jjares reviewed on 7/30/2016 + 3413 more book reviews

In this ninth foray into Venetian politics and crime, Donna Leon's writing really shines. Guido Brunetti and his family are involved in a problem -- Was their apartment legally constructed after the war? The young man who brings the bad news is soon killed.

Brunetti wants to handle the problem himself; he does not want to use the 'people in high places' that he knows (specifically his father-in-law, the Comte or the Contessa). When the problem arises, in no way does Guido or Paola consider going to the bureaucracy directly -- but look to other machinations to make the problem to go away.

The characters are memorable and the situations seem so much taken from the headlines. Guido is "Everyman" -- trying to do the right thing under impossible odds. This series just seems to get better.

Guido Brunetti
1. Death at La Fenice (1992)
2. Death in a Strange Country (1993)
3. The Anonymous Venetian (1994) aka Dressed for Death
4. A Venetian Reckoning (1995) aka Death and Judgment
5. Acqua Alta (1996) aka Death in High Water
6. The Death of Faith (1997) aka Quietly in Their Sleep
7. A Noble Radiance (1997)
8. Fatal Remedies (1998)
**9. Friends in High Places (1999)

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