Acqua Alta

Enjoy the characters, story, writing

Among the first four books in the Guido Brunetti series, I was annoyed by the tendency to create mysteries whose solution led to powerful patrons who were able to cover up for themselves so that there was essentially no justice done. I was very pleased to see that Ms. Leon downplayed that theme more in Acqua Alta than in the prior four books. Here, at least, there's some poetic justice. Venice is always a major character in these novels, but in Acqua Alta it would be fair to say that Venice becomes the main character. If you have only been to Venice during the sunny summer days when the tourists flock there, you'll learn about a Venice you didn't know existed -- one where floods make planning the simplest trip quite a challenge. But flooding isn't merely there for background texture; it's a critical element of the story. The actual mystery is pretty straightforward: Brett Lynch answers the door to her home in Venice and is beaten by two men who order her not to keep an appointment with the head of Venice's main museum. Since Brett is wealthy, the police assume the motive is robbery . . . even though nothing is taken. Because Brett is a lesbian makes the police less interested. But the all-seeing Signorina Elletra tips off Commissario Guido Brunetti that this "robbery" needs his personal touch. Brunetti learns that Brett had contacted the museum head about three ceramic fakes that had been sent back to China after an exhibition of ancient Chinese artifacts. He promises to snoop around. Vice-Questore Patta first orders Brunetti off the case . . . until the mayor calls to say that he wants answers for his friend, Brett. Two of the most interesting aspects of the case involve a background look at the worlds of obsessive collectors and of opera divas. The investigation proceeds pretty quickly and easily, much facilitated by Signorina Elletra's remarkable ability to gain information that shouldn't be available to her. In this book, we also find out a little more of why she left a great job to work for the police. You'll also get an inside look at some of the stresses and strains of a lesbian relationship where the two lovers are pulled in different directions by their careers and interests. The weakest part of the story comes at the end when Brunetti finds himself needing to ride to the rescue. His willingness to cut corners seems a little far fetched. In addition, this book involves a little more violence against women than is to my taste. If that sort of thing bothers you, you won't like this book as much as I did. The good news is that the mystery of who beat up Brett and why aren't the main appeals of this story: The lives of those under siege from the winter floods are. Enjoy!

Donna Leon again creates an ambience in Venice that few tourists ever come into contact with. Her descriptions of the city; the crime and violence; the moral values of the typical Venetian; the rampant corruption in government; and the pollution that will ultimately destroy Venice, are juxtaposed with the normal life of the Brunetti family of 4, and the exquisite Italian (Venetian) food that is so lovingly described. Leon's characters -- good and evil -- are fully developed, and her storytelling abilities are excellent. These are books that are impossible to set down even for a minute: one must read them from start to finish, as I have done 10 of them in the last 2 weeks.

I recently discovered this mystery writer and am backtracking to read all her books. She never fails to deliver a wonderful read. Her picture of Venice and its society and politics is piercingly honest and although she shows all that society's warts and corruption, there is a sense of objectivity and compassion in her telling and in her police commissario, Guido Brunetti. Brunetti is a full, well-realized character and his family gives him even more depth. Contrary to many mysteries, where all the loose ends are tied up and justice is served. Her stories often end with ambiguity and not necessarily with the bad guys getting their just rewards. As an aside, his relationship and dealings with his superior, Patta, is worth the price of admission and give an even stronger, quite humorous picture of his control and tolerance. Acqua Alta, the title, refers to the seasonal torrential rains of Venice and provides a backdrop to a tale of art, thefts and violence.

Of the only 5 (out of the 13) Donna Leon "Inspector Brunetti" highly atmospheric Venetian mysteries that are readily available in the U.S. at popular prices, this newly available paperback is our family's favorite. Read the dramatic first chapter and you will be hooked all the way to the end, perhaps the most satisfying climax (and the most action) of all her Brunetti ouevre--though, true to Leon's vision of Venetian politics, still somewhat ambiguous and certainly not pat. (Note: it is helpful but not essential to have read "Death at La Fenice," the first Brunetti mystery, which is also easily findable in the U.S. in paperback and which introduces two main characters in "Acqua Alta.")

"Acqua Alta" is the fifth in Donna Leon's mesmerizing series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police and, as in the previous works, the author once again manages to capture not only the soul but the heart, literally, of modern day Venice. Reality lurks behind every page, it seems, of a Donna Leon novel, from the cold, creaking listings of ages-old buildings almost atop the famed canals to the musty, bone-chilling foggy days as the "high waters" begin to permeate the once Serene Republic's confines. And, of course, thre's a murder or two lurking around some hidden corner of some fourteenth-century palazzo and naturally, as in the other works, it is Brunetti's dedication, his loyalty, and above all else his honesty in seeking out the truth that eventually bring about the solution. Leon's conclusions, however, are not always the easiest, most convenient, or happiest, as she gallops away from the melodramatic and lets reality win again. She underscores the fact that there are evil people about and, yes, occasionally, they win. Sometimes, by the end of her books, not all the guilty are punished, but the cases are solved, nonetheless. To say Venice, or even Italy itself, is any more corrupt than any other place is not the question, but Leon, herself an American English teacher at the University of Maryland extension campus at the U.S. Army's Vicenza (Italy) post, has spent quite a number of years in Italy, speaks the language, and captures the nuances of the people and of their daily lives, it seems; indeed, quite an accomplishment for an outsider. "You don't want to keep Doctor Semenzato's appointment." With this warning, two men proceed to beat Brett Lynch within an inch of her life. Thus, the action really begins in this fast-paced book. We'd met Brett in the previous Leon book. Brett is a famed anthropologist (NOT an architect as the writer in a preceding review asserts) and is the lover of noted Italian soprano Flavia Petrelli; she is involved in an extensive dig in China where she has helped uncover a priceless "find." Enter the art thieves, murderers, and con men. Indeed, from this point, murder and mayhem do follow and Commissario Brunetti is quick to pick up the case, indeed, he is eager for it. For in the previous case, Flavia and Brett had both been chief suspects in the case. Since then, Guido has come to respect them both and, to some extent, even considers them friends. He is appalled at the brutality of the assault and fears for Brett's life. In the course of this investigation, more than one murder transpires, with art-world theft as the circulating theme. What has "high water" (Acqua Alta) to do with the book? Acqua alta is the dread of every Venezian, as climatic changes cause the water in the canals to rise above their normal levels and a city ordinarily accustomed to much water anyway finds itself literally being inundated by even more of it! Thus, like Sand