Customer Reviews

Friends in High Places

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Without a doubt, "Friends in High Places" is Donna Leon's best book in her mesmerizing Commissario Brunetti series. "Friends" is the ninth in this outstanding series and Leon has not failed her fans with this latest edition, which, for some unfathomable reason, is not yet published in the States!

The author is able to capture what very few writers in the mystery genre do-- she creates such memorable characters that the reader actually feels he really knows--and even possibly understands--her creations. Certainly, Leon does to Venice what few other writers do to their settings. It is unbelievable that she is able to understand fully the mechanizations of the modern Venetian. She has weaved her plots so intricately--and plausibly--in her series, which seems short of a miracle for some "outsider"--she's an American!--to be able to grasp the bureaucracies of that system, be it religious, political, social, even the illicit "trade" bureaucracies.

With her unforgettable Brunetti and his family, Leon's themes run throughout her novels: among them the "moral path" which is at odds with what Venetians have come to expect and to accept, it seems. If one has a problem, the solution is to utilize his "friends in high places"--a favor for a favor--to solve it. The corruption seems to permeate all aspects of their lives.

But, of course, first, this is a murder mystery, and here, again, Leon is in top form. How exquisitely she leads the reader through this valley of temptation and evil! Yet, despite the impossible task of ever "cleaning up Venice," Brunetti plods on. He alone, it seems at times, knows right from wrong. He takes refuge and solace from his wife Paola; he loves his two children, and his greatest fear is that something evil might harm them.

He senses something is very wrong when a local bureaucrat is found dead; it is labeled an accident, but Brunetti has his suspicions, especially after this bureaucrat had previously contacted him to tell him that he had vital information that he must reveal to him, and to him alone. Before this revelation can occur, he is found dead. Brunetti doesn't believe in coincidences, especially when an attorney who is involved in a corruption investigation is found murdered by a sniper--an attorney whose telephone number Brunetti had found in the bureaucrat's wallet.

From this point on, Leon and Brunetti move cautiously--and sensibly--through this tangled, deceitful web.

The author is quite astute in her observations and realist she is, the endings of her books are not always the "happy ever after" type. Frequently, Brunetti has to con- cede to powers greater than his; he alone cannot stem the flow of corruption--and the Brunetti world, as seen through the series, seems to have no boundaries on corruption, be it from illegal dumping of toxic wastes to the illegal sex trade with local travel companies to the smuggling of drugs from Eastern Europe. Leon leaves no holds barred and the reader is often left to wonder if there really are truly decent folk anymore. Leon does not imply that the corruption is only in Venice, that Pearl of the Adriatic, but leads us to assume that such corruption--especially with today's big bucks, can be anywhere. The average reader knows this all too well, anyway.

For Leon fans, reading this book is not just an inclination, it is a must, naturally;

for new readers, it's also a great read, after reading this one, they will want to go back to the eight previous ones. Indeed, it's a "aventura felice della lettura"! (...)

Having read all of Helen MacInness and Sherlock Holmes (after midnight) as a grad student I couldn't stand reading anything less and so gave up mysteries for over 35 years. Looking for something to read on the train, I bought my first Donna Leon book (A Noble Radiance) in the station in Stuttgart and have read nine of her novels so far. Commisario Brunetti and his sharp-tongued wife (who, like Leon, accidentally teaches English in Venice) are never boring. So far, I've not guessed the plot before it developed, and the description of Venice and Italian life is fantastic. A wonder that she's not been run out of town tarred and feathered, if not be the city fathers or the patrici, then by The Church. Enjoy, when you need something entertaining and intelligently written, with attention to geographic and cultural detail.

If you've liked the Guido Brunetti mysteries, you will probably feel that this is one of the best in the series.

What's it all about? Commissario Guido Brunetti meets an honest public official, and crime follows as those who cheat and admire cheaters seek to remain hidden from honest men.

If that's all this book represented, it would be but an average mystery. Ms. Donna Leon adds a more intriguing element to the story: Corrupt practices breed more corruption . . . both of the heart and of the pocket book. To make the story more effective, she places Guido and Paola Brunetti in the middle of temptations that he isn't able to resist.

In Venice, the Ufficio Catasto is in charge of approving building plans and being sure they are faithfully carried out. As in many cities, homeowners try to avoid extra taxes by keeping improvements hidden from the government. Franco Rossi arrives from the Ufficio Catasto to ask Guido if he has the plans for his apartment. Why? The Ufficio Catasto has no record of plans or permits for the apartment.

What does this mean? Guido may have to pay a large fine; he may have to make substantial changes in the apartment; or he may have to demolish the apartment. None of those choices seem attractive. What about using a little influence to avoid the problem? That temptation dangles before the Brunettis throughout the story.

But they are not the only ones who have such challenges -- Vice-Questore Patta also has the need for some help with public matters. Guido finds himself placed in the middle of that moral choice as well.

