Customer Reviews

Blood from a Stone

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Another episode in Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti series cannot come too soon! In this, the 14th book, Leon's inimitable policeman is once agan, well, inimitable. It

was a dark, icy and anything sleepy wintry night in Venice, when suddenly five shots ring out, or so it goes. However, Leon's "Blood from a Stone" is anything but simple or trite.

A young African man, a "vu compra" (one of the illegal immigrants known as "venditore ambulante," who sell counterfeit designer luggage in the local squares) is shot dead by two

men. It is so professionally done that when Brunetti arrives on the scene, there is little wonder that little or no evidence, save the dead body, remains. What does remain, however, is enough to trigger Brunetti's suspicion that this is no ordinary shooting and that darker, more sinister, even evil, forces lie simply beneath the surface.

Thus, armed with his usual loyal team members (Signorina Ellatra and Sgt. Vianello,among others), Brunetti once again sets out to solve this case and once again he meets head on the opposition from his own superiors. By now, of course, Brunetti knows that

there is a much bigger picture here and to tread lightly is an undestatement. Still, with his usual tenacity, teamed up with his own unique code of ethics ("for an Italian law officer"),

he begins the investigation, which, as Leon usually does, leads us into waters where no angels (or sensible police chiefs) would dare to tread. "Blood from a Stone" looks into a red-hot international political picture, one very real and seems to know no boundaries, or even depths to which it extends. These socially significant issues generally transcend into Brunetti's personal life, his wife (an academician and healthy liberal in her own right at a Venezian university) and two children. It is perhaps this familial inclusion that makes Leon's Brunetti a more humane, compassionate individual, one whom any ready can

readily respect and admire.

Leon's prose seems to capture the tone and atmosphere of the "pearl of the Adriatic" perfectly. "Opposite them a small group was gathered around three buskers, two violinists and a cellist, who were playing a piece that sounded both baroque and out of tune." Venice, Leon's home of record now, has a special appeal to Leon and as an American ex-patriot she seems content not only to expound on its beauty and pluses, but to address

those areas, especially the corruption, that she feels need addressing. "The Paganelli(Brunetti observes) was a narrow hotel, slipped in, like an architectural dash separating

two capital letters, between the Danieli and the Savoia & Jolanda."

As in her other books, Leon makes no effort to hide her criticism of local (and national) graft and corruption, which seem to permeate all levels and all classes. Each of her books tends to concernate, but not exclusively, on a major issue, whether it be political, religious, social, economic, or human rights. Leon's prose reflects a depth of understanding of these issues that perhaps many of the other police procedural authors avoid (with the exception, perhaps of P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, and Martha Grimes, at times). Not that a novelist has any obligation to go after social injustices, for, after all, one characteristic of fiction is merely to entertain and there are many, many fine novels which do so.

But "Blood from a Stone" certainly is one of Leon's best, a great sign that her series is not

weakening or running out of steam. Here's to future Brunetti episodes!

Reading Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti is always a treat for me, and this latest Brunetti installment proved to be as engrossing and as enjoyable as previous books in the series. But truth be told, the mystery took a while to unfold, and unwound at a much slower rate than previous mysteries. On the other hand, this difference still not affect the overall lyricism or grace of the book. Commissario Brunetti is still a policeman whose main objective is to do his job well, honestly and fairly, in spite of the corruption around him. In this case, "Blood From a Stone," Brunetti tries to discover why a Senegalese street peddler, a vu cumpra, was professionally shot down in public. Because the man was, in all probability, an illegal immigrant, the police have little to no knowledge of who he was or why he was killed; and because of his illegal status, the likelihood of someone coming forward to identify him and provide vital details is next to nil. Frustrated but undaunted, Brunetti and his faithful colleagues (Vianello & Signorina Elettra) plod on, using whatever useful contacts they have to learn more about the Senegalese immigrants, and why someone would want to kill one of them. But even before they can get very far in their investigations, they're warned off by Vice-Questore Patta (Brunetti's boss the bane of his life). Patta intimates that they'd all be better off if Brunetti backs off. And while Brunetti is not a big fan of Patta's, he cannot help but wonder who could scare or influence Patta enough to ensure that he warned Brunetti off. Irreggardless of Patta's warning, Brunetti presses on, only to make a discovery among the dead man's things that really puts the fat on the fire...

