It's been 20 years since the first book in this series appeared. A conductor was poisoned and the Questura sent Commissario Guido Brunetti to investigate. Since 1992’s Death at La Fenice, Donna Leon and her compassionate and brilliant investigator have been fascinatingn readers.
Leon’s novels open a window into what could well be the private Venice of her citizens (those that remain, not yet having been run out by the tourists), a world of tarnished beauty, family intimacy, shocking crime, and ever-present corruption.
I was happy as a clam to find that the 'Easter bunny' had brought me Brunetti's latest adventures in my Easter basket. It didn't take me long to crack the cover and spend sometime with Brunetti, his loving family, the gang at the Questra, and the faded Pearl of the Adriatic.
Late one night, Brunetti is called away from dinner to investigate the death of a widow in her modest apartment. Though there are some signs of a struggle, the medical examiner rules that she died of a heart attack. It seems there is nothing for Brunetti to investigate. But he can’t shake the feeling that something or someone may have triggered her heart attack, that perhaps the woman was threatened. Conversations with the woman’s son, her upstairs neighbor, and the nun in charge of the old-age home where she volunteered, do little to satisfy Brunetti’s nagging curiosity. With the help of Inspector Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra, Brunetti delves deeper into this mystery.
In this book, there is one apparent crime but two strands that lead to it. Leon again societal problems throughout the tale. It turns out that the murdered woman had been thumbing her nose at those folks who live on the fringes . . . those who abuse women and those who take advantage of the elderly. It is these threads that pierce Brunett's innate compassion.
When one of the strands leads back to events that occurred many years before, Brunetti has to make a challenging decisions for one who has been trained to respect the law. In the end the decision he makes is in keeping with the Commissario we have come to hold in such high regard over the years.
Leon fills every page with details that can be spoilers. As with all the Brunetti books, Drawing Conclusions moves very quickly. Leon is one of those authors whose books cry out to be read in one sitting (although you'll want to ration the tale to enjoy spending time with venice and her people for as long as possible). She does not provide pat endings but she provides endings that are true to her characters. Brunetti is a rock. He may be worn by storms but they never change the essence of the decent man that he is.
Thanks for this review - I'm hooked.
Posted by: menehune | May 07, 2011 at 12:13 AM
It is a shame Leon isn't one of those truly prolific authors. I'd like a few new brunetti mysteries a year. LOL
Posted by: JDeQ | June 30, 2011 at 06:24 AM