Earthly Remains by Donna Leon

by Carol1 Comment
I've read or listened to a fair number of the Commissario Brunetti series, but I read them out of order. It's a bit of bad luck that both this and the one I listened to before it both deal with pollution. Yes, it's a topic Leon keeps coming back to, apparently a major issue in Venice, but usually it's spread out a little than it was for me this time. I would have liked a different topic, but that's more my fault than Leon's. I liked that Brunetti gets out of town for a while this time around. I enjoy the early part of the story where he's relaxing and rowing; it's different than we usually see him. I like the people in the smaller towns, their relationships. I enjoyed the bees and how much they meant to David Casati. I missed his family a bit, but I'm sure they'll be in the next one. The investigation was interesting, with it's digging into...
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Through a Glass,Darkly by Donna Leon

by Carol2 Comments
It always seems like Leon has a topic she wants to discuss and works her mystery around that. This time around it's pollution and the environment. This was not my favorite in the series. The mystery doesn't really get started until maybe half way through. Up until them Brunetti is investigating even though the only "crime" was that a woman he barely knows is worried that her father will harm her husband. I'll grant you that does tie in to the eventual mystery, but a lot of Brunetti's investigating and thinking happens before the actual murder. And someone entirely different is killed. I enjoy the bits of daily life, Brunetti's conversations with his wife and kids, the delicious food. In this one, I found the glass making process interesting. It works better as a novel the a standard mystery I think. I hated the ending. I listened to the audio version, as I always do with this series and I felt like the...
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The Girl of His Dreams by Donna Leon

by Carol2 Comments
We've got two "mysteries" in The Girl of His Dreams, the death of the girl mentioned in the blurb and a potential scam being run by a man claiming to be a priest of some kind. Both are solved even if the resolutions aren't entirely satisfying, but I guess that's a bit like real life, not every mystery gets tied up in a neat little bow. Sometimes politics and money and being at the right place a bit too late all get in the way. I like Brunetti. He's happily married and actually enjoys spending time with his family. He and his wife love books and conversation. While his superior is not ideal, he's not a loner, he works well with the competent members of the force. He cares about his case, perhaps more than he should at times. While the mystery steers the book, the musings on life, death, religion, the mafia make it slower than the typical mystery. There is less...
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Beastly Things by Donna Leon

by Carol3 Comments
I've read several of the Brunetti mysteries, but not necessarily in order. Beastly Things was okay, not the best in the series and there were some things I missed. First and foremost I missed the food, the delicious meals Brunetti has, the desserts and drinks. They're here, but not as tempting as usual. Of course, that probably has to do with the social theme she's tackling in addition to the mystery. We have a look inside the food industry, at the slaughtering of animals and how the meat is deemed "safe for human consumption." I don't mind social issues in mysteries, but at times it can over-shadow the actual mystery plot. And the horrible scene at the slaughterhouse was not as disturbing as I thought it would be, in all honesty. But maybe I've heard too many horror stories before. I like the characters as always and Venice is as a wonderful setting. I will say the plot held few surprises. I guessed...
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