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Reading lists

9 beach reads set in Italy

A photo of Donna Leon, author of Give Unto Others, side-by-side with the interview title, 21 Questions, on a fuchsia and grayscale background.

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Interviews

‘Unlike Dickens, Trollope understands women’: 21 Questions with Donna Leon

Earthly Remains

The intelligent and capable police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice.

‘When she's writing about her beloved Venice, Donna Leon can do no wrong. . . Earthly Remains is one of her best’ New York Times 
 
A New York Times Bestseller 
 
Granted leave from the Questura, Commissario Guido Brunetti decides to take a well-earned break and visit Sant'Erasmo, one of the largest islands in the Venetian laguna. 
 
The recuperative stay goes according to plan until Davide Casati, the mysterious caretaker of the villa Brunetti has been staying in, goes missing following a sudden storm. Nobody can find him - not his daughter, not his friends, and not the woman he's been secretly visiting . . . 
 
Convinced that this was no accident, Brunetti is compelled to set aside his holiday and discover what happened to the man who had recently become his friend. 
 
‘Leon shows that she can still spring surprises as Commissario Brunetti is confronted with a type of crime completely outside his experience’ The Times

Donna Leon was named by The Times as one of the 50 Greatest Crime Writers. She is an award-winning crime novelist, celebrated for the bestselling Brunetti series. Donna has lived in Venice for thirty years and previously lived in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, where she worked as a teacher. Donna's books have been translated into thirty-five languages and have been published around the world. 
 
Her previous novels featuring Commissario Brunetti have all been highly acclaimed; including Friends in High Places, which won the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Fatal Remedies, Doctored Evidence, A Sea of Troubles and Beastly Things.

Falling in Love

‘[An] intriguing, tense thriller. The ending is to die for’ Daily Express 
 
Years ago, Guido Brunetti cleared the opera star Flavia Petrelli of the murder of a renowned conductor. When she returns to Venice to sing as the lead in Tosca, Brunetti and his wife Paola think nothing of attending an early performance. 
 
But when Flavia confesses her alarm about the overwhelming attention she has received from an anonymous fan – and then a singer who she compliments is savagely attacked – Brunetti is alarmed. As Brunetti sets out to uncover the attacker and bring them to justice, he soon finds himself drawn into the psyche of an obsessive fan . . . 
 
‘There is nothing more pleasant than spending time in the company of Commissario Guido Brunetti’ The Times

The Jewels of Paradise

From the bestselling author of the Brunetti crime series comes The Jewels of Paradise, a gripping tale of intrigue, music, history and greed and Donna Leon's first stand-alone novel. 
 
‘Splendid . . . A fascinating historical mystery. Full of authentic details and wittily recounted’ Independent 
 
Caterina Pellegrini is a native Venetian, and like so many of them, she’s had to leave home to pursue her career. With a doctorate in baroque opera from Vienna, she lands in Manchester, England. Manchester, however, is no Venice. When Caterina gets word of a position back home, she jumps at the opportunity. 
 
The job is an unusual one. After nearly three centuries, two locked trunks—believed to contain the papers of a baroque composer—have been discovered. Deeply connected in religious and political circles, the composer died childless; now, two Venetians, descendants of his cousins, each claim the inheritance. Caterina’s job is to examine any enclosed papers to discover the “testamentary disposition” of the composer. But when her research takes her in unexpected directions, she begins to wonder just what secrets these trunks may hold. . . 
 
‘Written with all Leon’s elegant delicacy combined with her ability to reveal the truth almost without your noticing, this is a little gem of a book’ Daily Mail

From the bestselling author of the Brunetti crime series comes The Jewels of Paradise, a gripping tale of intrigue, music, history and greed and Donna Leon's first stand-alone novel. 
 
Caterina Pellegrini is a native Venetian, and like so many of them, she’s had to leave home to pursue her career. With a doctorate in baroque opera from Vienna, she lands in Manchester, England. Manchester, however, is no Venice. When Caterina gets word of a position back home, she jumps at the opportunity. 
 
