Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
This was the first book I read by Ms De Leon and I found it both enjoyable and entertaining.
It starts slow and for more than half of the book there's no crime, just the everyday life of Commissario Brunetti and the introductions of the dramatis personae. Suddenly the mystery starts going and you cannot turn the pages fast enough to satisfy your curiosity.
I appreciated how Ms Leon describes Venezia, Brunetti and his family and the cast of well written characters.
The mystery was good and it kept me guessing till the end.
I liked the plot, the characters and how the setting was described. As for the food it made me crave for "fegato alla veneziana" that I haven't been eating in a long time.
A very good book, I will surely get the previous installment and look forward to reading the next.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.
It starts slow and for more than half of the book there's no crime, just the everyday life of Commissario Brunetti and the introductions of the dramatis personae. Suddenly the mystery starts going and you cannot turn the pages fast enough to satisfy your curiosity.
I appreciated how Ms Leon describes Venezia, Brunetti and his family and the cast of well written characters.
The mystery was good and it kept me guessing till the end.
I liked the plot, the characters and how the setting was described. As for the food it made me crave for "fegato alla veneziana" that I haven't been eating in a long time.
A very good book, I will surely get the previous installment and look forward to reading the next.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Grove Atlantic and Netgalley for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all opinions are mine.
In Donna Leon's 28th Brunetti mystery, Count Orazio Falier urges him to investigate his best friend Gonzalo Rodríguez de Tejada, who plans to adopt a much younger man as his son, making him the heir of his considerable estate. Although in an awkward position, Brunetti agrees to investigate. When Gonzalo dies, followed by the murder of one of his oldest friends, it seems clear than Gonzalo's plans have set a plot in motion.
As usual with her latest novels the mystery takes a back seat (the murder doesn't happen till about 70%). Even if the police investigation is almost null, it's always a pleasure coming back to these beloved characters and the city of Venice.
Thanks to Grove Atlantic for and ARC via Netgalley.
As usual with her latest novels the mystery takes a back seat (the murder doesn't happen till about 70%). Even if the police investigation is almost null, it's always a pleasure coming back to these beloved characters and the city of Venice.
Thanks to Grove Atlantic for and ARC via Netgalley.
Guido Brunetti is surprised when is father-in-law Count Falier asks him to meet him privately. The Count’s best friend is going to make a big mistake and he hopes that Guido could do something about it: the Spaniard Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejada wants to adopt a much younger man. Even though nobody really is upset about his openly shown homosexuality, this seems to go too far for the upper society and is considered something absolutely inappropriate. But apart from that, Gonzalo’s friends fear that the chosen man, Attilio Circetti, Marchese di Torrebardo, is more interested in Gonzalo’s wealth than in the old man. When Gonzalo suddenly dies, the case isn’t abandoned but turns out to be much more complicated than expected.
Donna Leon’s 28th case for Commissario Guido Brunetti starts in a quite unique way since this time, no murder has been committed and Brunetti is not running after some evil criminal. It is a very personal story that reveals a lot about Venice’s society, especially the rich and noble and their very special views on the world. The actual murder case only appears after about two thirds of the novel which surprisingly does not reduce any suspense in it.
As the other novels before, the Guido Brunetti series lives on the special atmosphere of the Italian water city. Again, we get a glance behind the doors of the nobilità and how they resolve their cases. Brunetti’s has to do a lot of actually illegal work this time which does not seem to bother anybody too much. On the other hand, this is a very emotional and human story, it is the characters’ weaknesses, their longing for finding love and being loved that drives the story. It is much less about solving a crime than about revealing human nature and the core things of life. For me, definitely so far the strongest of Donna Leon’s novels since it goes far beyond just solving a murder case.
Donna Leon’s 28th case for Commissario Guido Brunetti starts in a quite unique way since this time, no murder has been committed and Brunetti is not running after some evil criminal. It is a very personal story that reveals a lot about Venice’s society, especially the rich and noble and their very special views on the world. The actual murder case only appears after about two thirds of the novel which surprisingly does not reduce any suspense in it.
As the other novels before, the Guido Brunetti series lives on the special atmosphere of the Italian water city. Again, we get a glance behind the doors of the nobilità and how they resolve their cases. Brunetti’s has to do a lot of actually illegal work this time which does not seem to bother anybody too much. On the other hand, this is a very emotional and human story, it is the characters’ weaknesses, their longing for finding love and being loved that drives the story. It is much less about solving a crime than about revealing human nature and the core things of life. For me, definitely so far the strongest of Donna Leon’s novels since it goes far beyond just solving a murder case.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Another Brunetti book I thoroughly enjoyed. Unhurried and just a nice read.
Probably would give this between three and four stars. I really enjoyed this one. Probably b/c it was more about an issue in his personal life than a case at the Questora (so more family interaction). Plus there was ko ambiguous ending. If I had feared this series was stagnating, this installment redeemed them.
Continuing the immersion in Guido`s Venice,. This time he actually catches the bad guy but justice, as usual is far from perfect.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
reflective
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