So Shall You Reap

 

So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon 262 pp.

This is book #32 in the Commissrio Brunetti series, which means I only have one more to complete the series (until the author publishes a new one). On a November evening, Brunetti receives a late night call from Ispettore Vianello about a hand seen in one of the canals. Brunetti arrives and crews begin searching in the frigid water before finally finding the body of a man. The victim is a Sri Lankan immigrant that Brunetti met when inquiring about the possibility of a house being for sale. He discovers that the man worked for the owners of the house and was living in a small house in the garden there. Nobody seems to have much information about the man and what the police learn is mainly through the books and other ephemera found in the little house. With much research and memories from his college days he connects a scrapbook with an old political kidnapping. In this case Brunetti has a dog to thank for the final resolution of the crime(s).

Give Unto Others

 

Give Unto Others by Donna Leon  295 pp.

This is the 31st book in the Guido Brunetti series. Guido is approached by a neighbor from his childhood, Elisabetta Foscarini, who is worried that her daughter is in danger from her son-in-law, Enrico's business activities. Commissario Brunetti begins to investigate the woman's claims unofficially. When the daughter's veterinary office is vandalized it seems Elisabetta's suspicions were correct. But the police blame the break-in on the roving young gangs in the city. Even though his is not a Questura sanctioned investigation, Brunetti enlists the assistance of a few trusted colleagues and the things they uncover lead to a shady international charity started by Elisabetta's husband and a retired Vice Admiral now suffering from dementia. Soon the investigation shifts to an official one looking into the charity and the possibility that the Vice Admiral was coerced into involvement while not understanding what was happening. Another major twist in the story leads to a resolution of the mysteries. 

Transient Desires

 Transient Desires by Donna Leon 272 pp.

This is the thirtieth book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti Series. I will start by saying this book has the most unsatisfying ending of all the ones in the series that I've read. Two young women go on a boat ride with two young men they met at a popular night spot. A boating accident leaves the women injured and to disguise their crime, the young men leave the women outside a hospital and leave before they are seen. One woman is seriously injured and ends up in a coma while the other has a broken arm. Brunetti's investigation locates the young men, one of whom is also injured. The injured suspect's uncle owns a transport business and the accident occurred in one of his uncle's boats. Further investigation into the uncle uncovers illegal trafficking of goods and people, mostly women. With the assistance of the Guardia costiera (coast guard) Brunetti sets up a sting operation. I won't give away the ending but it seems to stop short. While this author doesn't go into the aftermath of arrests, trials, etc. in her books, this one stops short of any kind of closure and leaves the reader hanging with too many unanswered questions.

Earthly Remains

Earthly Remains by Donna Leon 308 pp. 

Commissario Guido Brunetti returns in the 26th book in the series. During an interview of suspect, Brunetti does something completely out of character causing a medical incident. As a result Brunetti and the doctor decide he needs at least a two week break from his job. Through his wife's connections, Brunetti goes to stay in a small villa on an island at the outskirts of Venice. There he partakes of the three "Rs," Relaxation, Reading, and Rowing. The rowing leads to a developing friendship with Davide Casati, a man who knew and rowed with Brunetti's late father. The two become companions who enjoy their time paddling on the Laguna and visiting Casati's beehives scattered on small islands. Casati is concerned because his bees are dying and is trying to find the cause. One night Casati goes out alone in his small boat and is lost in a storm. Brunetti joins the search for the boat, hoping that Casati managed to make it to shore. Brunetti launches his own, unofficial investigation into his new friend's past in spite of his orders to be relaxing. Once again corruption is at the heart of story.

Falling in Love

 

Falling in Love by Donna Leon  256 pp.

Opera diva, Flavia Petrelli appeared in the very first Commissario Brunetti mystery. She returns to Venice and the 24th book in the series. She is performing at La Fenice Opera House in the lead of "Tosca." She returns to her dressing room to find it inundated with yellow roses. This has been happening during her tour across Europe. The excess has also spilled into the apartment she is using meaning the culprit knows where she is staying. The instigator is not just an avid fan, but someone obsessed and stalking her. Brunetti gets involved after a young singer whose voice Flavia had taken an interest in is attacked on the street and ends up hospitalized. The assailants words during the attack leads Brunetti to believe it is connected to Flavia's stalker. Of course, while all this is going on there are the usual problems within the police Questura/Headquarters which Brunetti and Signorina Elettra conspire to get around the evil Lt. Scarpa and who suspended  another officer thereby docking his pay. Stealth and hiding places around the stage, allow them to thwart the attempted murderer with Flavia only suffering a minor injury.

Trace Elements

 

Trace Elements by Donna Leon  278 pp.

A woman dying of a terminal illness claims that her husband had "bad money" before he died in a motorbike accident. Unfortunately she dies as Commissarios Brunetti and Griffoni are talking to her leaving her two children orphaned. This disturbing event begins an investigation into whether her husband's death was truly an accident or a murder. Meanwhile, there is a pickpocket problem in Venice that Brunetti's boss wants removed from the city because it affects tourism but the Italian authorities keep releasing the perpetrators because they are juveniles. The investigation into the man in the accident leads to the water company responsible for testing the purity of the water supply and irregularities the victim knows about. This episode is more emotional than most in the series. 

