whosemuse 's review for:

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

4.0

---

I have been on a bit of a “mysteries set in foreign lands” jag lately, and this is another that falls into that category. It takes place in Venice (Italy) and its protagonist is Commissario Guido Brunetti, an intrepid investigator in the Italian police. As with others I’ve read in this (sub)genre, it is as much about the culture of the setting as the details of the crime and the investigation. Here, the author (a well-traveled American) introduces many details about the manners of communication between Italians, the nuances of local politics and customs (city planners and officials are routinely bribed in order that home improvements might be approved; theatre goers are more interested in appearances than in the quality of performances) along with the threads of the central plot. As in most mysteries of this type, those threads are woven subtly into a fabric that gradually takes shape, and when Brunetti (inevitably) discovers the truth of the famous maestro’s death, the case is presented matter-of-factly, with a minimum of drama and the maximum of compassion and respect, as befits the dignity of the Venetian culture. I wouldn’t say this is the most gripping mystery I’ve ever read, but it was entertaining enough that I might visit Brunetti in Venice (which I did look up in order to give myself a better sense of the city’s unique geography) again sometime.