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Doctored Evidence: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

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Last year, the publication of US ex-pat Donna Leon's Uniform Justice - about a murder in an Italian military academy - marked her much-lauded return to the American stage after 7 years. (They ceased to be published originally because she believed the way her publishers were marketing her books was "vulgar".) The rest of the world over, she has been a regular feature on the bestseller lists, and determined American fans have only been able to acquire foreign copies. Thankfully, that is now slowly changing. Why thankfully? Because her Commissario Guido Brunetti series, set in her adopted home-city of Venice, is one of the most enjoyable currently being produced. It is a huge big sparkling gem in the crown of crime fiction - it is a treasure trove of pure enjoyment.

Doctored Evidence is the 13th in the award-winning series, and just as good as all the rest. An unpleasant old-woman is found murdered in her apartment by her doctor. She was not liked. Treating her maids no better than slaves, and keeping her television on loud almost every night are just two of the behaviours which alienate her from her neighbours. Suspicion immediately falls on her Romanian maid, who is missing and heading back to her country. As the police catch up with her at a train station on the border, she flees in desperation, and is killed as she runs across the tracks into the path of a train.

Finding a large amount of money on her person, they believe they've found their woman. That is, until one of the victim's neighbours returns from a business trip in London, with strong evidence to suggest that she was not the killer. The investigating officer dismisses her, passing her off to Brunetti, who starts to investigate the case unofficially, and uncovers a mystery far more complex than the one they all suspected.

The fact that Leon writes these novels purely for pleasure (she has said that she would far rather attend the opera if it came to a choice) and not for fame or money (uncomfortable with any kind of "celebrity", she refuses to allow them to be published in Italy) really shines through this marvellous series. It is infused with something marvellous. This is crime fiction for the sake of it. It is pure and it is wonderful.

That's not to say it isn't serious, either, because it is. Donna Leon does for Venice what Ruth Rendell does for Britain and Michael Connelly for L.A. Like many great crime writers, Leon uses her fiction as a way of highlighting things about the world - in this case specifically Venice - which concern her. Indeed, often they expose a level of corruption which Signor Berlusconi would not be at all pleased about! Doctored Evidence focuses perhaps less on general civic corruption - although Leon can't resist throwing hints of it into the mix - and more on a kind of personal corruption, while still managing to write as piercingly and fascinatingly about the society of Venice as ever. She is in the fortunate position of an outsider able to look at a society from the inside, and she utilises that advantage brilliantly for her portrait of the city. These novels are practically drenched in culture, and their protagonist is wonderfully refreshing: he is not hard or gritty, nor particularly flawed or jaded; he is just a normal Italian, a very moral man who wrestles every day with justice and its ambiguities. Plus, his wife is wonderful! The plots are refreshing, too, in the way of much European fiction: they are much less formulaic than some American or British fiction. Leon's mysteries are predictable only in their excellence. Doctored Evidence is a wonderful novel, a pure, sublime joy that no reader should allow to pass by.

It's more than a "lucky 13" for Donna Leon. "Doctored Evidence" is a carefully-crafted, purposefully-written, and fully-fulfilling (typical!) Leon police procedural featuring my favorite Italian, Commissario Guido Brunetti.

The erstwhile policeman has been on holiday to Ireland when the death occurs (A Romanian cleaning woman supposedly murdered her employer and made off with a large sum of money, only to be apprehended at a border crossing; before police can take her into custody, she bolts and is killed by an on-coming train)and when he returns he has already dismissed the case, which he'd read about in the papers, as merely a "cut and dried" episode in the life of the police in Venice.

Of course, the death of the cleaning woman has suspicious and unusual circumstances and shortly after Brunetti returns to work, a neighbor of the dead woman reports to the police that she has proof that the woman is innocent. This, of course, really peaks Brunetti's interest and from that point on, Donna Leon is, well, Donna Leon.

Before the case is closed, of course, readers once again witness the inter-play between Brunetti and his associates, his family, and his beloved Venice. Leon is not shy about taking literary pot shots at a number of socially significant issues facing not only the Venezians, the Italians, but the rest of the world.

Step by step, Leon takes us to the conclusion, where, of course it's no secret, Brunetti's intellect, talent, and good will once more triumph.

