Although I am always telling friends about Donna Leon's detective/mystery series, I have failed to recommend her work in this blog. Today is the day I am rectifying that omission..
Those of you who appreciate a good detective story must give her Guido Brunetti series a try. And those of you who have been to Venice or would like to go there must allow Donna Leon to lead you through this mysterious city on the water. She will take you down the Grand Canal and under the Rialto Bridge, into the elegant Venetian apartments and the slaughter house in Maestre, San Marco and neighborhood campos.
Venice with all its contrasts is the backdrop for Comissari Brunetti's investigations. A police detective in his forties, Guido, lives in Venice with his professor wife, Paola, and their two entertaining children. Guido brings the reader along as he gathers information, and follows clues that either elucidate or confuse. And, just as in true police work, even after Guido has solved the case, the villain may not be brought to complete justice.
As British steeple-chase horse barns are an integral part of the Dick Francis' detective novels, Venice is plays a key role in Donna Leon's stories. She is a clever observer who shows us both the beautiful and the tawdry, the scent of roses and garbage, the nobility and the sleaze. If you have had the good fortune to have spent time in Venice, you will recognize it; if you have not, you will want to put it on your bucket list.
I have just finished reading Dressed for Death (1994) and have read six or more of the Guido Brunetti series. Unlike some others I have read, this series is consistently entertaining.
I understand that German television has produced a series based on Guido Brunetti, but I have not had an opportunity to see it.
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