Reviews

Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon

rainynook's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

I listened to the Audible version, and thought the reader was skilled & good at doing all the needed accents. This is the second in the series, and I also read the first one. This one got better reviews than the first one, but I did not find it more compelling.  It's a good story, but I'm getting the feel for author Donna Leon's "slow burn" throughout rather than shocking details and page-turning suspense.  I enjoyed getting to "know" the seamier side of Venice (and at an American military base in Vincenza, which is also featured in the novel).  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Suicide, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Medical content, and Drug use

deedee63's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

hellu122's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

mschrock8's review

3.0

I like this series.

kvlreader's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

boothby738's review

3.0

Had read book #1 some time ago. Enjoyed this quite a bit. Was a little disappointed in how quickly and cleanly the story ended, but will certainly read more about the commissario.

lady_annaavocado's review

2.0

Full of clichés and stereotypes

aoosterwyk's review

4.0

I love how this author tackles tough issues, yet keeps her characters interesting and follows family life as well.

phamnewan's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

kellerko's review

3.0

While these books are well written with strong characters, my favorite thing ( particularly during this pandemic) is how they immediately bring me back to Venice. Family troubles all around in this one, plus the darned Americans.