A Question of Belief: A Commissario Guido Brunetti MysteryDonna Leon
Penguin, April 2011
ISBN: 978-0143118954
Intelligent and charming Guido Brunetti, the commissioner of police in Venice, continues to confront corruption in his 19th adventure.
A heat wave engulfs Venice in this, the 19th Guido Brunetti mystery, and the Commissario is looking forward to a vacation in the cooler Alps with his family. But just a few hours into the trip he is called to return to the city to solve the murder of an official involved in a complicated scam. At the same time, Brunetti is attempting to assist his friend, Inspector Vianello, who fears his favorite aunt is being fleeced by a charlatan.
As the mystery develops the reader is immersed into the Venetian court system, politics, real estate and banking. The focus is on the two unrelated crimes that need sorting and this inevitably leads to some very engaging character portraits and stories of human behavior and tragedy that author Leon is so skilled at telling. The story includes a backdrop of venality, governmental inefficiency and lack of accountability that the author confronts through Brunetti. Leon expertly traces the thoughts that go through Brunetti's mind when he uncovers a conspiracy of secrets, lies, and deceit. All of this is related with great wit, humor and credibility by a writer who is unusually well-connected to her characters and her adopted city.
A Question of Belief is a pleasure to read, partly because the author concentrates more on commonplace occurrences than on bizarre and extraordinary events. Leon touches upon important social issues; the environment, illegal immigration, the country's governmental and financial corruptions and blends these into her narrative cleverly and smoothly. The characters are memorable, the plot is intricate and multi-dimensional, and the narration is fluid, it subtly and slowly draws the readers into a compelling and atmospheric tale that is interspersed with domestic interludes. This novel is definitely a winner and I recommend it without reservations! I am already looking forward to reading the next Brunetti mystery.
DONNA LEON first moved from New York 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. It was after a period in Saudi Arabia, which she found ‘damaging physically and spiritually’ that Donna decided to move to Venice, where she has now lived for over twenty years. Donna Leon is the crime reviewer for the London Sunday Times and is an opera expert. She has written the libretto for a comic opera, entitled Dona Gallina.
