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kimveach's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This was another excellent Commissario Brunetti book. I was impressed with how nuanced the topic of transvestites was handled, especially since it was published in 1994.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
diana_skelton's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Passages I liked:
"Patta had been going on for months, insisting that he had too much paperwork to handle by himself. And so he had managed, like a particularly industrious truffle pig, to root around in the budget long enough to find the money for a secretary."
"Brunetti thought about the way bankers always avoided the use of the word 'money', thought of the broad panoply of words they'd invented to replace that crasser term: funds, finances, investments, liquidity, assets. Euphemism was usually devoted to crasser things: death and bodily functions. Did that means there was something fundamentally sordid about money and that the language of bankers attempted to disguise or deny this fact?"
"Patta had been going on for months, insisting that he had too much paperwork to handle by himself. And so he had managed, like a particularly industrious truffle pig, to root around in the budget long enough to find the money for a secretary."
"Brunetti thought about the way bankers always avoided the use of the word 'money', thought of the broad panoply of words they'd invented to replace that crasser term: funds, finances, investments, liquidity, assets. Euphemism was usually devoted to crasser things: death and bodily functions. Did that means there was something fundamentally sordid about money and that the language of bankers attempted to disguise or deny this fact?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Homophobia
thelaurasaurus's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
This book was written in the 1990s, and sadly it's probably quite a fair representation of the different attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community at that time. While the author isn't condoning those attitudes, it still makes for an uncomfortable read (hence my low score). It's good to see how far we've come, I guess.
The story itself was relatively interesting and introduced a range of new characters to the series.
The story itself was relatively interesting and introduced a range of new characters to the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime and Homophobia
jackie_marion's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
gregorsamsas's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
felicitydisco's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
These are always solid mysteries and I love Guido and his family and the whole Venice setting, but this one dealt with the LGBTQ+ community and sex workers in a way that would have been pretty progressive when this was published in 1994, but reads as very dated now, just to warn you.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia