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A review by christinecc
Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
Very serviceable mystery, with a well-realized Venetian setting and a main detective who already feels fleshed out by chapter 4.
I wish the mystery had been a bit more interesting, and the investigation more or less consists of conversations with people remembering 40-year-old gossip or avoiding the detective's questions. That can be fun but I do like a bit more legwork, or maybe some more vivid depictions of the backstage opera scene would have been nice. (Edmund Crispin's "Swan Song" did this superbly in a very different setting).
Recommended if you want to try a new detective series and feel like traveling along Venice's canals. I can't speak to how accurate the depiction of the city is, but it was fun, and as with all mystery series, I'm sure the books get better with every installment.
I wish the mystery had been a bit more interesting, and the investigation more or less consists of conversations with people remembering 40-year-old gossip or avoiding the detective's questions. That can be fun but I do like a bit more legwork, or maybe some more vivid depictions of the backstage opera scene would have been nice. (Edmund Crispin's "Swan Song" did this superbly in a very different setting).
Recommended if you want to try a new detective series and feel like traveling along Venice's canals. I can't speak to how accurate the depiction of the city is, but it was fun, and as with all mystery series, I'm sure the books get better with every installment.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Lesbophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, and Rape