Respectable Venetians hardly notice the murder of a transvestite prostitute until the body is identified as the staid director of the Banca di Verona. While tongues wag over the scandal, only Guido Brunetti, the suave and sharp-eyed commisario of police, suspects foul play.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The third in Leon's richly evocative mysteries set in Venice and starring police Commissario Guido Brunetti reveals several flaws in Brunetti's character--some endearing, some disquieting, all intriguing. A man's body is found near a place popular with prostitutes. His legs and chest are shaved; his shoes are red, high-heeled and brand new. But what initially looks like the violent death of a transvestite whore may be a different sort of murder ineptly disguised: the victim is middle-aged, his body has been inexpertly shaved and his face is battered beyond recognition. In a tougher story than the previous Death at La Fenice, the Commissario's sensitivity is challenged by his dealings with demimonde creatures to whom he has not previously given much thought. A coincidence directs him, perhaps too easily, toward a villain who is soon covering tracks with more killing; lawyers, laundered money--and sodomy--also figure in the case's resolution. While struggling with his prejudices, Brunetti must hide his glee as the wife of his hated superior makes a highly visible departure into the arms of a famed pornographer. Venice takes on a deep noir tint in Leon's latest well-crafted work.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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More About the Author
A New Yorker of Irish/Spanish descent, Donna Leon first went to Italy in 1965, returning regularly over the next decade or so while pursuing a career as an academic in the States and then later in Iran, China and finally Saudi Arabia. Leon has received both the CWA Macallon Silver Dagger for Fiction and the German Corrine Prize for her novels featuring Commisario Guido Brunetti. She lives in Venice.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A engrossing story in an entrancing setting,
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This review is from: Dressed for Death: A Guido Brunetti Mystery (Hardcover)
Picked up an English copy of this with the title "The Anonymous Venetian" in a bookstore in Venice. It was a fascinating experience not only to read such a wellcrafted mystery but to be able, literally, to walk along with Inspector Brunett as he investigated this murder. The twists and turns of the plot are neatly matched by the twists and turns of the calles and canals of its location.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Leon goes 'high fashion' in this thriller,
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This review is from: Dressed for Death: A Guido Brunetti Mystery (Hardcover)
It's not that Venetians are unaccustomed to discovering a body in and about one of its many canalas, but when this particular body is found to be that of the director of a local, influential, bank, eyebrows and curiosity are raised. And even more so when this body is presented as a transvestite prostitute! All Venice is in an uproar!Donna Leon returns triumphantly in another of her brilliant Commissario Guido Brunetti episodes, and the reader is not left for one second in anything but gripping suspense. Leon, an American writer who is enjoying incredible success at writing police procedurals set in Italy, presents "the Pearl of the Adriatic" in more than all its glory. With Brunetti, she explores not only its grandeur but reveals the city's mud as well. Just as the body is not as it seems, Brunetti finds that there is even more deception to come. Two more bodies are found that are related to this case, and the author examines more than just police procedures here, as she seems to do in all of her novels. The various aspects of Venetian life are examined, the corruption of government officials, the criminal activities (covering a wide range of subjects from drugs to illecit sex trade), and, of course, the personal lives of her central characters. She has a great knack for character presentation that make them more than just "interesting and lovable"! I have found few authors who do so with such dedication and thoroughness. Leon, who lives in Italy, certainly seems to know her subjects well, beginning with the first Brunetti novel, "Death at La Fenice." None of her books should be missed, not simply because she has a glorious setting, or fantastic characters, or plots that are convincing, but simply because she is a good read! Billyjhobbs@tyler.net
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing,
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This review is from: Dressed for Death: A Guido Brunetti Mystery (Hardcover)
The finding of a disfiguraded corpse dressed in woman clothes forced detective Guido Brunetti to investigate - from the lower districts where male prostitution is a daily routine to the higher districts of Venice where lawyers and financers living a double life used the male prostitute to satisfy their vices and corrupted planes - to find the killer of the faceless corpse. A very well written novel that keep the reader intrigued since the first pages.
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