Saturday, June 26, 2010

Review - Death and Judgment

Author: Donna Leon
Narrator: David Colacci
Format: 9 hours 15 minutes audio; 304 pages equivalent
Characters: Guido Brunetti, Sra Eletra, Paula and Cara Brunetti
Subject: crime, corruption, murder
Setting: Venice Italy
Series: Commissario Brunetti mysteries
Genre: police procedural
Source: Public library
Challenge: Support your local library; Audio books

This is number 4 in the series and I think one of the best.  I've read 8 of the 19 (not in order) and am now trying to do the rest in order.  Leon really fleshes out Commissario (detective) Guido Brunetti in this one.  It is as much about his struggle to teach his 14 yr old daughter the subtle but substantial difference between something that is a crime, and something that is wrong, but given the fuzziness of the Italian criminal system, not necessarily a crime.  In this one he is dealing with murder, a prostitution ring, and several other unsavory aspects of that way of life to which his daughter is unexpectedly and brutally exposed.

It is once again, well plotted, deeply respectful of the characters (even the criminals) and still has enough comic relief in several of the characters to keep the dark parts from becoming unbearable.  If you haven't yet discovered Donna Leon.....Get thee to the library.

1 comment:

  1. awww...Venice!

    If all goes right, I may see Venice next year, something I have always wanted to do. Maybe I should start reading books set there to get the mood.

    ReplyDelete

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