Tuesday, July 05, 2016

Death in a Strange Country


Death in a Strange Country (1993), by Donna Leon, is 2nd in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. I am picking these up as I come across them and am enjoying the atmosphere of the Venetian setting, the characters' professional and family lives, and the fascinating plots.

from the back of the book:
Early one morning Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Police confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young man is fished out of a fetid canal. All the clues point to a violent mugging, but for Brunetti the motive of robbery seems altogether too convenient. When something is discovered in the victim's apartment that suggests the existence of a high-level conspiracy, Brunetti becomes convinced that somebody, somewhere, is taking great pains to provide a ready-made solution to the crime.
quotes, beginning with one that features coffee for inclusion in today's T Tuesday gathering over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog:
The steamy warmth of the bar was comforting and familiar, as were the smells of coffee and pastry. A man and woman standing at the counter glanced at the uniformed men, then went back to their conversation. Brunetti asked for espresso, Vianello for caffè corretto, black coffee with a substantial splash of grappa. When the barman put their coffees in front of them, both spooned in two sugars and cradled the warm cups in their hands for a moment.

Vianello downed his coffee in one gulp, set the cup back on the counter, and asked, "Anything else, sir?"
*******
It would have been easy for Brunetti to grow indifferent to the beauty of the city, to walk in the midst of it, looking and not really seeing. But then it always happened: a window he had never noticed before would swim into his ken, or the sun would gleam in an archway, and he would actually feel his heart tighten in response to something infinitely more complex than beauty. He supposed, when he bothered to think about it, that it had something to do with language, with the fact that there were fewer than eight thousand people who lived in the city, and perhaps with the fact that he had gone to kindergarten in a fifteenth-century palazzo. He missed the city when he was away from it, much in the same way he missed Paola [his wife], and he felt complete and whole only while he was here.
*******

Kirkus Reviews
gives it a positive review, calling it "a measured, thoughtful conspiracy investigation".

I've read the following from this series:
#1 Death at La Fenice (1992)
#3 Dressed for Death (1994)
#18 About Face (2009)

19 comments:

  1. I haven't read any of these but have seen them and was curious. I think I need to get back to a good mystery once I finish my OK Corral novel. happy T day. hugs-Erika

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  2. I haven't heard of this author or series... but isn't it wonderful when you find a good book! Just finished the Outlander series myself and eagerly await the next promised book in the series... Happy Tday Divers! Hugs! deb

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  3. Don't think I know this author although there is another Italian one... can't remember but I'm sure you reviewed it here. I'll put this on my library want list.

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    1. That's probably Andrea Camillieri's Inspector Salvo Montalbano series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Camilleri#Inspector_Salvo_Montalbano I like those, too :)

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  4. I have read most of the books and we have a good series of films here with Commissario Brunetti, and I love watching them because of the great scenes of Venice. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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    1. I had heard these had been adapted for tv but didn't know how good they might be. Sounds like they'd be worth watching. Thx! :)

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  5. Sounds like a good series and I'll have to keep an eye out for them. I've been reading excessively the past few weeks so always looking for something new to read.

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  6. These are a great series of books, esp when you are familiar with the scenery of venice. i just read today that Donna leon is so sad that air-b´n´b destroys the City: living gets too expensive for natives of venice and they leave to rent outside. isn´t that just sad...

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    1. What a shame! You'd think the city might look into that. You can't keep a city running on tourists alone, I wouldn't think.

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  7. I've not read any of these books, but you have sparled my interest with the super quotes.
    Happy T Day
    Yvonne

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  8. I love Donna Leon - and her Commissario Brunetti is just super!
    Happy T-Day!

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  9. How nice to have a series of fine books by an author you really like and set in Venice it sounds extra special.
    Happy T Day
    oxo

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  10. I haven't read any of those. But I do like whodunnits set in Italy because I worked in Italy for many years. I read Inspector Montalbano. Have you read any of those? (written by Andrea Camilleri) I have read many of them in English, but when I lived in Italy they had a tv series based on the books with a very goodlooking inspector.
    Thanks for visiting,
    Happy T-Day,
    Lisca

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    1. I love the Inspector Montalbano books! I pick them up at my local bookstore whenever I notice a new one out. I have to wait for English translations. I've never seen the tv series, but I'm tempted to try them just to see how the Italian sounds :)

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  11. I am going to look out for these books - thank you for introducing them! Hugs, Chrisx

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  12. Put the author on my reading wish list. I enjoy mystery and detective novels. :)

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  13. It's great to find an author you really like and what's not to love about Venice, enjoy! :-)

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  14. It's great when you find an author that you like and what's not to love about Venice, enjoy! :-)

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  15. What a great find. I remember your reviews of the other Brunetti stories, and was glad to see this review and all the quotes. I have never heard of the TV series, so I would not even know where to begin looking. I really enjoyed this one, though. Thanks for sharing it for T this week.

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