Book 10 in the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery series
Donna Leon‘s novels are based around corruption, public distrust and fear of government and police. This story opens when a fishing boat catches fire and sinks after a violent explosion. A subsequent investigation into the cause of the incident and the discovery of the owner and his son’s bodies points to foul play.
The murder of the two fishermen of Pellestrina draws Commissario Brunetti to a tight knit community where villagers have grown suspicious to outsiders and are extremely loyal to each other. The Questore’s secretary, Signorina Elettra offers to visit the island where she has relatives to covertly find out what the locals think and are not openly discussing with the police.
Brunetti finds himself not only having to confront the issues of her safety but also of his feelings for her….Guido knows he has a dangerous task ahead and anxiously waits to see what Elettra will uncover……
The plotting is excellent, highlighting family ties and personal friendships. Great character development exposes another side to the illusive Signorina Elettra, a person we known up to now as a machine like secretary. Yes she really has a personal side, a life off the job….This is a refreshing change of focus….As usual Brunetti’s family life is part of the story. Woman’s intuition leads his wife to be concerned about his working involvement with Elettra…The story ends with a violent storm that catches Brunetti completely off guard….
The novel is an asset to the series, another one I enjoyed.
No comments:
Post a Comment