"Doctored Evidence" continues the Leon reputation. What a fascinating series Leon has created. Tis a pity one has to wait a year for the next episode.

For all her "baker's dozen" Guido Brunetti books, Donna Leon continues to amaze this reader with her ability to sustain a police procedural so competently, so willingly, and so fantastically.

It's Venice once again and the good Commissario finds himself lured into what appears to be a routine case: a "foreigner" has been apprehended for murder and theft and before the police can secure her, she bolts and is run over by an oncoming train. A simple case. Case closed.

Ah, but here is where Brunetti comes in. Certain suspicious elements emerge and within a few minutes, he's completely immersed into the whole scene.

Along the way, Donna Leon incorporates several socially significant issues (as she always does) that serve only to enhance the plot outline. Her critique on Venezian politics and life in general in that Pearl of the Adriatic stand on their own merit.

Once again, Leon's brilliance at creating memorable characters make this just routine for her: but for her readers, each volume is a true adventure in itself.

It amazes me how much the city of Venice is a character in the Guido Brunetti novels. In this one, it's summer, and the merciless heat, lack of even a breath of air, and milling crowds of tourists are getting Guido Brunetti down.

Vice Questore Patta is spending most of his summer in the swimming pool, but his minions are still screwing up. Brunetti returns from his vaction to find that an old woman has been bludgeoned to death, and Lt. Scarpa seems to have wrapped up the case in record time. But then another witness appears, whose story completely contradicts the police's conclusions, so the case, which had never quite been closed, more or less reopens. I say this because, as usual, Commissario Brunetti is working underground in his own department, trying to avoid and undo the stupidity of some of his colleagues. He is also working outside the law part of the time, as the indefatigable Signorina Elettra hacks into computers worldwide to provide him with background information on clients and victims. This gives Brunetti something else to feel uncomfortable about.

At home, Brunetti's wife Paola is reading their daughter's religion textbook and holds a disquisition on the seven deadly sins. Do we believe in these anymore? And if we do, do the sins still have the same force and meaning they did in the past? She suggests that gluttony, for example, in the sense of excess consumption of all material things, is actually encouraged by society. Can it be a sin anymore?

This discussion follows Brunetti through his investigation. The victim was a thoroughly miserable old woman whose leading sin seems to have been avarice, plain old-fashioned greed. Her son, who died of AIDS, represents other sins entirely. But greed is everywhere in the case, but at the end Brunetti is amazed to find that quite another sin had led to the murder.

In the meantime, the investigation fights its way through the usual government corruption and the endless cynicism of the Venetians. Brunetti is on the move through most of the novel, so those delicious meals at home and fascinating encounters with the rest of the Brunetti family, Paola, Raffi, and Chiara, are rare. In contrast, Signorina Elettra is everywhere, and her role is the only aspect of the novel that I find a bit weak. She is too much of a deus ex machina, pulling rabbits out of her computer at every turn. Even so, the story is compelling, the dialog is great, and the atmosphere of Venice is magical.

This Commissario Brunetti mystery is written in a similar style to Roderic Jeffries novels about Inspector Alvarez set in Majorca (see "An Intriguing Murder," etc.). The present novel is set in Venice. The investigation of the murder of an elderly woman is mixed in with Brunetti's interaction and conflicts with other police, Brunetti's home life, and comments on fine dining, wine, etc. There is considerable local color on Venice and the hot summer climate, comments on local and Italian politics and bureaucracy, discussions of tax evasion, and problems with prosecuting people guilty of crimes. Overall, an interesting novel if you are not familiar with Venice and want a picture of the city.

The story revolves around the murder of a stingy old woman who is described as a shrew hated by almost everyone. Many people would have motives for her murder, so who did the deed? The investigation reveals some surprising information. Brunetti is willing to overlook theft, tax evasion, poisoning animals, people with false documentation, etc. if he can solve the murder. He is not beyond breaking a few laws himself.

The case is solved with a surprising ending, and a question as to how much actual "punishment" the killer will receive.