In spite of the sedate pacing, "Blood From a Stone" was still a fantastic read. Donna Leon is a masterful storyteller. Competently, she sets the stage -- the Christmas season in Venice, the cold, the tourists, the vu compra and the invisible life they seem to lead -- and then, brilliantly, without lecturing, she makes political point, fusing it to the novel and making it the focal point of the book. But everything is gracefully done, making this incredibly engaging novel a very riveting read. And at the heart of everything, is the series' moral and stalwart hero, Commissario Guido Brunetti, a man whose need to discover the truth and punish the guilty, is what makes this series (and this book, in particular) so very compelling and enjoyable. All in all an excellent read, not to be missed.

Donna Leon's 14th Guido Brunetti mystery novel explores contemporary issues in Italy and the magical city of Venice. She skillfully uses her good Commissario, his family, and his colleagues to make political and social statements about Italy and global problems.

The story begins with the execution-style murder of an illegal African street vendor in a busy Venetian campo while he was attempting to sell his fake designer handbags to a group of American tourists. (An African street seller is called a vú cumprá, which is an Italian slang term for you wanna buy? -- the official and more PC Italian term is extracomunitario.) Commissario Brunetti, called to investigate the killing, realizes just how little he knows about these illegal street sellers -- where they're from, how they got to Italy, where they live, how they survive. With the help of his loyal sidekick Vianello, and the stunning, computer savvy Signorina Elettra, he gets a foothold on the case when he locates where the victim lived. He finds some critical evidence in the vú cumprá's apartment, but doesn't report it because he doesn't trust it in the hands of the police hierarchy. Just when he is making progress on the case, Vice Questore Patta, Brunetti's annoying, slow-witted boss, orders him to stop the investigation which has been taken over by not one but two Italian ministries in Rome. Naturally, Brunetti, determined to find out what is behind all this intrigue, disobeys and has to tap into his connected and powerful father-in-law, Count Falier, in his search for answers.

The book is set at Christmas time in Venice. Leon describes the seasonal festivities in marvelous detail. As always, Brunetti's wife Paola and kids Chiara and Raffi get a fair amount of stage time. We join them for gourmet lunches and dinners, go Christmas shopping with them, and witness major disagreements between mother and daughter. Leon is sympathetic to the plight of the vú cumprá and to the misfortunes of Africa. As usual, American tourists and the corrupt Italian bureaucracy come under here critical gaze.

In Blood from a Stone, we are introduced to some interesting characters -- Claudio Stein, who was close to Brunetti's father during and after World War II; Don Alvise, a socially active ex-priest who left the church because of disagreements on giving assistance to African immigrants; Renato Sandrini, a resentful criminal defense attorney who owes Brunetti some favors and is married to the daughter of a local mafia don; and, Azir Mahani, an Iranian immigrant teenager who is Chiara's new friend.

This book is a must read. Donna Leon is such a marvelous writer.

I love the Brunetti books, but this one just seems to miss the gondola, as it were. It's a mystery in which which Brunetti seems to be more of a spectator than the solving sleuth. Even Leon's usually amusing interchanges between Brunetti and his boss Patta lack spark here. About the only thing in which this book excels is Leon's descriptions of Venice. Armed with my map of the city, I follow all the action canal-by-canal, calle-by-calle. So, mainly for the travelogue I give it three stars. Donna Leon is a superstar in my book and I guess she is allowed to occasionally boot one. Hope her next book regains the artistry that her previous offerings do.

If you are looking for the kind of clear good guy/bad guy, narrow escape, ultimate resolution, loose-ends-tied-up package you normally get from a book in the mystery genre, this one is going to require you to make some adaptations. A murder that first appears to be a simple "street crime" turns out to be something with much larger implications, linked to international scheming and power politics way beyond Commissario Brunetti's ability to handle -- and in refusing to drop it, as he is both ordered and threatened to do, he endangers people who trust him. I found this book both disturbing and wonderful.

