Fatal Remedies [Paperback]

Donna Leon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 2009

For Commissario Brunetti, it began with an early morning phone call. In the chill of the Venetian dawn, a sudden act of vandalism shatters the quiet of the deserted city. But soon Brunetti is shocked to find that the culprit waiting to be apprehended at the scene is someone from his own family. Meanwhile, Brunetti is under pressure from his superiors to solve a daring robbery with a link to a suspicious accidental death. Does it all lead back to the Mafia? And how are his family’s actions connected to these crimes?

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Washington Post

"One of the best international crime writers . . . and her tales . . . set in Venice are at the apex of continental thrillers." -Peter Mergendahl, Rocky Mountain News

"Leon's gentle pace allows conversation and atmosphere to develop so full and founded that you can taste the coffee and smell the flowers. . . . You'll want to catch the first plane over there." -Phillipa Stockley, The Washington Post

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reprint edition (December 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014311705X
• ISBN-13: 978-0143117056
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paola Brunetti: A Celebration, September 19, 2011

By 

Tom S. "filmfan3" (New York City) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Fatal Remedies (Paperback)

Venice, the City of Love, is also the city of crime--at least, it is in Donna Leon's charming, beautifully written series of mysteries. Guido Brunetti works for the Venice police, and he lives in the city with his wife and two children. Guido and his colleagues usually have to deal with murder, theft, and political corruption involving strangers, but in this particular story the "criminal" is very close to home. When his wife, Paola, commits a vandalous act of social protest and is arrested, our marvelous, quirky hero is forced to "solve" the case. This leads to the exposure of some actual crime and criminals, which was Mrs. Brunetti's intention all along.

Ever since Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery, the mystery world has been graced by the presence of this thoughtful, brilliant detective and his city. FATAL REMEDIES is one of my favorites in the series because it focuses a great deal on the wonderful Paola Brunetti, and she's my favorite character. If you like good, old-fashioned detection in a fascinating setting, you'll like Donna Leon. Fans of the late, lamented Inspector Morse or George Simenon's Inspector Maigret will probably love the Brunetti series. I know I do. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brunetti with a twist, January 9, 2012

By 

R. G. Phipps "rphipps124" (Fairmont, WV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fatal Remedies: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery (Kindle Edition)

Donna Leon's books could be billed as "ripped from the Italian headlines" as Law and Order once was on American television. She touches upon the issue of sex tourism in this installment of Bruno, and weaves Bruno's wife into the storyline much more than usual. I always enjoy Leon's books, and this is no exception. Highly recommended.

1 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Slow. Very, very slow., May 5, 2011

By 

John J. Higgins "Mister Jon" (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fatal Remedies: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery (Kindle Edition)

A Washington Post reviewer called her writing style a "gentle pace." I call it boring. I thought this tale would never begin; then I thought it would never end. Way too calm and predictable for today's fast paced thiller reader. I will not read her again.