You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Even more entertaining than usual. Some now stock scenes: conflict with Patta, sending Electa to hack to get information, and different opinions about pollution. Yet the details are unique enough that the stock moments don’t matter.
I am interested enough in the process of glass making that I didn’t mind the ling descriptions. Other readers might feel differently.
I am interested enough in the process of glass making that I didn’t mind the ling descriptions. Other readers might feel differently.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
One of the more forgettable entries in the series. Reliably readable though.
Corruption is taken for granted in the Venice of Donna Leon's novels. Everyone cheats on their taxes; businessmen sidestep regulations and bribe inspectors; the government issues environmental regulations and conducts investigations that continue for years, even as industrial operations continue to pollute the Laguna. But only occasionally does corruption lead to murder.
A principled policeman like Brunetti can do little when a man he recently interviewed while doing a favor for an acquaintance dies a dreadful death at one of Murano's glass furnaces. But among the man's effects are documents with puzzling numeric sequences, as well as a much notated copy of Dante's Inferno. The man had hinted that he knew secrets, secrets his employers would be unhappy to have revealed. Brunetti feels compelled to keep digging. Can the murdered man have actually known a secret worth killing over?
Leon masterfully leads readers along as her quiet, compassionate detective persists in tracking down those responsible for the crime, even as he suspects no one will pay the price for their actions. Throughout, we enjoy Brunetti's interactions with witnesses, other policemen and his lovely, entirely normal family. Leon is a treasure.
A principled policeman like Brunetti can do little when a man he recently interviewed while doing a favor for an acquaintance dies a dreadful death at one of Murano's glass furnaces. But among the man's effects are documents with puzzling numeric sequences, as well as a much notated copy of Dante's Inferno. The man had hinted that he knew secrets, secrets his employers would be unhappy to have revealed. Brunetti feels compelled to keep digging. Can the murdered man have actually known a secret worth killing over?
Leon masterfully leads readers along as her quiet, compassionate detective persists in tracking down those responsible for the crime, even as he suspects no one will pay the price for their actions. Throughout, we enjoy Brunetti's interactions with witnesses, other policemen and his lovely, entirely normal family. Leon is a treasure.
Another interesting investigation by Comisario Brunetti. The journey, as often with Donna Leon, is as interesting as the destination. Plus we have the company of our old friends Signora Elettra, Vianelli, Foa and Brunetti's family.
There sure are a lot of highly rated, unappreciative reviews of this book, which I found original and compelling. The scene with Patta is worthy of a chef's kiss, and the ending is sheer perfection.
Very interesting...especially in the descriptions of the famous glass industry in Murano. (Which I hope to visit in April!)
Four plus--another good Brunetti, with a fantastic last page. Donna Leon's tales of Commissario Brunetti sometimes end with the reader (and the characters) musing--or frustrated--or simply observing that the good guys don't always win, or that it's sometimes hard to figure out who, precisely, the good guys are.
But in this book, the wrong-doers are pretty obvious, as are their means of clearing their conscience or their public reputations. So seeing someone who has gotten away with murder (figuratively, and perhaps actually) tagged is gratifying.
Leon never disappoints.
But in this book, the wrong-doers are pretty obvious, as are their means of clearing their conscience or their public reputations. So seeing someone who has gotten away with murder (figuratively, and perhaps actually) tagged is gratifying.
Leon never disappoints.
It always seems like Leon has a topic she wants to discuss and works her mystery around that. This time around it's pollution and the environment.
This was not my favorite in the series. The mystery doesn't really get started until maybe half way through. Up until them Brunetti is investigating even though the only "crime" was that a woman he barely knows is worried that her father will harm her husband. I'll grant you that does tie in to the eventual mystery, but a lot of Brunetti's investigating and thinking happens before the actual murder. And someone entirely different is killed.
I enjoy the bits of daily life, Brunetti's conversations with his wife and kids, the delicious food. In this one, I found the glass making process interesting. It works better as a novel the a standard mystery I think.
I hated the ending. I listened to the audio version, as I always do with this series and I felt like the end wasn't resolved enough for me. I was left with a "that's it?" feeling.
This was not my favorite in the series. The mystery doesn't really get started until maybe half way through. Up until them Brunetti is investigating even though the only "crime" was that a woman he barely knows is worried that her father will harm her husband. I'll grant you that does tie in to the eventual mystery, but a lot of Brunetti's investigating and thinking happens before the actual murder. And someone entirely different is killed.
I enjoy the bits of daily life, Brunetti's conversations with his wife and kids, the delicious food. In this one, I found the glass making process interesting. It works better as a novel the a standard mystery I think.
I hated the ending. I listened to the audio version, as I always do with this series and I felt like the end wasn't resolved enough for me. I was left with a "that's it?" feeling.