Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Donna Leon

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

'Leon tells the story as if she loves Venice as much as her detective does, warts and all. The plot and subplots unfold elegantly; beauty and the beast march hand in hand, and the result is rich entertainment' Sunday Times 
 
Winner of the Crime Writers Association Macallan Silver Dagger Award for Fiction 
 
Commissario Guido Brunetti gets into trouble when Franco Rossi, a young bureaucrat, pays him a visit. Rossi is there to determine whether Brunetti's apartment was built with official approval, and when Brunetti is unable to provide any documentation, he faces the prospect of both fines and the dismantling of his home. But when Rossi rings Brunetti at work, clearly scared, and is then found dead, Brunetti is drawn into an investigation that unveils a world of corruption, drug dealing and moneylenders. 
 
'All Donna Leon's novels are excellent in their evocation of place, while in Brunetti she has created a character who becomes more real in each book' Evening Standard

Friends In High Places

'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 Golden Egg

'Atmospheric, clever, witty and amusing. If I were only allowed to read one crime series again it would be that of Donna Leon.' The Times 
 
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CRIME WRITERS ASSOCIATION GOLD DAGGER AWARD 
 
As a favour to his wealthy father-in-law, the Count Falier, Commissario Guido Brunetti agrees to investigate the seemingly innocent wish of the Count's best friend, the elderly and childless Gonzalo, to adopt a younger man as his son. Under Italian inheritance laws, this man would become the sole heir to Gonzalo's substantial fortune, something which Gonzalo's friends, including the Count, find appalling. For his part, Brunetti wonders why they're so intent on meddling in the old man's business. 
 
Not long after Brunetti and Gonzalo meet, Gonzalo passes away. Old and frail, his death goes unquestioned, until one of his closest confidantes is strangled in her hotel room after sending an email about the adoption. To find the killer and solve a murder most foul, Brunetti must rely on his instincts which lead him to untangling long-buried secrets from Gonzalo's past. 
 
'Leon's novels are unshowy and imbued with the humanist outlook that makes Brunetti such an appealing character.' Sunday Times

Unto Us a Son Is Given

Shortlisted for the Gold Dagger

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
'Leon is a superb novelist . . .You can feel the tension, fear, horror - and wonder' The Times 
 
'They killed him. It was bad money.' A dying hospice patient gasps these cryptic words about her recently-deceased husband, who lost his life in a motorcycle accident. But what appears to be a private family tragedy turns into a bigger enigma when Brunetti discover the victim's ties to Venice's water supply. With the help of a Questura secretery, Elettra Sorzi, Brunetti will unveil the secret that lies behind the dying woman's accusation - one that threatens the health of the entire region.

Trace Elements

'Brunetti . . . long ago joined the ranks of the classic fictional detectives' Evening Standard 
 
When the body of a young man is pulled out of a fetid Venetia canal, all clues point to a violent mugging. But for Guido Brunetti, Commissario of the Venice Police, robbery seems altogether too convenient a motive. Then something very incriminating is discovered in the dead man's flat - something which points to the existence of a high-level conspiracy. But who could be going to such great lengths to provide a ready-made solution to the crime? 
 
'The characters of Brunetti and his family continue to deepen throughout the series ' The Times

Death in a Strange Country

Chosen as Star Pick in the Sunday Times Crime Club 
Chosen as a 'Best New Crime Novel' in the Sunday Times 
 
'The series that has shadowed Brunetti for three decades is an epic achievement' The Times 
'Leon's books are a joy' Guardian 
 
When two young American women are badly injured in a boating accident, Commissario Brunetti's eye turns to the two young Italians they were with, who abandoned them in the hospital. When one of the young men is found to be involved in more sinister night-time activities in the Laguna, Brunetti has to enlist the help of Italian institutions to get to the bottom of the mystery. But can Brunetti trust unfamiliar colleagues? Could there be another motive behind this horrible crime? 
 
'She is a truly fine novelist, period, and should be acclaimed as such'TLS

Transient Desires

'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

Wilful Behaviour

‘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

Drawing Conclusions

'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

Blood From A Stone

'A splendid series . . . with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost smell it.' The Sunday Telegraph 
 
Winner of the Suntory Mystery Fiction Grand Prize 
 
The twisted maze of Venice's canals has always been shrouded in mystery. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death ... but none so horrific and violent as that of world-famous conductor, Maestro Helmut Wellauer, who was poisoned during a performance of La Traviata. Even Commissario of Police, Guido Brunetti, used to the labyrinthine corruptions of the city, is shocked at the number of enemies Wellauer has made on his way to the top - but just how many have motive enough for murder? The beauty of Venice is crumbling. But evil is one thing that will never erode with age. 
 
'What a ripping first mystery, as beguiling and secretly sinister as Venice herself. Sparkling and irresistible.' Rita Mae Brown 
 
'Donna Leon has given fans of subtle, clever and literate mysteries something to cheer about. . . . A wonderful read.' Tony Hillerman

Death at La Fenice

'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 Temptation of Forgiveness

‘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.

Beastly Things

'Every detail on every page forms part of a succession of clues, planted with exquisite precision, to unravelling the mystery' Sunday Times 
 
In a small village at the foot of the Italian Dolomites, a grave is discovered by the owner of a deserted farmhouse, which has been untouched for decades. While the body is badly decomposed, a valuable signet ring is found close by, providing the first vital clue which will lead Commissario Brunetti right to the heart of aristocratic Venice, to a family still grieving their abducted son. 
 
'Donna Leon can paralyse the reader with a joyful suspense' Mail on Sunday 
'Goes a long way to confirming Donna Leon's claim to have taken literary possession of Venice' Independent on Sunday

A Noble Radiance

'There is no one better than Donna Leon at showing the ripple effects of a single traumatic event . . . Leon has recast the city in her own venerable image: full of surprises and hidden beauty.' Evening Standard 
 
Fifteen years ago the teenage granddaughter of the grand Contessa Lando-Continui was rescued at the last moment from drowning in the canals. But young Manuela's life was never the same again. Now aged thirty, she lives trapped in an eternal youth. 
The Contessa, certain that this was no accident, implores Brunetti to find the culprit she believes ruined Manuela's life. 
 
But once Brunetti starts to investigate, he finds a murky past and a dark story at its heart . . . 
 
'Brilliantly done, with a sense of place rarely matched in any fiction' The Times 
'A sparkling summer read.' The Tablet

The Waters of Eternal Youth

'[Leon] has a wonderful feeling for the social complexities of Venice, where corruption is as old and deep and treacherous as the canals ... Like all the best detective fiction, Doctored Evidence not only solves a mystery, but also anatomises the setting in which the crime occurred' Daily Mail 
 
When a wealthy Venetian woman is found brutally murdered, the prime suspect is her Romanian maid, who dies in a tragic accident while fleeing the city, carrying a considerable sum of money and forged papers. When the old woman's neighbour returns from abroad, confessing to have given the maid the money out of pity, questions begin to arise, and Commissario Brunetti decides to take the case on himself. But what could have been the true motive for the murder in such nebulous circumstances if not greed? Or is Brunetti thinking of the wrong sin altogether?

Doctored Evidence

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