Death at La Fenice: (Brunetti 1) (A Commissario Brunetti Mystery)

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this low-key and humane Venice-set detective yarn surprised me. not so much at the solving of the murder mystery (although I was surprised), but at how it all came together in such an organic way. the emphasis on family, children, little girls... the importance of doing the right thing even if it is not necessarily the legal thing... no spoilers here, but the end really brought things together in a way that made perfect emotional sense. all of the small everyday moments, the details that aren't important to the case but are important to what is being said, what finally happens... the whole point of the book. I love a holistic novel.

The writing style and the pacing make this novel a wonderful read. Leon does an excellent job of making the reader feel like they are part of the case. The mystery has a lot of twists and a bunch of fun characters that make it feel real. That is why it is hard to believe that Leon wrote the novel “as a joke.”From the first gallery, there came a burst of coughing; someone dropped a book, perhaps a purse; but the door to the corridor behind the orchestra pit remained dosed.

Death at La Fenice is the 1st book in the exciting Guido Brunetti Series by Donna Leon, set in the beautiful, romantic, mysterious and unique city of Venice. I enjoyed the segments with Brunetti’s family. There’s such love and warmth in their home. And I loved Paola, his wife.This is the shortest summary to a book that I have written. The plot is a simple detective story that is told through the eyes of Brunetti. That direction works wonders as we get his unfiltered thoughts on everything including Italy. Part of what makes this novel so intriguing is Brunetti and how he perceives the world around him. Yes, you read that right. A friend of hers suggested she try a crime novel and Leon did just that. After she completed it, she stashed it away. She submitted it for the Suntory prize in Japan and ended up winning and was offered a two-book contract by Harper Collins. That is why this turned into a series and more books about the detective followed. But as police procedurals - and first books in series in particular - go, this is a very accomplished read. There isn't the full complement of characters at the Questura as yet: Patta is there but there's no Ispettore Vianello, Lieutenant Scarpa or Signorina Elletra and apart from Patta the other staff at the Questura are two dimensional: it's Brunetti and the city of Venice who carry this story. Even Brunetti's wife Paola hasn't yet grown into her full glory. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. Narrated from Commissario Brunetti’s POV, we accompany him on his investigation and we experience his thoughts and musings as he works through the clues.