Unto Us a Son is Given

Unto Us a Son is Given by Donna Leon  259 pp.

Book 28 in the Commissario Brunetti series. Guido Brunetti is approached by his father-in-law, Count Falier, in an attempt to stop the man from adopting an heir. Because of the intricacies of Italian law, the estate of a person without offspring will be divided among the closest family members whether that person desires it or not. However, it is possible to adopt an heir at any age. This is what Gonzalo Rodriguez de Tejada plans to do - adopt the latest of his young lovers who would then be entitled to Gonzalo's entire fortune. When Gonzalo suddenly drops dead, a new objection to the adoption arises which results in the death of a seemingly innocent woman and old friend. Brunetti investigates and uncovers more than he expected. No spoilers.

The Temptation of Forgiveness

The Temptation of Forgiveness by Donna Leon  300 pp.

Book 27 in the Commissario Brunetti series. A worried mother consults Brunetti about the possibility of her teenage son using drugs sold at his school. There isn't much Brunetti can do for her because she has no proof but since she is a colleague of his wife Paola he does his best to appease her. Shortly after her visit, her husband suffers a Traumatic Brain Injury in a fall on a bridge late at night. Brunetti investigates the incident to discover if it was an accident or an assault. While the man lies comatose in the hospital Brunetti's investigations uncover a long running pharmaceutical fraud victimizing the elderly, specifically ones with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. This fraud was also uncovered by the victim, an accountant. While he is busy with inquiries, Brunetti also manages to disarm suspicions that Signorina Elettra is the source of information leaks at the Questura. 

The Waters of Eternal Youth

 The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon  292 pp.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy aristocrat and friend of his mother-in-law, the Contessa, to investigate a fifteen year old crime. The woman is the grandmother of a young woman who was attacked and thrown into a canal while a young teen. The girl was rescued from drowning by a local drunk but not before she suffered serious brain damage from lack of oxygen. The man was too drunk to remember anything when questioned the next day. The crime was never solved and the grandmother wants closure even though the girl's mother is uninterested. With the assistance of Commissario Claudia Griffoni who befriends the girl through their shared love of horses, they managed to track down the man who assaulted her. 

By Its Cover

 By Its Cover by Donna Leon  237 pp.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is on the hunt for a thief of rare books from a Venetian library. In spite of security procedures, someone has walked off with many, rare and high value volumes. Other books have been mutilated by having pages with important illustrations removed. There is a suspect but he has vanished and his identity is unknown. Then the brutal murder of a former priest who frequented the library leads Brunetti into the illegal trade in rare books. Brunetti and his usual assistants solve the crime but the book ends rather abruptly. 

The Golden Egg

The Golden Egg by Donna Leon  276 pp.

This is the 22nd book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series. An apparently deaf and mentally disabled man in Brunetti's own neighborhood of Venice dies from an apparent accidental overdose. Both Guido and and his wife Paola knew him only as the man who did menial work at the local dry cleaners. After the rudimentary investigation into the death, questions arise after the autopsy. Although there is no official investigation into the accidental death, Brunetti discovers that there are no records of the man having ever existed. This prompts his own inquiries into the unusual and awful circumstances of the man's birth, life, and death. Meanwhile Brunetti's unpleasant boss, Vice-Questore Patta, orders him to take care of the matter of illegal land use by a relative of the Mayor. This is handled quickly leaving Brunetti to solve a couple internal problems within the Questura (police headquarters). Patta wants to move his favorite minion, Lt. Scarpa into the office of Signorina Elettra Zorzi, his secretary and displace her to another location in the building, much to her dislike. And there's the matter of Commissario Claudia Grifoni who is finding it difficult to settle into her position as a female officer and a Neopolitan transplanted to Venice. Signorina Elettra is not fond of Grifoni and Brunetti wants them to have a better working relationship. Of course, Brunetti manages to wrap it all up in under 300 pages. 

Beastly Things

 

Beastly Things by Donna Leon  372 pp.

And another Venetian mystery featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti: This time the body of a man is pulled from one of the canals. He was not drowned but stabbed and robbery doesn't appear to be the motive. It's not too difficult for Brunetti to learn the identity of the man, a veterinarian with a private practice and a part-time job as an animal inspector in a slaughterhouse. Aside from the affair that broke up his marriage, there is nothing in the victim's life that would point to him as a target for murder. Brunetti's investigation provokes another round of head butting with his superior, Vice-Questore Patta, whose main function in life seems to be protecting his status in Venice by keeping the old money aristocrats of Venice from any scandal. The whole mystery hinges on money and a ruthless murderer who seemingly can't get enough. This is one of the better books in the series. The funeral for the veterinarian is charming. 

