Customer Reviews

Dressed For Death

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This is, as are all of Donna Leon's novels, excellent. However - it is the SAME book as "The Anonymous Venetian", so beware, those who are completing their Brunetti collection.

I hate the way American publishers slap new titles on British books.

This book seemed a little more leisurely than most, even though it takes place over a week or so. It's the hottest week of the year and all sensible Venetians have headed for the hills including Brunetti's family. He has to stay behind to solve a transvestite murder in the neighboring city of Mestre. As usual, Brunetti is intuitive and humane and clever enough to manipulate his idiot boss Patta. This book marks the first appearance of the remarkable Signorina Eletra, the Questura secretary who is skilled at computer research and has an amazing ability to ferret out the most secret information. I am a Donna Leon fan and have read all the books I can get my hands on (about 6, I think). This is one of my favorites. Leon evokes the stiffling August Venetian weather and its effect on the inhabitants as she takes us into the gay underworld. I believe Leon has written 13 Brunetti novels. I wish they'd publish them all here in the U.S. I always want more.

A word used in our human circles to describe a crossdresser would be transvestite (Italian: travestito) meaning someone who dresses in the clothes usually worn by the opposite sex. Transvestites may be bisexual, heterosexual or homosexual; Transvestite comes from the Latin word travesty.

Commissario Brunetti investigate the death of what is first to be thought a female worker or prostitute left under a clump of bushes near an Industrial site. The body had been found by a couple of factory workers on their break, all they could really see at the time was her silk red shoes on shapely ankles sticking out of the grass at the end. One of the men approached the women wondering if it was worth stealing the shoes realizing the body was motionless thought better of it and called the police. Twenty minuets later Brunetti and men manage a closer inspection he realizes the female was actually male, full make up wearing his/her very best wig, bright beautiful dress with laced undergarments and striking shoes.

When two more bodies turn up connected to the case Brunetti has to act fast, everybody around seems to be acting like a pack of hyenas (also ambiguous for their gender bend) Brunetti is facing the task of digging deeper into the mind of the crossdresser, which currently is filled to the brim with deception and misconception.

Once again Leon deals with the task at hand with ease, covering many topics, Corruption of government, the sex trade and drugs. The fictional characters are beautifully woven in, a comic team of testosterone police trying to prove what it takes to be real men, right up to my favorite the wonderful Sicilian Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta (Brunetti Boss) whose wife has called his bluff at last and left him, committing the ultimate unforgivable act of seriousness' denting his incredibly ego, the most important thing on his mind now is how to restore his image.

Brunetti eyes are opened up to the seedier side of Venice once again, Left Occupied in thoughts dealing with the matter alone.

Leon pulls out all stops for a fun loving fantastic read in this series. This book is also under the title The Anonymous Venetian.

With Dressed for Death (originally titled as The Anonymous Venetian), the Guido Brunetti mysteries reach their full power for the first time. As with Donna Leon's earlier books, Dressed for Death features a corpse that's prepared and deposited to create maximum confusion for the police. That tiny fragment of her style becomes a launching pad for much self-examination by readers about how others think and live, including transvestite "working women" and those who employ them.

The book offers two new aspects to the series that readers will also find rewarding: Vice-Questore Patta is knocked off his smug pedestal when his wife leaves him to live with a pornographer and Patta also hires the astonishingly capable Elletra Zorzi who makes the Brunetti series much more realistic in terms of portraying police procedures.

But this book could have been better titles as, "Vacation Lost." Brunetti is about to leave for two weeks away from stifling hot Venice for the mountains when a man dressed as a woman is found dead outside of an area where female ladies of the night normally operate. For reasons only known to Patta, Brunetti is assigned to lead the investigation in nearby Mestre. Although Brunetti promises to wind up the investigation as soon as possible, he knows that he's unlikely to be able to join his family. But dutiful to a fault, he proceeds to pursue a case that others want squelched.

