Customer Reviews

Dressed for Death: A Guido Brunetti Mystery

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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.

This book is sold in Europe as Anonymous Venetian and is available at Amazon's UK website in paperback.

This might just be my favorite(so far) in this series, or at least tied with 'Death and Judgement'. The story is immediately engaging and Leon's prose is, as always, excellent. The stories in her mysteries are very well plotted and she's not afraid to critique aspects of a culture she clearly immerses herself with, as deeply flawed. Donna Leon's books have a tendency to both entertain and sadden, because she explores certain possibilities in human behavior and doesn't shy from exposing depravity in even the most innocent seeming people. Very good book and series, highly recommended.

"Dressed for Death" (1994) Donna Leon's third of eighteen novels, a brilliant gem of a procedural, superbly plotted, has more action and a higher body count than her usual efforts. It doesn't have her sometimes leisurely pacing. Commissario Guido Brunetti lacks the comfort of his adoring wife and two children in this one because they go off on vacation to get away from the stifling heat of August in Venice. Brunetti has to battle the unbearable heat and go toe to toe with the powerful and sanctimonious head of the local morality brigade. A group that "sit around talking about how good they are and how bad everyone else is."
Even his nasty boss Patta doesn't bother him much on this case because Patta's wife has deserted him for a notorious pornographer. This is the novel that introduces the computer-savvy and attractive Elettra, Patta's secretary, who becomes the Commissario's ally in the police department.
The body of a transvestite in his fifties in a bright red dress and red shoes is found in back of reeking slaughterhouse in Marghera outside of Venice. It becomes Brunetti's case because the outlying district is short of detective inspectors. This is one case where red herrings are being fed to the investigators. It's fascinating the way Leon in her book uses shaved legs and red shoes.
The stifling summer heat in Venice is as much a palpable character as the people who inhabit Commissario Guido Brunetti's beloved city.
Leon shows great narrative skill as she guides the reader through the witness interviews. It becomes a learning experience for the detective as he gains insights into the vagaries of gay life. Leon's books are full of details about the foods consumed, the ingredients, the cooking, and the quantity eaten.
We read Leon partly to get her take on the Italian national character. "He had then come to realize that most remarkable truth about Italians: no truth existed beyond personal experience, and all evidence that contradicted personal evidence was to be dismissed."
Or: "In Italy, conspiracy theories are sucked in with mother's milk, and no Italian is ever free of the impulse to see conspiracy everywhere."

The book is excellent.
However, I expected a new paperback suitable for a gift. I received a used paperback marked $4.99
and was billed $15.06.

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!