During the course of the story, Guido also learns about other unpleasant parts of the underbelly of Venice "civilization" that lurks beneath the beautiful exterior that the tourists love to admire.

It's a powerful story that will leave you seeing Venice differently than you have before.

Enjoy!

Commissario Brunetti gets a visit by a young civil servant to talk to him about his apartment. A couple of days later Brunetti gets an urgent phone call from the same man, who is very nervous and wants to talk to the commissario. Brunetti doesn't get the chance, because a couple of hours later, the young man is found ... dead. Then, a young man and a girl are murdered at the same location as the civil servant. Brunetti starts his investigation.

This silver dagger award winner is another exciting crime story from Donna Leon. As always, the characters come from all regions of the Venetian society. Some of the themes, like drug abuse and bribery, and the interesting writing style make this book into another page turner.

In Italy, Buildings or Apartments should always be listed - officially, and should always have two sets of records for buildings with any reconstruction plans that have happened or happening - officially. When purchasing a property, the new owner retains one copy from the pervious owner - officially. The other would be retained by the Ufficio Catasto - officially. These plans are stored and used by the Ufficio Catasto to show that building permit's were issued and planning permission was given to improve upon such historical buildings and that the building does actually exist. This would be the official process, unofficially certain plans or records become misplaced.

Franco Rossi from the Ufficio Catasto pays a visit to Guido Brunetti's top floor apartment, to inform him that although his building plans exist, his apartment is not listed on the plans therefore he also believes that his apartment should not exist, not only does this amaze Brunetti as they are quite clearly sitting in his apartment, but the awkward situation would be Brunetti cannot produced any plans either. Franco Rossi informs Brunetti that his apartment is under investigation. Brunetti decides to start his own investigation using his friends to get this matter sorted out, unfortunately before this can happen the real investigation starts a few months later when Franco Rossi is found dead at another building site after falling from scaffolding, accident or foul play? Commissario Brunetti unofficially investigates.

This Story weaves itself into different directions giving Brunetti lots to deal with in the heart of his city, drug dealers, petty thugs, money lenders and day to day corruption ranging from the crook on the street to people in power, where does it all end.

Once again Leon gives to us life in Venice very vividly written; you can almost see it and smell it. The fictional comical characterisations come thorough again in this book as it does in pervious ones. My two favourites the wonderful Sicilian Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta (Brunetti Boss), who's always up to his old tricks of power playing and Signorina Elettra (Brunetti hidden source), sharp as a razor mind, who's day to day outfits couldn't get any saucier their about to send Brunetti into a midlife crisis. This book also makes reference to, Through A Glass, Darkly which became the name of Donna Leon's 15th book in the whole Brunetti series.

Brunetti could do know wrong in the flow of corruption. This book shows Power Playing at all levels.

I came across this volume, "Friends in High Places," quite by accident at my local branch library, to which it had just been transferred in conformity with a policy of shifting the paperback stocks from branch to branch every few months. It appears to be well along in a lengthy series featuring Guido Brunetti, who holds the rank of Commissario in one of Venice's many police forces. Despite entering in medias res as it were, I found Brunetti, his family and his genially corrupt environment to be perfectly accessible.

This is, I suppose, primarily a police procedural, but not even that venerable form has been untouched by the taint of the cozy mystery. It seems almost inevitable that the book should contain asides dealing with the architecture of the Commissario's home, his understated but obviously powerful problems with his rich father-in-law, his immediate superior's family problems and other such diversions from the main line of the book. Hammett, I recall, never felt the need to provide such marginally relevant stuff for his Nameless Detective, nor Chandler for his Marlowe, but I assume that the contemporary reading public--or if not them, then the author's editors must demand it.

From the information within this book--and no more than that--I conclude that the author, Donna Leon seems to know Venice fairly well--certainly better than many writers who set their tales in my own home town of San Francisco, making an unholy hash of its geography, sociology and history.

I also conclude that Ms. Leon, in common with many writers, particularly those of British extraction, neither knows nor cares much about the nuts-and-bolts operations of any real police force, and particularly of Brunetti's. Her Commissario comes to his office and then leaves it virtually at random. He has no discernible case load. He is without any visible administrative responsibilities, although he seems to hold the number three position in his force. He has no court appearances, either scheduled or potential. He takes up cases at apparent personal whim. He has no organizational colleagues or rivals. He issues no commands to subordinates, except to a civilian secretary whom he shares with his boss. All these unlikely things are, in fact, characteristic of most police procedurals these days, so they cannot be regarded as a black marks against this one.

Of more significance, though, is a bit of laziness on the part of the author. That secretary I mentioned a moment ago plays an important role in this novel. She uses her computer skills to provide Brunetti with information whenever the author finds it convenient for her to do so. Since the author has made Brunetti effectively both computer illiterate and indifferent, she never has to bother with explaining just how that secretary manages to dredge up the supposedly guarded data and, perhaps more significantly, how she avoids discovery and penalties for her hacking. The secretary is, in short, just a useful device rather than a true character in the novel. Even Agatha Christie's Miss Lemon had more substance to her.

