Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

This is the first of a series of books. The main character is Commissario Guido Brunetti. Along with his detectives he solves cases that take place in Venice. You fall in love with him, his family and friends, and the city. You learn so much about the people, food, wine and History of Italy. I cannot tell you how much I loved these books (27 so far and I loved them all). I wait anxiously for the next book.

I have little to add to the twenty-five reviews of this mystery from 1992 set in Venice's jewel-box of an opera house, La Fenice, except to add what no one else seems to have thought worth mentioning. That is that the 'world-famous conductor' who is the murder victim in this story is clearly modeled after Herbert von Karajan. Such things as his being wanted all over the world, his flying in for one performance before jetting off to another part of the world, the questions about his participation in Nazidom during World War II and so on are clearly references to him. Aside from that, however, the plot is neatly done, the descriptions of Venice are evocative, the dolce far niente attitudes of Italian culture (particularly that of the Sicilian chief of the Venetian police department) are all drawn with a wickedly funny flair. Recommended, but particularly for those who love opera. Scott Morrison

In her first mystery of the series featuring Brunetti, Ms. Leon returns to the more quiet, refined and thoughtful type of mystery. I actually somewhat figured out the ending with about 50 pages to go, but that didn't reduce my pleasure in the book one iota. This book is the antithesis of the all-action, slash and burn, high intensity thrillers typlified by Robert Crais and James Patterson. These other books have there good points, but it is important to note that Donna Leon's series is very different. In the Brunetti books one learns about, and enjoys, Venice and Italian culture. One really cares, for good or evil, about the characters in her book. They are developed slowly and with style. The only comparison I can think of for Donna Leon is the great French detective writer Simenon and Inspector Maigret.

At the start of this story someone dies. Then nothing happens for 278 pages except for an endless series of interviews by police detective Guido Brunetti. We are waiting for Guido to deduce the true facts of the case. This is the kind of mystery that is either excellent or no good at all. It is the kind of mystery that people who don't like mysteries think all mysteries are like. This mystery is in the excellent category. If you love Venice, as I do. I lived for 3 years in Aviano north of Venice and fell instantly in love with Venice.The hero of this book is Venice. Each page lives and breaths Venice. The smells, the sounds, the language, the fog, the people - it's all in the novel. The book took me back to Venice and I enjoyed every minute. Donna Leon is a fine writer. If she would develop an action hero like Sue Grafton or Judith Van Gieson, I think she would become a best selling author. As it is, she's like an absolutely perfect one-carat diamond: small but exceptional and highly valuable. If you love Venice, you'll enjoy this book even if you don't like mysteries.

Venice is for lovers, or so they say. It is also the setting in this thriller, the first of a series by Donna Leon, titled "Death at La Fenice." La Fenice is the name of Venice's famed opera house and in this novel, death is the event de jour, as a well-known German conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room, shortly before he was to conduct "La Traviata." Of course, the show must go on. Of course, the police must be called. And we are introduced to Guido Brunetti, vice-commissario of police in Venice. He's also a brilliant detective. With suspects galore, Brunetti finds the early going to be confusing and not all what the "facts" may seem. In Brunetti, Donna Leon has created the quintessential police detective. He is a man whom we are proud to call an acquaintance as we follow his trail in all the Leon books. She describes him: "He was a surprisingly neat man: tie carefully knotted, hair shorter than was the fashion; even his ears lay close to his head, as if reluctant to call attention to themselves. His clothing marked him as Italian. The cadence of his speech announced that he was Venetian. His eyes were all policeman." Leon, in addition to being a first rate novelist, has been an American English teacher aboard, and healthy international sales have made her vision of Venice well known. She seems to love the city, but with an attitude that shows her feet are on the ground. She lets Brunetti characterize the city: "And then he was at the water's edge, the bridge to his right. How typically Venetian it was, looking, from a distance, lofty and ethereal but revealing itself, upon closer reflection, to be firmly grounded in the mud of the city." One of the chief suspects is diva and prima donna soprano Flavia Petrelli, who certainly has motive, and is high on Brunetti's list. Flavia, along with her American archeologist and companion Brett Lynch, present more than a conundrum to Brunetti. (We are re-introduced to them in a later book Acqua Alta.) This is no easy crime for the commissario to solve. Leon creates, certainly, one of the best police procedurals of the last decade. Her books are hard to come by in the U.S., but she has a large following in international circles, especially in Germany and in England. While it is not necessary to read her books in order, naturally, her progression moves more smoothly when done so. "Death at La Fenice" is pure symphony and not a note is to be [email protected]

For all those who love Venice and mysteries here is another entry in the Guido Brunetti series. This time a famous but arrogant maestro is killed in the dressing room of Venice's La Fenice opera house. As always the scenes of Brunetti's family life are fascinating and Venice itself becomes a character in the novel. This one is probably the best in the series. The solution is ingenious and came as quite a surprise in its psychological underpinings.