The Brunetti Mysteries

I stumbled upon Donna Leon by sheer accident at the British Library back home. The first book I ever read was 'Death at La Fenice', and it was love at first touch. I remember my mum and I scouring the shelves at libraries in search of all of Leon's books, and read whichever we could find! This was a good eight years ago. I stumbled upon her latest book, again, by sheer accident! I was at the Harold Washington Public Library and noticed a familiar face on a flyer posted in the elevator: Donna Leon discusses and signs her new book. And that did it! I went on a Guido Brunetti splurge!

To say that I remembered every book featuring the wonderful Commissario Brunetti would be true. Every book that I have read, that is. I was shocked to realize that I had missed a lot of Brunetti's mysteries! So, I did what every normal book lover would do. I picked up every book that I had not read, and began crossing them off my 'To Read' list. In less than a week I have seen Brunetti through three  different cases: About Face, Suffer the Little Children, A Sea of Troubles, and have two others waiting to be read: The Girl of His Dreams, and Drawing Conclusions (this is the latest release).

If I were to review or write about each book, it would just be repetitive; mainly because this is crime fiction that features the principle characters dealing with different cases. Guido Brunetti is the Italian sleuth who leads these cases. His character, as is established from the very first of Leon's books, is intelligent, sensible, capable and just. He loves his family, wine, food and his home, the city of Venice, and would do all he humanly can to keep them safe and sound.

Most of her books begin with a death and the story goes from there to the end, where one can only hope that justice is served. The author's way of connecting details, and paving a path from beginning to end is, simply put, beautiful. Venice, and Italy, are presented with clear, heart-felt appreciation, despite the changes and downfall in culture and civilization that modernization brings with it. Through her characters we see the beauty that Italy once was, and the hidden beauty that is still there!

I love the way she writes. Simple, and decidedly European in nature (structure), there is humor, cynicism and information. The stories have gotten bleaker as Brunetti sees Venice through change, I suppose it is obvious over a course of 20 books that there be some difference. Brunetti's view of humanity is, I feel, a reflection of the author's. What keeps you hooked is not just the case itself, or the writing, but Brunetti's admission that he is helpless against the corruption within the government and society to fight for justice, and his resilience at trying, repeatedly, succeeding and failing at times. He questions morality and the law itself. He voices opinions and questions that most of us have thought of at some point in our lives in the face of such situations.

Listening to Donna Leon speak at the library last night, I was rather pleased to hear the words she writes coming out of her mouth. It felt like the characters were right there upon the stage. Brunetti's ideologies are well rooted in Leon's sense of justice and the law. I love the picture she has painted of the Brunetti family (Paola, Raffi, Chiara and the Conte and Contessa Falier) - the rich upbringing in culture and knowledge, for the entire family reads (something that is evident in every chapter of Leon's books); and the wide variety of Brunetti's colleagues - the trusted Ispetorre Vianello and Officer Pucetti, the all knowing secretary Signorina Elettra, and the appearance driven Vice-Questore Patta and his lapdog Lieutenant Scarpa, amongst others.

I've read several authors, crime fiction in particular, because I like the cloak and dagger genre of novel writing, and while, like she admitted, Leon is no Jane Austen who created characters that move you without even raising their voices, she has given her characters depth and perception that makes you pause and question your own thoughts and beliefs.

(While on the topic of one of my favorite fictional policemen/detectives, it would be wise to also check out - if you are a fan of the Brunetti series and have come to appreciate another country and culture through his life in these books - Brunetti's Venice and Brunetti's Cookbook).

The book covers in this post are of the books that I have read in the past week.