against time to link and prove the connection between these crimes. Assisted by the resourceful Signorina Elettra, Brunetti sets out to follow a paper trail linking the dead Museum Director and a wealthy mafia connected collector in order to prevent another murder taking place and the illegal procurement of stolen chinese ceramic artifacts.
The pace of the novel increases as the waters rise in another fine example of Donna Leon's ability to keep her reader engaged.

Sorry, this is the third review I've written today is the last book I read. I find myself depressed that the highest number of stars I have been able to award is three so I seem to be having a run of bad luck in my selections of late. Set in Venice the picture painted was of a depressing, decrepit dump of a city and centers around a lesbian couple, one a renowned opera diva and the other an expert in her field of ancient art. The plot was not that complicated but it was torturously unfolded with totally unecessary and tedious descriptions of the routes the renowned detective took to make his way around the famous city, why he went this way and not that as if anyone cared. There was a veiled, very veiled suggestion that he found the opera singer beautiful and desirable but that never amounted to anything other than a vague tease with references to the fact that he wondered why she bothered wearing make up, her expressive eyes and so on. I just felt the writer wanted to stress that lesbians can be beautiful which of course they can but I didn't see the need to make the point. The dreadful baddie should have been a lot more terrifying - he was a bit of a damp squib really and why do some authors feel the need to throw around phrases in a foreign language just because the location is set in a foreign land? They are annoying particularly when you find yourself reaching yet again for Google translate to figure out what is being said. Nothing more than an unnecessary distraction. The foreign exotic aura can be very well depicted by other means without this ridiculous charade of cleverness. The two stars are awarded because I was forced to learn the geography of Venice - I would have given it three if the writer had managed to convey some of the beauty of that city instead of depicting it as a damp cold rather depressing place where the locals seemed to do nothing but scurry home to get in out of the rain. Very few redeeming features I'm afraid and as for the detective, does he ever do any real work?

Melodrama with little redemption. Bad guys too ridiculous and unbelievable. How can anyone sneak anything into China? Ridiculous and poorly thought out. Waste of time from an author who has done a lot better

Brunetti ventures into the art world in this story and the city and its flooding become one of the characters - even more so than usual. One or two of the plot devices used to explain the unfolding of the forgery are not too satisfactory, but if you're a Brunetti fan you'll forgive him a lot. Not quite a winner but worth the read.

Another in the magnificent series of Donna Leon's mysteries
portraying a horrifying underside to Venice's tourist image, here treating the little known impact of American military troops being stationed in Italy. Neither Italy nor the US emerges blameless in a complex plot.

Donna Leon has a knack for capturing the beauty and magic of Venice, of portraying a lovely, realistic, and interesting Venetian family (via Inspector Brunetti) , and presenting an absorbing mystery plot to tantalize the reader's mind. "Acqua Alta " was particularly meaningful to me because my husband and I were in Venice in October a few years ago and truly experienced a real acqua alta, raised walking boards and all.

Very good atmosphere about the fairytale city of Venice. Donna Leon is one of those writers that you can't go wrong with when you pick up one of her novels. One of the top modern day mystery writers. A modern day Agatha Christie.

The way this character thinks and his ethics and his love for his family make this series more than just a procedural mystery. I'm working my way through the series and look forward the next 10+ books.

Love these Donna Leon books! I am hooked. Went back to the beginning to read this series and I am in love with Italy and Brunetti! She makes you feel like you are actually in Italy in these stories. Plus there's a mystery to solve. Great Read!

I love this entire series. This one was especially good because the author brought back previous characters and I couldn't put it down. I had to know what would happen to characters I had come to like. I love Guido and I would love to live in Venice and not act like a tourist that Guido would hate.

Donna Leon creates wonderful entertaining novels featuring the lovable Commissario Guido Brunetti. This novel like the others in the series is set against the endearing backdrop of Venice and gives futher insights into Guido's family and his struggles with 'the system'.

I had discovered Donna Leon only recently and most of the books I
have read I have really enjoyed. However this one I simply could not
get into. It seemed long, drawn out and boring to me. The violent
attack on Brett twice was just too much and too graphic. I think one
of the problems in our country today is TV and authors believe that
we will not buy their merchandise unless there is loads of violence
and sex in them With Leon, it,s the violence. I agree that most of
her books do not have that much graphic violence in them but this one
and one other have. It is sad it has to be in there as the main
characters are drawn up beautifully; Brunetti and his loving
family and his care for the underdog. This book really consisted
more of Flavia and Brett-to me it just got tiresome.