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margaret21's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes what you want from a book is to spend time with old friends. I love Guido Brunetti, I love his wife Paola and their children and like to catch up with them over their delicious family meals in their Venetian apartment. And I enjoy the plots of all the Commissario Brunetti books too. This is however, quite a dark tale (murders always are, of course), with its suggestion that corruption in Italy as elsewhere, is endemic and underwrites everyday life. Here is a death in canal. Is it simply a robbery gone wrong, or something more sinister? Brunetti has his work cut out to establish that this death, like the two that follow, is indeed the result of corruption at the highest level. There is no happy ending in a situation like this.... or indeed any real conclusion to such a story
happyfamilyfuntime's review against another edition
5.0
This has been an incredibly challenging year and this series has been exactly what i needed. As a longtime fan of mysteries, this series has it all and is set in Italy to boot (pun intended). As an Italian-American I love how this book lovingly makes fun of both Italians and Americans. This book has a great cast of characters and I have not yet guessed the ending! If you loved Jim Chee or Thomas Black, you will love Guido Brunetti!
This book was so digestible and wholesome fun, which may sound cheesy, but with all of the tumult in the real world, this book was a lovely respite.
This book was so digestible and wholesome fun, which may sound cheesy, but with all of the tumult in the real world, this book was a lovely respite.
butterfly2507's review against another edition
2.0
Commissario Brunetti kenne ich schon lange, habe die Bücher aber bisher noch nicht gelesen. Dass ich sie nun im Second-Hand Shop fand war natürlich super! Dies ist der zweite Fall, man muss den ersten Band aber nicht gelesen haben. Ich fand es äusserst langweilig. Das Setting ist super (sehr nahe meiner Heimat) aber die Story ... naja. Ausserdem mag ich den Konflikt (aka Rassismus) zwischen Italien und den USA nicht. Auch dass der WEIBLICHE!!! Doktor / Captain beschrieben wird wie ein Alien ... wow.
rinapina's review against another edition
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? No
3.5
tizianav's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
chrisbarranco's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ending snuck up on me, didn’t realize it was coming to any resolution
elysahenegar's review against another edition
4.0
The second Donna Leon Commissario Brunetti mystery is even better than the first : enchanting setting, vivid characters, engaging prose. Great series!
cameotarver's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
robinwalter's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
A very dark and rather depressing tale, this police mystery is grimly realistic. The descriptions of Venice and Brunetti's family life were the bright spots in the bleakly believable tale of corporate and governmental malfeasance