Customer Reviews

A Noble Radiance

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I love this series. It is set in one of the most interesting and mysterious cities in the world with a complex and equally interesting main character. The plots of each story masterfully intertwine the grit and politics of every day Venice with the day to day challenges of being a police detective. In this story, Brunetti is faced with solving the 2 year mystery of a kidnapping turned murder. Naturally, his insufferable boss, imperious Italian nobility, embarrasing police incompetence (or is it disinterest) and the grinding politics of Italian bureaucracy all challenge our hero's skills as much as the mystery itself. All of this would be forgetable if the book had been written by someone with fewer skills or a heavier hand than Ms. Leon. I especially love her dialogue. The conversations between Brunetti and his wife are tender and realistic. But I really love the way she gives voice to Guido Brunetti's inner thoughts - it makes this, and all of her books, so involving.

With so many cookie-cutter mystery series out there (many of which, I admit, I read and enjoy), it is refreshing to read a novel that is both interesting and very well written.

Note: Unlike some other mystery serials, this book stands on its own and can be read without having to have completed the prior books in the series to enjoy it.

For Donna Leon's fans, Venice, the Most Serene Republic, is anything but serene! In yet another, the seventh
sure-winner in her Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Leon once again masterminds a plot, setting, and unforgettable characters in a must-read book.

In "A Noble Radiance," Leon shows what a master she is in establishing a grappling narrative hook, an absorbing
plot filled with dangerous curves, pitfalls, and landmines, and a theme that at once is contemporary and yet for all

time. The novel begins with the discovery of a badly decomposed body in a lonely farmfield in the north of Italy, and,
as her previous novels have it, Brunetti is given the case.

Just as he suspects, the body belongs to a kidnapped young man, the noble heir to a considerable estate. It is
Brunetti's responsibility to bring the news to the young man's family. Realist that he is, Brunetti is quick to find that,
indeed, something is rotten in the land of the nobili, and from this point on, the reader is led--even carried--to the
conclusion. The conclusion, however, appears a bit weak, albeit quite satisfying, I suppose, as Leon's endings usually
have a way of being far more thought- provoking.

Still, the book is well-worth the time spent--unfortunately, the time goes all too fast when reading Leon; one has the
tendency to wish they would keep on going, as they are, indeed, so mesmerizing. She has created such memorable
characters, most notably Brunetti, who has such a noble philosophy. It is almost as if he is a salmon without a stream,
as his ideals, his honesty, his concept of right and wrong seem at odds with today's sense of morality, whether it be
Italian politics or not. Leon's books are never ones to shy away from social issues and concerns and it is almost as if
she is Cassandra weeping outside the gates of Ilium, begging for anyone to believe her as she touches on responsible
concerns: the environment (especially), corruption (both political and social), and immorality in various forms. Unlike
Cassandra, Leon will be believed, one hopes.

London's "Sunday Telegraph" describes "A Noble Radiance" as a book "with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost
smell it." Indeed, and the smells are not always so desirable. Leon herself (always one with the apt literary allusion)
quotes Mozart at the beginning: "The nobility has honesty painted in its eyes." We find this quite appropriate for the
novel. She manages to evoke the landscape and atmosphere is a manner that lends strong support to her story line.
Her growing flock of readers have come to expect this in each succeeding book. So far, she has not let them down.
Like Caesar, her books have crossed the Rubicon with their social messages and readers should not let them go back! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

Donna Leon is wonderful. A Noble Radiance is the first book of hers that I have read, and I just know that she is wonderful. There is something so pure about this book. That's the only word i can think of to describe it. It is pure crime fiction, crime fiction with its heart in the plot, its pace in the movement of it, and its pleasure in the unravelling of it. Instead of giving us a deep and fascinating character study, Leon manages still to create a brilliant main character. He is developed subtly, gradually and fully, but he never becomes more important than the mystery. That is something lacking from some crime fiction today. The actual mystery takes a back-seat to things like setting, character, atmosphere. Here, the plot takes the front seat, but Leon still is able to present a brilliant backdrop, a wonderful atmosphere steeped in culture, and very fine characters. She uses seemingly large brushstrokes to draw them, and then fills in the details with tiny ones, imperceptible ones. She lays the clues masterfully, moves her plot along with brilliant skill. I can't really describe what a sublime pleasure it was to read this, and what joy I feel at having several more to read!

A Noble Radiance is an absolutely lovely book. Venice is beautifully described, i want to visit the city. It is very rare to find a book so rich in culture. (Also, the idea that the police of Venice have enough money spare form their budget to buy new flowers for the offices every week is an exquisitely romantic one)

I would reccomend Donna Leon to everyone. I can't believe i've been missing out for so long.

I came across this novel purely by accident, purchased it, and finished it within 4 hours. I could not put it down. This was a very well-written mystery and I am thrilled to know there are other books about Commissario Guido Brunetti. I obviously read this slightly out of order with her other Brunetti books, but this was written with no other knowledge of the Commissario needed. The book was self-contained and was a fine read. I have already ordered the rest of her books.

It's a shame that A Noble Radiance is cast as a mystery. Take the need to solve the mystery out, and this would be an above-average novel about contemporary families in Venice.

Ms. Leon takes a long time to set up the mystery. Then, she has the investigation proceed very slowly as well. That would be fine if the resolution was interesting, unexpected, and credible. But to me, the resolution was nonsense: It just didn't ring true.

With much of the story taking place outside of Venice, there's not as much of the local color as usual. The best parts of the story relate to Guido Brunetti's father-in-law warning him about Guido's marriage to Paola, eating Chira's first dinner she's cooked for the family, and exploring Signorina Elletra's seemingly contradictory morals about getting secret information and making public investments.