The job is an unusual one. After nearly three centuries, two locked trunks—believed to contain the papers of a baroque composer—have been discovered. Deeply connected in religious and political circles, the composer died childless; now, two Venetians, descendants of his cousins, each claim the inheritance. Caterina’s job is to examine any enclosed papers to discover the “testamentary disposition” of the composer. But when her research takes her in unexpected directions, she begins to wonder just what secrets these trunks may hold. . .

A Refiner's Fire

Commissario Guido Brunetti returns with a gripping and powerful case about the murkiness of power and a test of loyalties 
 
'Perfectly crafted . . . this only proves what a truly great writer [Leon] has become' Mark Sanderson, The Times 
 
'One of the most subtle and exquisite detective series ever' Washington Post 
 
When two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice’s campi, the son of a local hero is implicated. But when Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy foreigner to vet this man, Monforte, for a job, he discovers that Monforte might not be such a hero after all. 
 
This seeming contradiction, and a brutal attack on one of Brunetti’s colleagues by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti’s attentions. Soon, he discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte’s past, culminating in a fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption. 
 
A Refiner’s Fire is Donna Leon at her very best: an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, and who constantly interrogates the ambiguity between moral and legal justice.

One of the best European novelists around

The series that has shadowed Brunetti for three decades is an epic achievement

One of the most subtle and exquisite detective series ever

This is Donna Leon at her very best, with rich characters and elegant, sophisticated storytelling

Dead Good Books - The best crime and thriller books of 2024

Only in a Donna Leon novel could you find Tacitus (“They make a desert and call it peace”) and Nancy Sinatra cited on the same page. You never know what she’s going to say next. If her increasingly sardonic wit provides more surprises than the perfectly crafted plot, this only proves what a truly great writer she has become.

Where else but Venice would you find a policeman who reads Proust, appreciates the beautiful things in life and cannot work on an empty stomach? . . . Like many of her readers, while I came for the crime, I stayed for the characters and Italian culture.

Donna Leon is author of the much-loved, best-selling series of novels featuring Commissario Brunetti and one of The Times' 50 Greatest Crime Writers. Widely considered one of the best detective series ever, with admirers including Ursula K. Le Guin and Val McDermid, the Brunetti Mysteries have won numerous awards around the world and been translated into thirty-five languages.

When two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice’s campi, the son of a local hero is implicated. But when Commissario Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy foreigner to vet this man, Monforte, for a job, he discovers that Monforte might not be such a hero after all. 
 
This seeming contradiction, and a brutal attack on one of Brunetti’s colleagues by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti’s attentions. Soon, he discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte’s past, culminating in a fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption. 
 
A Refiner’s Fire is Donna Leon at her very best: an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, and who constantly interrogates the ambiguity between moral and legal justice.

By Its Cover

The 23rd installment in the brilliant Brunetti series from The Sunday Times bestselling author, Donna Leon. 
 
A Washington Post Bestseller 
A New York Times Bestseller 
 
‘Inspired by the real-life looting of the Girolamini Library in Naples, this book adds to Donna Leon’s best-selling Commissario Guido Brunetti series . . . Leon’s description of the setting is vivid’ New York Times 
 
‘Will both delight and strike fear into bibliophiles’ hearts. . . . A finely drawn tale that encompasses theft, blackmail, emotional violence, and murder, as well as a rich array of characters . . .’ Boston Globe 
 
When several valuable antiquarian books go missing from a prestigious library in the heart of Venice, Commissario Brunetti is immediately called to the scene. The staff suspect an American researcher has stolen them, but for Brunetti something doesn't quite add up. 
 
Taking on the case, the Commissario begins to seek information about some of the library's regulars, such as the ex-priest Franchini, a passionate reader of ancient Christian literature, and Contessa Morosini-Albani, the library's chief donor. 
 
Soon Brunetti finds himself submerged in the dark secrets of the black market of antiquarian books. Alongside his ever-faithful team of Ispettore Vianello and Signorina Elettra, he delves into the pages of Franchini's past and into the mind of a book thief in order to uncover the terrible truth.

The multiple award-winning Leon has lost none of her talent for weaving intrigue, and the atmosphere of Venice is as beguiling as ever.