Donna Leon's thirteenth Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery novel begins with the discovery of the very brutal murder of a hateful and despised old lady. The victim had harassed her neighbors for the past five years with her blaringly loud television. The immediate suspect is the woman's Romanian housekeeper, who was accosted crossing the Italian border on a return train trip to her native country. The suspect panicked, fled the train and was accidentally run over by another oncoming train. Brunetti was on vacation in Ireland at the time and Lieutenant Scarpa, a vindictive colleague, quickly declared the murder solved and essentially closed the case. Upon his return, Brunetti reopens the case when a conscientious women contacts the police declaring the housekeeper's innocence and providing a plausible alibi. This sets stage for a battle of wills between Brunetti and his hated arch-rival Lieutenant Scarpa. As always, the good guys are the triumvirate of Brunetti, loyal Inspector Vianello, and the wonderfully clever Signorina Elettra, the Vice-Questore's secretary. Signorina Elettra, using her computer hacking skills, digs up relevant information such as secret bank accounts, money transfers, and telephone records on a wide range of suspects. After Brunetti has a discussion with his wife Paola about the Seven Deadly Sins (pride, envy, gluttony, lust, anger, greed, and sloth), he tries to reason out which of these sins was the motive for the murder of the old lady.

Leon does a marvelous job of introducing her varied cast of interesting characters and some of the current attitudes of Venetians. These include prejudice towards Eastern European immigrants and gays; the dread of AIDS; tax evasion and suspected construction fraud. As usual, we are treated to Leon's entertaining descriptions of Signorina Elettra's wardrobe, Paola's gourmet meals and the current activities of the Brunetti kids, Chiara and Raffi. In addition, we get some behind the scenes insights into the postal service, the legal profession, the schools administration and a bakery.

In DOCTORED EVIDENCE, Commissario Brunetti has become more impatient and seems to excessively browbeat witnesses and potential suspects -- no more Mr. Nice Guy. There are some memorable scenes where he locks horns with the easy-to-hate Lieutenant Scarpa.

Early in Doctored Evidence, Commissario Guido Brunetti asks his wife, Paola, about a book she is reading . . . a text on religion that has been assigned to their daughter, Chiara. They muse about the seven deadly sins and speculate about whether or not anyone takes those sins seriously any more. During his case, Brunetti assumes that only certain sins can be motive enough for murder. Is he right?

As the story opens, Signora Battestini has been bludgeoned to death by someone strong. She's an old lady who never leaves her apartment, but nothing has been taken. A missing housekeeper seems worth tracking down by Lieutenant Scarpa, one of Vice-Questore Patta's enforcers. In the process of arresting her, a terrible accident takes place. Scarpa and Patta are satisfied that the housekeeper is the killer, and the case goes dormant. Brunetti is away on vacation at the time.

All might have stayed that way, but a neighbor comes to report that the housekeeper is probably innocent. Scarpa tries to get rid of the neighbor, but Brunetti ends up involved. From there, the real investigation begins.

One of the most interesting parts of this story is when Dona Leon fills in some background by Signorina Elletra Zorzi and her seemingly magical ability to access records that shouldn't be available to her. You'll be astonished by the contrast between her personal scruples and her unscrupulous methods for gaining police information.

Brunetti also gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar after doing some illegal searching. How will he handle the potential for exposure and discipline?

The mystery in this book is pretty good. It will be some time before you'll be able to figure out who the murderer is and the motive. The ultimate explanation was credible and added to the pedestrian tone of dealing with the minor and major annoyances of life:

How should you persuade the neighbors to make less noise at night?

How can an exploited housekeeper with questionable papers protect herself from exploitation?

How should a threat to respectability be met?

How can endless official delays be overcome?

Take a ride on the #1 Vaporetto if it's not crowded and enjoy the sights and sounds of Venice (I wouldn't dare suggest you try to enjoy the odors of Venice).

Nancy in Seattle, WA : A gradually building tale of social nonentites and an offensive old lady with few clues as to the reason for a murder or hwo did it. There are mystical web searches, talking to peripheral individuals, a false scent or two and accidental findings. It is fascinating to read of the Italian justice system.

An elderly woman (who no one has a good word for) is found murdered in her apartment. The woman's "companion" (a Romanian with false papers) is killed by a train. Commissario Brunetti is on vacation, so it falls to Lieutenant Scarpa who determines that it's an open and shut case, and closes down the investigation (if you can call it that).