Drawing Conclusions

Drawing Conclusions by Donna Leon  273 pp. 

Commissario Guido Brunetti is called away from dinner with his police superiors to investigate the death of a retired schoolteacher. The medical examiner calls it a heart attack but Brunetti wonders about the faint bruises on the woman's neck and shoulders. Why is the woman's son acting suspicious? And why does she have multiple new packages of women's underclothes in different sizes stored in her spare bedroom? Brunetti's investigation takes him to an old people's home, an organization helping abused women, and finds a connection to a long ago death and shady doings surrounding it. This isn't my favorite in the series but it's still good. 

A Question of Belief

 

A Question of Belief (A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery) by Donna Leon 262 pp.

Venice is in the throes of a heat wave and all the Commissario wants to do is go on a vacation with his family to the mountains where it is cool and he can relax. But first he has to deal with a suspicious pattern of increased inefficiency in a court system that is inefficient at best. And Brunetti's colleague, Inspector Vianello, has a personal concern about his aunt who has suddenly expressed an expensive interest in astrology. These two problems get rudimentary attention before vacation time arrives. Brunetti and his family board a train for the mountains while Vianello sails off to his holiday in Split, Croatia. Brunetti manages to get half way to his destination when he is called back to Venice for a murder investigation while his family continues on. Vianello also returns and the two battle the heat while trying to find the murderer. 

About Face

About Face by Donna Leon 278 pp. 

This is the 18th installment in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. There is much going on in this story. Brunetti is approached by one of the Italian Carabinieri (National Police) investigating the illegal transport of toxic materials both within Italy and to other countries for dumping for help in solving a connected murder. While doing that, Brunetti's father-in-law, the wealthy Count Falier, asks him to investigate a potential business whose young and highly intelligent wife is well known for the extreme facial plastic surgery she has endured. By the end of his investigations there are multiple dead, the discovery of very dangerous petrochemicals, and an unexpected killer. Another satisfying episode about Brunetti and company.

Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places (Commissario Brunetti #9) by Donna Leon  326 pp.

Brunetti is having a quiet afternoon at home when the arrival of a young bureaucrat from the housing department comes to the door questioning Brunetti about the construction of the apartment. Apparently there are no records of the stories added to the centuries old building which, according to the department, don't exist. Soon Brunetti's red tape conundrum becomes a murder investigation when the same man is discovered dead, having been pushed off the scaffolding outside a building under renovation. While this is happening, Brunetti's boss, Vice-Questore Patta has drawn Brunetti into the arrest of Patta's son for selling drugs. Soon the investigation leads Brunetti to drug abuse and distribution, loan sharking, and danger. I have to admit I'm hooked on this series.

A Noble Radiance

A Noble Radiance (Commissario Brunetti #7) by Donna Leon  277 pp.

On a remote estate the body of a partly decomposed young man is dug up in a farm field. With the corpse is a distinctive signet ring, that of the prominent Lorenzoni family. The discovery reopens an unsolved kidnapping case involving the son of Count and Contessa Lorenzoni. Brunetti is called in to the investigation where more than just the murder and kidnapping of the young man is revealed and a family succumbs to multiple tragedies. I love the Brunetti mysteries but this one was depressing.

Fatal Remedies

Fatal Remedies (Commissario Brunetti #8) by Donna Leon  303 pp.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is wakened by the phone in the we hours of the night to come to the police department because of a crime of vandalism committed. He arrives to find the arrested culprit is Paola, his wife. As a protest against travel agents who arrange "less than savory" trips for men, Paola has committed an act of vandalism, throwing a rock through the front window of an agency. This one act puts Brunetti's career in jeopardy as well as Paola's position as a university professor. Before a decision is made about reimbursing the man who owns the agency and other businesses, that man is murdered, garroted in his own home office. Brunetti is charged with finding the killer which opens up an investigation into fraud, tainted pharmaceuticals, and revelations about the "innocent" victim of Paola's protests.

Acqua Alta

Acqua Alta (Commissario Brunetti Book 5) by Donna Leon  392 pp.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is called in to investigate the brutal beating of an American archaeologist who happens to be the partner of opera singer, Flavia Petrelli who was featured in Leon's first novel Death at La Fenice. Dottoressa Brett Lynch was beaten as a warning not to keep a meeting with a museum director who is later found dead. The motive of stolen antiquities threatens Dr. Lynch's life and career unless Brunetti can find the man in charge. All this happens during the seasonal Acqua Alta flooding in Venice which is another villain in this mystery.

Death and Judgment

Death and Judgment aka A Venetian Reckoning by Donna Leon  302 pp.

A truck crashes in the mountains of northern Italy and its cargo, young women smuggled into the country for sex trafficking, are killed. In the meantime, a prominent businessman is found murdered. Commissario Guido Brunetti soon discovers some unsavory contacts of the businessman and uncovers a connection to the dead women. With the assistance of a prostitute working for one of the contacts, and putting himself in harm's way, Brunetti solves the case. This is my new favorite mystery series.