Leon's command of the baroque Italian thriller is second to none.

An excellent entry in the Brunetti series … There are few detectives with whom I enjoy spending time more and I must now endure the long wait for Leon’s next book.

A Washington Post Bestseller 
A New York Times Bestseller 
 
‘Inspired by the real-life looting of the Girolamini Library in Naples, this book adds to Donna Leon’s best-selling Commissario Guido Brunetti series . . . Leon’s description of the setting is vivid’ New York Times 
 
‘Will both delight and strike fear into bibliophiles’ hearts. . . . A finely drawn tale that encompasses theft, blackmail, emotional violence, and murder, as well as a rich array of characters . . .’ Boston Globe 
 
When several valuable antiquarian books go missing from a prestigious library in the heart of Venice, Commissario Brunetti is immediately called to the scene. The staff suspect an American researcher has stolen them, but for Brunetti something doesn't quite add up. 
 
Taking on the case, the Commissario begins to seek information about some of the library's regulars, such as the ex-priest Franchini, a passionate reader of ancient Christian literature, and Contessa Morosini-Albani, the library's chief donor. 
 
Soon Brunetti finds himself submerged in the dark secrets of the black market of antiquarian books. Alongside his ever-faithful team of Ispettore Vianello and Signorina Elettra, he delves into the pages of Franchini's past and into the mind of a book thief in order to uncover the terrible truth.

The Golden Egg

The twenty-second instalment in the internationally acclaimed, bestselling Commissario Brunetti series 
 
'The familiar characters and Venetian location are described with remarkable freshness and, as always, the edifying result is both amusing and thought-provoking.' Sunday Telegraph 
 
'Donna Leon has a wonderful feeling for the social complexities of Venice, where corruption is as old and deep and treacherous as the canals.' Daily Mail 
 
A New York Times Bestseller 
 
When a local man is found dead after overdosing on sleeping pills, Commissario Brunetti's wife can't help but ask him to investigate. The sweet, simple-minded man had worked at their local dry cleaner and Paola loathes the idea that he lived and died without anyone noticing or helping him. 
 
But what seems to be an open-and-shut case of suicide soon proves to be anything but. Brunetti soon discovers that there is nothing on the man: no birth certificate, no passport, no driver's license, no credit cards. Stranger still, the dead man's mother refuses to speak to the police. As secrets unravel, Brunetti begins to suspect that an aristocratic family might be somehow connected to the mystery . . .

The familiar characters and Venetian location are described with remarkable freshness and, as always, the edifying result is both amusing and thought-provoking

Leon’s impeccably plotted, utterly involving Italian-set novels (featuring the food-loving Commissario Brunetti) have rarely been less than excellent. So it proves with the latest, The Golden Egg. Involved in routine enquiries into a possible bribery case, Brunetti hears from his wife Paola of the death of an educationally-challenged man who worked at the Brunetti’s dry cleaners ... The Golden Egg is Donna Leon on top form.

If there’s a writer for whom the law of diminishing returns has been revoked, it’s Donna Leon. The doyenne of Italian crime fiction, whose stamina in returning time and again to her Venetian beat is matched only by her curiosity, she has proved herself, in the space of 22 titles, not only an able detective novelist, but the author of something more substantial ... It is one of the joys of Leon’s work that she can take readers into the sinister heart of Italy, and yet, in the person of Brunetti and his companions, convince us that not all is lost.

The introspective Brunetti, a man with a healthy sense of the absurd and a sharp eye for the fading grandeur of the city’s architecture, makes for good company as he negotiates the perilous labyrinth of Venetian police office politics. Deceptively languid in its pace and a masterclass in mood, The Golden Egg … is a meticulously crafted example of how even the most apparently innocuous of crimes can reveal a trove of history.

The Golden Egg is Donna Leon on top form.

[T]his is a much darker version of Brunetti-land than the earlier novels…The character of the deaf mutes seems to serve as an allegory of the political landscape of Italy – the public silenced and ignored, whilst those in power continue the ancient Italian tradition of fiddle-playing.