Here's the set-up: A house and garden have fallen into ruin because the heirs are squabbling until a German buys the place for a huge sum and starts fixing it up. While the garden is being tilled, a bone sticks up that turns out to be human. As the police dig around, they also find a ring with the crest of a noble Venetian family, the Lorenzoni family, best known in recent times for having sold out the location of Venice's Jews to the SS during World War II. The family's son had been kidnapped two years earlier, and he was never found. When the autopsy shows a bullet hole in the skull of a young man, Commissario Guido Brunetti looks for a dental match. Finding one, he now has reason to dig into the kidnapping, looking for murderers.

The Lorenzonis have taken on their lost son's cousin as their heir. Was he involved? Why else had a motive?

As you finish this book, think about what the purpose of a family should be.

I have not listened to the audio version, but the book is very, very good. It is the seventh novel in the series of (currently) twelve starring the Venetian detective Guido Brunetti. As a mystery it works quite well on its own: a body unexpectedly discovered on an abandoned farm in the Dolomites is identified as the scion of a noble Venetian family whose kidnapping had never been solved, and Brunetti must struggle to determine the identities and motives of those responsible before they claim another life. What readers of the previous books in the series will particularly appreciate, however, is the subtle mystery Brunetti finds himself facing within his own family. The solutions to the Comissario's personal and professional challenges are ultimately intertwined in a conclusion which does not represent perfect justice (as is typical in Ms. Leon's novels) but is nevertheless extremely moving. Because Brunetti's relationships with his wife and growing children broaden and deepen over the course of the series, I would recommend that readers start with "Death at La Fenice" if possible, and enjoy the first six books in eager anticipation of this one.

A Noble Radiance is the second Guido Brunetti mystery set in Venice by Donna Leon that I have read. Leon is a very good writer, and she has made an admirable character in Brunetti, but this is not a typical mystery novel of the "whodunit" variety.

The story centers upon the newly discovered body of a young nobleman who was kidnapped two years previously. After two ransom demands, the kidnappers made no further contacts with the young man's family, and so the case remained a mystery. Now with the body discovered buried on a rural farm, Brunetti of the Venice police department, reopens the case as a murder investigation.

Other than Brunetti and his family, most of the characters were not very interesting. What did hold my interest was the life and attitudes of the Venetians and how the European world of commerce works with the opening of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Bloc. The murder case was rather secondary to the actual story of the young man's family's business and not much of a puzzle. Leon's strength as a writer is to make the reader really see the story through Brunetti's eyes, which is no small feat, especially when she uses third person narration. I just wish she could give Brunetti a more complex mystery to unravel.

Donna Leon's creation of Guido Brunetti detective of Venice is one of the great figures of the genre. His family and the city of Venice are equally realisic. "A Noble Radiance" is full of the corrupt and aristocratic background of that city. The interplay of characters in the story is first class.

A house and field in the Dolomites had eight heirs. Tilling the field yields a human skeleton. The skeleton is that of a young man. There is a ring with the Lorenzoni family crest near by. The Lorenzonis are Venetian.

Commissario Brunetti is aware that two years previously Roberto Lorenzoni was kidnapped. He did not handle that case. Dental evidence confirms the skeleton's identity. Guido consults his father-in-law, the Count, to ask about the Lorenzoni family.

The issue raised in the novel's narrative focuses on the length to which an individual, Guido Brunetti, will go to insure integrity in the discharge of police duties. Canals in Venice used to be cleaned often, but now, hardly ever.

It seems that Brunetti is willing to take things very far. He seeks information from the secretary of the Vice-Questore about the Lorenzoni family. She undertakes some research in police files and on her computer. Investigative leads develop through a review of the victim's passport.

There is more, much more, and it is colorful. The plot is exciting and the scene-making is superb.

First Sentence: There was nothing much to notice about the field, a hundred-metre square of dry grass below a small village in the foothills of the Dolomites.

On the recently purchased property of a doctor near the Italian Dolomites is found the much decomposed body of a young man. Near it is a ring bearing the crest of the Lorenzonis, one of Italy's most aristocratic families, whose son had been abducted two years ago. Comm. Guido Brunetti reviews the file and decides to unofficially re-investigate the case. The more he learns, the more he questions whether the kidnapping was as it appeared.

Leon writes some of my favorite characters. Guido Brunetti has a strong moral and ethical code as well as a need to seek out what is just. He has a strong marriage and a close relationship with his children, although these were relatively absent from this book, and is developing a closer relationship with his wife's parents. Then there is the remarkable Signorina Elettra, of whom each reader should have the pleasure of discovering on their own. I particularly like that, in this book, we learn more of Guido's own family and his past. I also appreciate that we see the principal characters grow and develop with each book in the series.

The book is so well written and I love her use of language. There is a classicism to it that reflects the characters and the author and makes her books such a pleasure to read.

Leon creates a very strong sense of place that takes the reader along with the characters. I've not visited Venice, but nearly forget that when I read her books. Her descriptions of food always leave me heading for the kitchen.

The plot was very well done. In essence, it is a story of families and the impact they can have upon us. It is also a story of greed; for money, prestige and false respect. I've always respected that we see the progress of the investigation as Brunetti does, rather than everything revealed at the end. Within the story are scenes that are touching, suspenseful and tragic.

This was a very good book. I am delighted to know I have many more books in the series ahead of me.

A NOBLE RADIANCE (Pol Proc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-No. Italy-Cont) - VG+
Leon, Donna - 7th in series
Penguin Books, 1998, US Paperback - ISBN: 0142003190