Brunetti doesn't think much about the case until a witness comes forward after having spoken with Scarpa. The witness says that on the morning of the murder, she found the 'companion' locked out of the building on the street. The maid had no money and only wanted to go back home. The 'good samaritan' too her to the railroad station, bought her a ticket to Bucharest and gave her 6 or 700 Euros. The time she took her to the train was an hour before the old woman was killed.

Scarpa having heard the good samaritan's evidence (she had been in London for two weeks which is why she hadn't come to the Questure earlier), decides that she is an 'accomplice'. Having spoken with the good samaritan and then heard Scarpa's decision, Brunetti decides to find out what 'really happened'.

With the help of the ever resourceful Signorina Elletra (and her computer skills) and Inspector Vianella (who doggedly follows every lead) Brunetti is able to follow a very cold and winding trail till he finds the murderer. Like the best of Georges Simenon's 'Maigret' books, Leon builds the story from little improbable pieces until we see the whole picture. Probably the best vignette in the book is when Brunetti confronts Scarpa about how he handled the case and especially the witness.

If not the best, equal to anything that Leon has written in the past.

Zeb Kantrowitz

Donna Leon, who was born in New Jersey, has lived in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, where she worked as a teacher, before moving to Venice many years ago to teach and now to write. "Doctored Evidence" is another Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery set in, and around her adopted city in which; I think, by now, she knows the best place to go for pizza, the worst road to avoid for construction, and the most impossibly noisy, motorcycle clogged, neighborhood. Her recent Commissario Brunetti mystery "Friends in High Places," won the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for fiction. She has also been awarded the German Corinne prize for her novels.

In "Doctored Evidence," a wealthy old woman, widely known as the nastiest in her neighborhood, is found brutally murdered in her apartment. Police suspect the latest immigrant maid (they don't generally last but a month or two), who has disappeared and is thought to be heading for her native Romania. The immigrant, when approached by the border police at the train station, runs for it and is killed as she crosses the tracks. She's carrying a lot of money, and forged papers. So she's evidently guilty, police thinking goes.

But a clearly competent neighbor of the old woman's returns from a business trip to London, and throws some light on the day of the woman's death. The neighbor met with the immigrant maid that day: she gave her the going-home money, and she knows the immigrant would not have had enough time to kill the old woman before she had to leave to catch her intended train. So Brunetti decides to quietly investigate the case himself.

Italy, by the way, is quite a wealthy country these days, with a high standard of living,and, for a Catholic country, a remarkably low birth rate. If it were not for a constant stream of immigrants, legal and otherwise, to take the jobs Italians won't, there'd be nobody to look after the children and the elderly, to enable the extremely high percentage of Italian women who leave the home to work to continue in their careers. In this regard Italy resembles all the traditional western hemisphere.

Be that as it may, Brunetti finds a lot of people who hated Maria Grazi Battestini, including her heirs, and even her doctor. The doctor thinks, " She was an old cow and he hated her. Because he was a doctor and she his patient, he felt guilty about hating her, but not so guilty as to make him hate her any the less. Nasty, greedy, ill-tempered, forever complaining about her health and the few people who still had the stomach for her company, Maria Grazia Battestini was a woman about whom nothing good could be said, not even by the most generous of souls. The priest had given up on her long ago, and her neighbours spoke of her with distaste, sometimes with open animosity. Her family remained connected to her only by means of the laws governing inheritance. But he was her doctor, so he had no choice but to make his weekly visit...."

Eventually Brunetti will solve the mystery of the old woman's death, perhaps not entirely credibly, and it's not at all clear that his discoveries will actually result in a guilty verdict, or even a trial. As is not at all uncommon in Leon's books, in fact, it's likely that nothing will change. Certainly not the death of the Romanian maid, Florinda Ghiorghiu, whom we come to realize, too late, was merely fleeing the police as a matter of sensible policy learned in her homeland, and reinforced as an illegal immigrant in Italy. As ever, Leon continues to remind us that murder, violent death, is not actually a dinner party game, but a sad business. Her political views inform her opinion, of course, but many of us, even those of us who love mysteries, prefer to remember what murder actually is. If you do too, if you can stomach a bit of grit with your foreign glamor, this book, and this series, may be for you.