The descriptions of Venice and Venetian life are beautifully written and acutely observed … The author clearly has an excellent understanding of the Italian psyche and a profound knowledge of Venice and Venetian life.  This is the 22nd book in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series and I can’t wait for the 23rd.

'The familiar characters and Venetian location are described with remarkable freshness and, as always, the edifying result is both amusing and thought-provoking.' Sunday Telegraph 
 
'Donna Leon has a wonderful feeling for the social complexities of Venice, where corruption is as old and deep and treacherous as the canals.' Daily Mail 
 
A New York Times Bestseller 
 
When a local man is found dead after overdosing on sleeping pills, Commissario Brunetti's wife can't help but ask him to investigate. The sweet, simple-minded man had worked at their local dry cleaner and Paola loathes the idea that he lived and died without anyone noticing or helping him. 
 
But what seems to be an open-and-shut case of suicide soon proves to be anything but. Brunetti soon discovers that there is nothing on the man: no birth certificate, no passport, no driver's license, no credit cards. Stranger still, the dead man's mother refuses to speak to the police. As secrets unravel, Brunetti begins to suspect that an aristocratic family might be somehow connected to the mystery . . .

Beastly Things

‘The book is written with that depth of thought about crime and humanity that characterises the best of Leon’s work.’ Independent 
 
‘[A] fine, atmospheric novel…Twenty-one books on, [Leon] has lost none of her delightful skill and wit.’ Evening Standard 
 
When a body is found floating in a canal, strangely disfigured and with multiple stab wounds, Commissario Brunetti is called to investigate. He is convinced he recognises the man from somewhere, but with a pair of distinctive shoes as the only clue, the case cannot progress. 
 
Recalling a violent farmers’ protest that took place the previous year, Brunetti suddenly remembers the victim. But what was his involvement with the protest, and what does it have to do with his murder? Acting on this fragile lead, Brunetti and Inspector Vianello set out on an investigation that will lead them from Venice’s placid canals to the slaughterhouse, and into a terrifying world of blackmail and corruption. 
 
Both a gripping case and a harrowing exploration of the dark side of Italy's food industry, Donna Leon's latest novel is a compelling addition to the Brunetti series.

The book is written with that depth of thought about crime and humanity that characterises the best of Leon’s work.

[A] fine, atmospheric novel…Twenty-one books on, [Leon] has lost none of her delightful skill and wit.

Donna Leon’s elegant and compelling crime novels enjoy great success throughout the world. On the surface, this is another entry in a reliable long-running series. But it's also an oblique addressing of some complex issues with typical intelligence and perception.

Beastly Things is a perfect accompaniment to a hot day and a cool glass of white wine. Superb.

[Leon’s] books paint such an appealing portrait of modern Venetian life that they’ve sent droves of holidaymakers to the city.

A Question of Belief

'Leon's books are a joy, and the 19th Venice-based Commissario Brunetti novel is well up to her consistently high standard.' Guardian 
 
As Venice experiences a debilitating heatwave, Commissario Brunetti escapes the city to spend time with his family. For Ispettore Vianello, however, the weather is the last thing on his mind. It appears his aunt has become obsessed with horoscopes and has been withdrawing large amounts of money from the family business. Not knowing what to do, he consults Brunetti and asks permission to trail her. 
 
Meanwhile, Brunetti receives a visit from a friend who works at the Commune. It seems that discrepancies have been occurring at the Courthouse involving a judge and an usher with a flawless track record. Intrigued, Brunetti asks Signorina Elettra to find out what she can while he's away. 
 
When news reaches Brunetti that the usher from the Courthouse has been viciously murdered, he returns to investigate. But why would someone want a good man dead, and what might his death have to do with the Courthouse discrepancies?

About Face

‘Super sleuth Brunetti again patrols Venice's dark canal ways in this Italian crimefest. Once again, Brunetti proves he's more than a match for the local mob’ Mirror 
 
‘Elegant, effortless . . . another great Brunetti outing' The Independent 
 
When Commissario Brunetti is visited by an investigator from the Carabinieri looking into the murder of a truck company owner, he is intrigued. Not long before his death, Stefano Ranzato had been caught hauling goods illegally for the Mafia, and was pressured into becoming an informant. The Carabinieri suspect that the Mafia killed Stefano to ensure his silence, but what did the man discover that cost him his life? 
 