In the same category is an authorial shortcut in the structuring Ms. Leon's tale. We non-Venetian readers have to be fed a considerable amount of raw information on Venetian banking, alternative money-lending and the consequences arising from both. She accomplishes the task in this book by making Brunetti an entirely blank slate, forcing him to ask questions about things that should be common knowledge to any Venetian, and d----d well ought to be known by any high-ranking cop.

Finally, there is the conclusion of the book. It's not bad. It actually makes sense--enough sense for a mystery novel, anyway. It might even be (sort of) realistic. Nevertheless, it is noticeably underpowered. My reaction at the end of the book was, "Is that all?" While admittedly the real world does not often act that way, within a novel I expect the pay-off to be commensurate with the build-up. Sadly, it is not in this book.

Despite all this nit-picking, I rather enjoyed "Friends in High Places." Donna Leon is a competent wordsmith. Brunetti is an appealing character with a charming habit of confusing Charley Chan-like observations with actual wisdom. Venice is an attractive location. And, as I said, the ending actually made a bit of sense--a rare enough accomplishment these days.

These positive aspects are just enough to lift the book from the mediocrity of three stars to a very ... very weak four stars.

If I encounter Donna Leon's Commissario Brunetti on a bookshelf at some time in the future, I have every intention of following his new adventures.

LEC/Am/2-09

This is vintage Donna Leon. Excellent descriptions of Venice...memorable characters...thoughtful insights into human qualities of honor, honesty, corruption and arrogance. My only criticism is that the ending is tepid and all issues are not fully resolved, in my opinion. Leon is very uneven as a writer. When she's off, she's terrible. When she's on, she's magnificent. In this book she comes off very close to the latter. I would say this is one of her better books.

Let me just preface by saying this is the first Leon mystery I've read. Her prose is descriptive but still very clear and concise. It was a quick read. Her use of the mystery plot was neither convoluted nor overly simple. Yet none of these traits really stood out or made me want to recommend her. Leon's true gift is the way she captures Venice and its people. The picture she weaves of Venetian life is multi-layered and includes even the mundane minutiae of what's for dinner. Both Commissario Brunetti and his wife feel like deep well-rounded characters. Every one of Brunetti's old friends and co-workers seem to come clothed in a shroud of distinctively Venetian sensibilities and sentiments. Leon's gift for capturing the subtle spirit of Venice makes readers feel like they really are there sipping on prosecco and getting the latest gossip of the town. The perfect read to get you in the mood for a Venice vacation.

What makes Donna Leon's stories a notch above is that she spends a lot of time with her characters. Far from being cardboard cut-outs or totally into themself neurotics, they are everyday upper middle class people dealing with life and society as it is. Yes it's true that Paola's father is a Conte (Count) and she will take over the title after he passes, but until then she and Guido are just working stiffs raising two kids in Venice Italy.

With Italy becoming more involved with the European Union (no longer just a Common Market), some of the absurdity of life is changing and some becoming more absurd. Ownership of buildings and permission to rebuild remodel or renovate becomes more complicated and complicit as parts of Venice are designated as 'important historical sites'. While this designation means money from the EU for preservation, it becomes more of a hardship for those living in Venice to modernize and update building that were built in the sixteenth and seventeenth century. It's all well and good for the tourists, to protect the 'feel' of Venice but who wants to live in a stone building without indoor plumbing and central heating. As it is many of the children of their friends can't afford to live in the city they grew up in.

When Guido is visited by a man from the Venetian ministry that approves all building renovations and construction, he is told that his apartment was never approved to be built. The end game could be the destruction of his apartment (after twenty years) because under government rules it did not exist. Guido is determined to solve his problems without resorting to going to Paola's father.

But the man who came to see Guido calls him at the Questura and says he needs to meet with him, all very mysterious. The man is then found dead at the bottom of scafolding in from of a vacant building. Guido is suspicious because the man was afraid of heights. When two 'junkies' are murdered in the same building, Guido is sure that someone is trying to protect the owners (or ownership) of the building. What follows is a simple police procedural (hard work and shoe leather).

But Leon also takes us through the labyrinth of everyday Italian life. Especially the dealings with the Byzantine governmental structure, the underground economy and the need to have friends 'in high places' if you are to get anything done. Even if you know who to bribe, you have to know the right people to handle paying the bribe and getting what you want done.

In the end Guido and Paola, both have to question themselves as to what happened to the 'crusaders of the 60s' who now must deal with the 'real world'; and at what point do you ignore your 'moral compass'.

Zeb Kantrowitz

What does building construction have to do with moneylending and drug trafficking? All crimes are intertwined somehow, it seems, and their loose ends inevitably become tied into the life of Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Questura. This time, trouble literally comes knocking on his apartment door: he simply cannot avoid it. Donna Leon weaves an intricate tale involving characters that jump right off the pages at us--repellent ones for the most part, but also vulnerable, self-deceptive, and very human.