One of Leon's best Commissario Brunetti mysteries. This one is more character-driven than some of the others, focusing on the relationships between Brunetti and several of his colleagues.

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This makes a change. Commissario Brunetti seeks answers on Pellestrina, a long, narrow strip of land dividing the Venice Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea. The tiny community lives by fishing and clamming, and everyone knows everyone else.

Brunetti is there to find the killer of two clammers. He finds it hard going among the locals, who don't share easily with outsiders. The Questore's secretary, Ellettra, volunteers to visit relatives on the island and find out what she can. Brunetti is not excited about this idea, as he worries about her safety. But she has vacation time coming and backs him into a corner where he has no choice.

Once on the island, Elettra meets another fisherman, newly back from adventures on the mainland, and he begins to take all of her attention. Brunetti is pulled in different directions, wanting to devote more time to Pallestrina than his superior wants, needing to tend to matters at home, and caught by unexpected feelings about the secretary.

As with other Brunetti novels, we get more than a glimpse into his thoughts and those of his devoted wife, making the story all too human.

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