The stakes are high and the investigation complex as Brunetti is drawn into working with a rival Italian police department – and when another person connected to the case is murdered, Brunetti must race against time to uncover the truth before it happens again. 
 
‘[A] brilliant series’ Sunday Telegraph

Drawing Conclusions

‘With characteristic skill, Leon draws together multiple threads and a well-rounded cast ... With the steady, unsentimental style that has become her signature, Donna Leon keeps us hesitating until the last corner is turned.’ Times Literary Supplement 
 
Leon's clear-eyed descriptions of Venice still make you long to return to the calles and campos of the floating city.’ Sunday Telegraph 
 
When a young woman returns from holiday to find her elderly neighbour dead on the floor, a heart attack seems the likely cause, but Commissario Brunetti is not so sure and decides to take a closer look. Soon he discovers that she was part of an organization that cares for abused women and that her apartment was a safe-house. 
 
Convinced that this is the lead he has been looking for, Brunetti begins his search for answers. But as he sets out to discover the truth behind her death, he is drawn into a decades-old story of lies and deceit that has blighted love and ruined lives – and has claimed this innocent woman as its newest victim. . . 
 
‘[Leon's] portrait of Venice and modern Italy is, as always, captivating . . . A delight’ Evening Standard

The Girl of His Dreams

‘The seventeenth title in an excellent, unflagging series . . . The Girl of His Dreams marks an evolution, even a quiet revolution, in Leon's storytelling.’ Times Literary Supplement 
 
'In The Girl of His Dreams, Donna Leon is writing at her fluent best.' The Independent 
 
A priest recently returned from years of missionary work has made a personal request of Commissario Guido Brunetti—but the police detective suspects the man’s motives. A new, American-style Protestant sect has begun to meet in Venice, and it’s possible the priest is merely apprehensive of the competition. But the preacher could also be fleecing his growing flock, so Brunetti and Inspector Vianello, along with their wives, decide to go undercover. In the midst of the investigation, though, the body of a Gypsy child washes up in a canal—and Brunetti finds himself haunted by both the crime and the girl . . . 
 
‘An artful examination of family ties as well as a clear-eyed survey of the pros and cons of political correctness’ Evening Standard

Suffer the Little Children

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER - BACKSTAGE: STORIES OF A WRITING LIFE BY DONNA LEON 
 
'A perfect blend of characters, place, mystery and social issues. [Leon’s] sixteenth Brunetti novel is also one of her best.' The Times 
 
‘Leon builds her plot meticulously. [She] has her finger on the pulse.’ The Mirror 
 
When Commissario Brunetti is summoned to the hospital to interview a senior paediatrician whose skull has been brutally fractured, he is confronted with more questions than answers. Three men burst into the doctor's apartment in the middle of the night, attacked him and took his young son – but why? 
 
As Brunetti investigates, he quickly discovers that the kidnapping was not a one-off, but part of a multi-city raid targeting numerous families. It seems that small-town malice seethes beneath the surface of the beautiful city of Venice, and Brunetti must work together with Ispettore Vianelli – himself investigating a money-making scam between pharmacists and doctors – to uncover the truth. . . 
 
‘As ever, Leon writes with an insider's knowledge of Venice, expertly navigating its complex geography.’ Sunday Times

A Memoir

Wandering Through Life

‘A delightful companion in life and on the page’ The Times 
 
‘Donna Leon has created a beautifully crafted looking glass into her world’ TLS 
 
In a series of vignettes full of affection, irony, and good humor, Donna Leon narrates a remarkable life she feels has rather more happened to her than been planned. 
 