The investigation takes Brunetti into the seamy world of those who sell their bodies to make a living . . . and where the police are seen as the enemy rather than as protectors. Brunetti finds himself out of his depth until his wife, Paola, asks some penetrating questions that shake Brunetti's self-absorption.

But watch carefully, there are unexpected events and people populating this book . . . and each unexpected aspect has meaning for the story.

Watch out for one more thing: This book may hook you on the series so that you won't be able to escape its appeal. I don't recall reading a third mystery in a series that's as good as this one.

Why? Venice makes the stories fascinating as you see behind the surface that the tourists experience. Brunetti is a fascinating, complex, and admirable character whom you will enjoy as a detective. His family life adds to the spice. The candid assessments of other members of the police also make for much good humor. The criminals in this case are people you'll be glad to see brought to justice. The methods will be equally intriguing. You'll also explore aspects of life you don't normally think about. As a result, Ms. Leon delivers more than you should expect from even a fine mystery.

Ciao!

Donna Leon is a master at creating a setting. Having only visited Venice once, I am by no means very familiar, but she creates such an excellent atmosphere, I feel as though I am in the city and know it as well as Brunetti himself. The case was interesting and Leon doesn't go the easy route by always declaring one clear villain. Brunetti himself is so likable, I feel, as I do withBarbara Cleverly's Joe Sandilands, sad that I can never actually meet him. Fortunately I can intrude into his fictional life and enjoy Leon's many books. I highly recommend this series to mystery lovers and fans of travel memoirs as well.

In this novel, also published as "The Anonymous Venetian", besides delivering a tantalizing mystery, Leon deeply explores another aspect of Italian culture: the firmly rooted concepts of "macho" and proud males. When the body of a man is found with his faced bashed in, in a woman's dress, and with makeup and shaved legs, many in the police force decide that the crime is not worth their time. However, those readers that know Commissario Guido Brunetti and his ethical thinking, know that he will put as much effort in solving this case as in any other. Even if the case belongs to another jurisdiction and gets assigned to him shortly before he plans to leave with his family on vacation, Brunetti approaches this with the respect and seriousness he always shows.

The investigation takes Brunetti through a very interesting underworld, where Leon shows her ability for depicting fascinating characters. The twists and turns may be limited in this novel, but the writing style and side aspects are so good that the overall quality of this work is outstanding. As is usually the case in this series, we get to witness a good portion of Brunetti's family life, and his interactions with his witty wife and teenage son and daughter. There is also a side plot that has to do with Patta, Brunetti's supervisor, and the problems he is going through with his wife. These make him the topic of conversation in the police department and will provide the reader with a couple of laughs, especially those that have hated the way he has treated Brunetti in the past.

The food still plays a major role in this novel, and it is very effective in conveying the lifestyle of the main characters. Every time I read one of these books I feel like booking a ticket, going to Venice and experiment these delicacies myself. Those that enjoy mysteries with well-developed and likable characters, plus good depictions of places and cultures, will find this series to be their perfect fit.

The most annoying thing about this book is that it is also available under the title The Anonymous Venetian. So be careful when purchasing the wonderful Donna Leon Books. A couple of them have been published under different names.

This book was a selection by one of the members of my book club. It was nothing like I would have chosen. I did however really enjoy reading it. Since I have been to Italy I could relate to parts of the background in the story. Getting out of your normal routine of reading is often very satisfying. Don't pass this one up without giving it a try.

Guido Brunetti is an Italian murder detective who is not swayed by power or public assumptions, but wait for the case to unfold before making judgements. This book in Donna Leon's series draws a striking diffeence between Brunetti and the men who hold the strings of power in the county, men who's interests are often intertwined.

A good murder mystery, a great thinking person's tale.

If you haven't read any of Donna Leon books, you are missing a great writer and story teller. Also her background of Venice by actualy living in Venice, Italy is her true key to true enjoyment. The Commissario is so Italian and down to earth. A MUST READ!