Customer Reviews

The Anonymous Venetian

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is another outstanding entry in the Guido Brunetti mystery series set in the incomparable Venice. My only question is why the entire series isn't published in the United States? For other Brunetti fans, be advised that the entire series is published in the United Kingdom and can be obtained from Amazon.UK.

This was the second Donna Leon mystery that I read...note that it is published in the US under the title Dressed for Death. This is a fine mystery with some gruesome moments but also the superb character rendering for which Leon is known. The entire series is worth your time if you like mysteries which are realistic about power and corruption in modern-day Italian society. The foil for this dark seriousness is the city of Venice itself and Guido Brunetti's moments with his family, painted without sentimentality but with much warmth.

A word used in our human circles to describe a crossdresser would be transvestite (Italian: travestito) meaning someone who dresses in the clothes usually worn by the opposite sex. Transvestites may be bisexual, heterosexual or homosexual; Transvestite comes from the Latin word travesty.

Commissario Brunetti investigate the death of what is first to be thought a female worker or prostitute left under a clump of bushes near an Industrial site. The body had been found by a couple of factory workers on their break, all they could really see at the time was her silk red shoes on shapely ankles sticking out of the grass at the end. One of the men approached the women wondering if it was worth stealing the shoes realizing the body was motionless thought better of it and called the police. Twenty minuets later Brunetti and men manage a closer inspection he realizes the female was actually male, full make up wearing his/her very best wig, bright beautiful dress with laced undergarments and striking shoes.

When two more bodies turn up connected to the case Brunetti has to act fast, everybody around seems to be acting like a pack of hyenas (also ambiguous for their gender bend) Brunetti is facing the task of digging deeper into the mind of the crossdresser, which currently is filled to the brim with deception and misconception.

Once again Leon deals with the task at hand with ease, covering many topics, Corruption of government, the sex trade and drugs. The fictional characters are beautifully woven in, a comic team of testosterone police trying to prove what it takes to be real men, right up to my favorite the wonderful Sicilian Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta (Brunetti Boss) whose wife has called his bluff at last and left him, committing the ultimate unforgivable act of seriousness' denting his incredibly ego, the most important thing on his mind now is how to restore his image.

Brunetti eyes are opened up to the seedier side of Venice once again, Left Occupied in thoughts dealing with the matter alone.

Leon pulls out all stops for a fun loving fantastic read in this series. This book is also under the title Dressed for Death.

With The Anonymous Venetian (retitled by the American publisher as Dressed for Death), the Guido Brunetti mysteries reach their full power for the first time. As with Donna Leon's earlier books, The Anonymous Venetian 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!

Donna Leon continues to bring me into the everyday life of the Venetians. I am transported. The detective element is also interesting. But, ah! to be a Venetian in Venice - that's the fun part.

I think Donna Leon is a gem. Her tales of Venice and its habitants are a delightful read and bring the city to life. Her characters are lovable and the background terrific. If you like a "gentle" mystery, Donna Leon is wonderful. Inspector Brunetti and his staff are developed so well that one feels they could be invited to dinner. Zuppa de pesce for all!!

This actually was my first Guido Brunetti novel; and certainly not my last. It's an older novel, but no matter.

Without wasting any dialogue on space filling nonsense, Ms. Leon gets right to the story & successfully stays there. The characters come to life & are developed very well.

This is a no-nonsense detective mystery without all the unbelievable happenings so many writers introduce into a story. Guido Brunetti, his actions are very real both in his professional & personal life.

Setting out to find the murderer of a seemingly male transvestite, the story takes the reader along that line. It also takes the reader into the world of graft, cover-up, local political wrong-doings & crooked banking. Det. Brunetti pretty much knows who is responsible for the murders & crooked dealings. Proving it is another matter. The ending provides a very nice twist by the author in which the bad guy is proven guilty.

The fact the story is set in Venice is an added enjoyment

I felt cheated when I got this book and found it was the English version of one I had read before, Dressed for Death. It's a bang-up mystery,even the second time around.

Have been a fan of Donna Leon since read first of Commissario Brunnetti's series. Enjoy the relationship he has with family and co-workers.
Unfortunately I go through the books too fast.