From a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, with frequent visits to her grandfather's farm and its beloved animals and summers spent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon has long been open to adventure. In 1976, she made the spontaneous decision to teach English in Iran, before finding herself swept up in the early days of the 1979 Revolution. After teaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landed in Venice. Leon vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from her first magical dinner when serving as a "chaperone" to a friend, to the hunt for the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their grocery shopping at the Rialto Market. Some things remain constant throughout the decades: her adoration of opera, especially Handel's vocal music, her advocacy for the environment, embodied in her passion for bees - which informs the surprising crux of the Brunetti mystery in Earthly Remains - and her eager imagination for crime as she watches unsuspecting travelers on trains. Yet as Leon inspects the cracks in the wall of a friend's bedroom, caused by the seven-story cruise ships making their way down Venice's canals, she admits regretfully that the thrill may be gone as mass tourism renders the city less and less appealing to its longtime chronicler. 
 
Having recently celebrated her eightieth birthday, Leon now confronts the dual challenges and pleasures of aging. Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with music, food, and her fierce sense of humor, Wandering Through Life offers Donna Leon at her most personal. 
 
‘As the author reaches her 9th decade [this makes] for a fascinating insight into her life and world, albeit with discretion and leaving tantalising hints at what lies beyond. One for the fans (and friends).’ Crime Time 
 
'Warm, witty and engaging' Wall Street Journal

A delightful companion in life and on the page

As the author reaches her 9th decade [this makes] for a fascinating insight into her life and world, albeit with discretion and leaving tantalising hints at what lies beyond. One for the fans (and friends).

Donna Leon is author of the much-loved, best-selling series of novels featuring Commissario Brunetti and one of The Times' 50 Greatest Crime Writers. Widely considered one of the best detective series ever, with admirers including Ursula K. Le Guin and Antonia Fraser, the Brunetti Mysteries have won numerous awards around the world and been translated into thirty-five languages.

‘A delightful companion in life and on the page’ The Times 
 
‘Donna Leon has created a beautifully crafted looking glass into her world’ TLS 
 
From a childhood in the company of her New Jersey family, with frequent visits to her grandfather's farm and its beloved animals and summers spent selling homegrown tomatoes by the roadside, Leon has long been open to adventure. After teaching stints in Iran, China and Saudi Arabia, she finally landed in Venice. Leon vividly animates her decades-long love affair with Italy, from her first magical dinner when serving as a "chaperone" to a friend, to the hunt for the perfect cappuccino, to the warfare tactics of grandmothers doing their grocery shopping at the Rialto Market. 
 
Complete with a brief letter dissuading those hoping to meet Guido Brunetti at the Questura, and always suffused with music, food, and her fierce sense of humor, Wandering Through Life offers Donna Leon at her most personal. 
 
‘As the author reaches her 9th decade [this makes] for a fascinating insight into her life and world, albeit with discretion and leaving tantalising hints at what lies beyond. One for the fans (and friends).’ Crime Time 
 
'Warm, witty and engaging' Wall Street Journal

A Sea Of Troubles

'Donna Leon goes from strength to strength ... This is her tenth novel but it's as fresh and entertaining as the first' Observer 
 
When two clam fishermen are murdered on the island of Pellestrina, Commissario Brunetti is called to investigate. He has his work cut out for him - the people of Pellestrina are tight-knit, bound together by a code of loyalty and suspicious of outsiders. To break through, he enlists the help of his boss' secretary Signorina Elettra, who visits the island as an undercover agent. Soon, Brunetti finds himself torn between his duty to solve the murders, concern for Elettra's safety, and his not entirely straightforward feelings for her . . . 
 
'A splendid series . . . with a backdrop so vivid you can smell it' Sunday Telegraph

Blood From A Stone

'Leon writes with great literary panache and evocative power about the world's most beautiful and mysterious city' Spectator 
 
On a cold night shortly before Christmas, an immigrant street vendor is killed in Venice's Campo Santo Stefano. The nearest witnesses to the event are the tourists who had been browsing the man's wares before his death, but they have seen nothing that might be of much help to the police. 
 
When Commissario Brunetti arrives on the scene, he finds it hard to understand why anyone would murder an illegal immigrant. They have few social connections and little money; in-fighting among them is the obvious answer. But once Brunetti begins investigating this unfamiliar Venetian underworld, he discovers that matters of great value are at stake. 
 