Another reviewer has complained that Paola Brunetti's "ultra leftist" arguments have no place in this book. They are not ultra leftist -- they are somewhat liberal -- but even if they were, she is a character in a book, and interesting characters are people with values and social concerns they care about. The moral dilemmas raised for the Commissario are part of what makes this series so absorbing, IMHO.

Blood from a Stone is a worthy addition to Leon's collection of Venice based mysteries tackled by the admirable Guido Brunetti. What I particularly enjoy about these novels is the genuine humanity displayed by Guido and his family. After 2 decades in the sordid world of crime, in a police dept with decidedly uncertain backing from the state, Guido has managed to retain his compassion for victims and his dedication to the cause of serving justice. His devotion to wife and family is always heartening to see, as Paola and he struggle to raise their 2 teenagers to become thinking, caring adults. Class struggles, political machinations, and the crime of the day itself all combine to provide a realistic picture of life in a city which is all too easy to regard as a romantic fairy tale of a place. Having seen hundreds of "vu compera" ("want to buy?") while on vacation, it was interesting to learn something about their way of life, their motivations and problems. This is also the first occasion on which Guido has had to consider the dangers inherent in the research methods he and the indomitable Senorina Electra employ.
I listened to the audio version, and enjoyed the narration with its wide variety of accents and personalities.

One of her best. The written is superb. Her exploration of the immigrant problem AND the way the the corrupt government uses the "terrorism" issue to hide its own crimes is beautifully handled. The characters are three-dimensional, real people, and Brunetti's family life is well drawn, one of things that keeps me coming back. This one has a very subtle ending, but a powerful one nonetheless.

It would appear that one of the reviewers (Gloria something) who gave this book one star was not paying attention near the beginning of the book when one of the assassins is described as having "hairy hands." With Donna Leon, you REALLY have to pay attention.

I look forward to reading the next in this series, having read all of the previous ones. There's not a bad one in the bunch.

Venice is experiencing a rainy season which is making it harder for the illegal street vendors of knock-off, designer labelled handbags to make a living. Right in the middle of a sale, a Senegalese man is shot four times in execution style, in front of his prospective customers. All of the "vu cumpra", the illegal sellers, disappear quickly before the police arrive, headed by Commissario Brunetti. His immediate superior orders him not to pursue the matter and to hand over any files and evidence to the Departments of Interior and Foreign Affairs. Brunetti is not as amzed at this kind of directive as a policeman in another country would be, as the government and its departments are rife with corruption, and he is quite used to it. Nevertheless, he continues his investigations and searches the apartments of the "vu cumpra", having found their addresses from his own slightly suspect contacts. He discovers a collection of uncut diamonds, hidden in a bag of salt and deduces that the Senegalese men are planning to exchange the diamonds for arms, to use in the civil war in Angola. The government has been working to gain a lucrative contract to have exclusive mining rights in Angola, and it appears that the authorities are happy to have future rebels bumped off by the Mafia, on the orders of the government.

This series has been around for some time and I'm not familiar with the characters, but have enjoyed their company so much that I'd like to go back to the beginning of the series.

I was looking forward to blissfully soaking myself in a good old-fashioned cloak and dagger novel, but initially found this one a little tepid. More used to the rat-a-tat pace of the American crime caper, or the sinister undercurrents of the English countryside, it took me a while to get used to the well-read, genial hero of this Venetian mystery.

Guido Brunnetti, devoted family man and lover of good food, is a far cry from the stereotypical hard-boiled, macho cop hero. The story is well written, with a thought-provoking plot that takes time to unravel.

My main quibble is that our hero is reduced to being a frustrated witness when the final pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Neither he, nor the reader, has the satisfaction of declaring whole-heartedly, "Case closed!" Still, I think the series holds promise. Next time, I might try one of the better-reviewed books of Ms. Leon's like, "Doctored Evidence" or "Uniform Justice". Until then, Ciao Guido!

Donna Leon never disappoints - her Venice is spot on and her characters human and fascinating.