'Donna Leon has a wonderful feel for the hidden evils that lie below the façade of the magical city' The Times

Uniform Justice

'Complex and thought-provoking and lingers in the mind' Sunday Times 
 
Neither Commissario Brunetti nor his wife Paola have ever had much sympathy for the Italian armed forces, so when a young cadet is found hanged, at Venice's elite military academy, Brunetti's emotions are complex: pity and sorrow at the death of a boy close in age to his own son, and contempt and irritation for the arrogance and high-handedness of the boy's teachers and fellow students. 
 
The young man is the son of an ex-politician, a man of an impeccable integrity all too rare in Italian politics. But as Brunetti - and the indispensable Signorina Elettra - investigate further, no one seems willing to talk. Is this the natural reluctance of Italians to involve themselves with the authorities, or is Brunetti facing a conspiracy of silence? 
 
'Silken prose and considerable charm . . . an unlovely story set in the loveliest of cities' Washington Post

Wilful Behaviour

'A classic example of detective-book murder . . . Leon whips up a brilliant narrative storm' Sunday Times 
 
When Commissario Brunetti receives a visit from one of his wife's students with a strange and vague interest in investigating the possibility of a pardon for a crime committed by her grandfather many years ago, he thinks little of it, despite being intrigued by the girl's intelligence and moral conscience. But when the girl is found stabbed to death, Claudia Leonardo is no longer Paola's student, but instead becomes Brunetti's case. 
 
Claudia seems to have no discernible living family, but lived with an elderly Austrian woman. When she in turn is found dead, the case begins to unlock long buried secrets of collaboration during the war, secrets few in Italy are happy to explore . . . 
 
'Wholly engrossing' Evening Standard

The Temptation of Forgiveness

'Donna Leon has a wonderful feel for the hidden evils that lie below the façade of the magical city' The Times 
 
Important information is leaking from inside the Venetian Questura, and Commissario Guido Brunetti is tasked with uncovering the culprit. But before Brunetti can begin his investigation, a friend of his wife's comes asking for his help, fearful that her son is using drugs. 
 
A few weeks later, the woman's husband is found unconscious at the foot of a bridge. 
 
With only contradictory leads to follow, Brunetti navigates his way through Venice's underworld in an attempt to understand who is responsible for the vicious attack. But as he gets closer to discovering what happened, Brunetti is faced with a difficult truth: sometimes, it's the best intentions that lead to the darkest of consequences . . . 
 
'En­chanting . . . drolly amusing . . . it's the living, bleeding humanity of the characters that makes Donna Leon's police procedurals so engaging' New York Times Book Review

The Venetian settings are en&shy;chanting and Commissario Guido Brunetti’s investigative methods are drolly amusing. But it’s the living, bleeding humanity of the characters that makes Donna Leon’s police procedurals so engaging … Tagging along after this sleuth is a wonderful way to see Venice like a native, especially since Leon takes care to give us precise directions for his routes.

Leon remains fresh and thoughtful in this gargantuan series … It left me with the satisfaction of a mystery unravelled, the experience of eating a beautifully made cannoli and drinking a pleasant glass of wine together with a close observation of human nature and, as ever with Brunetti, food for thought.

Fatal Remedies

'Leon is a skilful plotter . . . Brunetti is a nicely shaded creation, a moral man who is also all too human' The Observer 
 
A sudden act of vandalism has been committed in the chill Venetian dawn and Commissario Guido Brunetti soon finds out that the perpetrator is no petty criminal. For the culprit waiting to be apprehended at the scene of the crime is none other than Paola Brunetti, his wife. 
 
As Paola's actions provoke a crisis in the Brunetti household, Brunetti himself is under increasing pressure at work: a daring robbery with Mafia connections is linked to a suspicious death and his superiors want quick results. As his professional and personal lives clash, Brunetti's own career is threatened and the conspiracy which Paola has risked everything to expose draws him inexorably to the brink . . . 
 
'Donna Leon has established Commissario Guido Brunetti as one of the most engaging of fictional detectives' Sunday Times

Donna Leon has established Commissario Guido Brunetti as one of the most engaging of fictional detectives ... Brunetti is ... back on track, sadder perhaps, but wiser and wittier than ever

A splendid series ... with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can smell it

One of the most exquisite and subtle detective series ever

No one knows the labyrinthine world of Venice . . . like Leon's Brunetti

[Brunetti's] humane police work is disarming, and his ambles through the city are a delight

The sophisticated but still moral Brunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a worthy custodian of timeless values and verities

A masterly tale ... intriguing, fast-moving, and beautifully crafted

Donna Leon can paralyse the reader with a joyful suspense, lost in the environs of Venice and hopelessly in love with her central character and his wife

So Shall You Reap

PRE-ORDER THE NEXT INSTALMENT IN DONNA LEON'S COMMISSARIO BRUNETTI SERIES, A REFINER'S FIRE, NOW. AVAILABLE JULY 2024. 
 
'Donna Leon provides another delectable slice of the thoughtful policeman's life at work and at home... So Shall You Reap is as witty and wise as anything Leon has written. To read her is to restore the soul.' Mark Sanderson, The Times 
 
'Like all of Leon's novels, it ultimately feels like a glorious invigorating holiday.' Daily Express 
 
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On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant. Because no official record of the man's presence in Venice exists, Brunetti is forced to use the city's far richer sources of information: gossip and the memories of people who knew the victim. Curiously, he had been living in a garden house on the grounds of a palazzo owned by a university professor, in which Brunetti discovers books revealing the victim's interest in Buddhism, the revolutionary Tamil Tigers, and the last crop of Italian political terrorists, active in the 1980s. 
 
As the investigation expands, Brunetti, Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and Signorina Elettra each assemble pieces of a puzzle-random information about real estate and land use, books, university friendships-that appear to have little in common. Until Brunetti stumbles over something that transports him back to his own student days, causing him to reflect on lost ideals and the errors of youth, on Italian politics and history, and on the accidents that sometimes lead to revelation.

Donna Leon provides another delectable slice of the thoughtful policeman's life at work and at home... So Shall You Reap is as witty and wise as anything Leon has written. To read her is to restore the soul

Like all of Leon's novels, it ultimately feels like a glorious invigorating holiday

[Leon's] success lies in the kindness and the decency of her main character as well as in the backdrop of Venice, the city that all of her books are set in, and the way she combs through its street and canals for stories of corruption and power and greed and hubris, always allowing Brunetti to sink back into the loving embrace of his family and food

Donna Leon's novels appear as regularly as the season and - it really is true - they get better and better.

'Donna Leon provides another delectable slice of the thoughtful policeman's life at work and at home... So Shall You Reap is as witty and wise as anything Leon has written. To read her is to restore the soul.' Mark Sanderson, The Times 
 
'Like all of Leon's novels, it ultimately feels like a glorious invigorating holiday.' Daily Express 
 
On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant. Because no official record of the man's presence in Venice exists, Brunetti is forced to use the city's far richer sources of information: gossip and the memories of people who knew the victim. 
 
As the investigation expands, Brunetti, Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and Signorina Elettra each assemble pieces of a puzzle-random information about real estate and land use, books, university friendships-that appear to have little in common. Until Brunetti stumbles over something that transports him back to his own student days, causing him to reflect on lost ideals and the errors of youth, on Italian politics and history, and on the accidents that sometimes lead to revelation.

Donna Leon

Stories of a writing life

Whether walking along the canals of Venice or teaching English to Iranian pilots, interviewing blood diamond dealers or reading Great Expectations, Donna Leon has found inspiration in the strangest of places. 
 
In this engaging collection of stories on writing, reading, teaching and Venice, Leon offers new insight into the moments that shaped her into a celebrated, internationally bestselling author. Infused with her ever-present and delightful sense of humour and irony, she is as good a storyteller about herself as she is a chronicler of Guido Brunetti’s crime adventures. Readers will be as caught up in her world as she is in his.

Donna Leon

Books by Donna Leon

Series by Donna Leon

A Commissario Brunetti Mystery

Articles featuring Donna Leon

9 beach reads set in Italy

‘Unlike Dickens, Trollope understands women’: 21 Questions with Donna Leon

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