Willful Behavior is the 11th novel in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series by Donna Leon. I continue to enjoy this series and am currently reading them in order as I receive them as gifts. The characters are real people, I swear, and they evolve and grow over time. Brunetti's personal life takes up just the right amount of space, and the secondary characters are as well-drawn as the main ones. The images of Venice are described well enough to place you in the scenes, even if paintings are as close as you've ever gotten to actually being there. The descriptions of the food and drink add depth.
from the back of the book:
Mystery lovers everywhere are drawn to Donna Leon's ever-honorable Commissario Guido Brunetti and her portrayal of Venice's beautiful but ominous byways and canals. In Willful Behavior, Brunetti is approached for a favor by one of his wife's students. Intelligent and serious, Claudia Leonardo asks for his help in obtaining a pardon for a crime once committed by her now-dead grandfather. Brunetti thinks little of it -until Claudia is found dead. Soon, another corpse and an extraordinary art collection lead Brunetti to long-buried secrets of Nazi collaboration and the exploitation of Italian Jews -secrets few in Italy want revealed.
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Willful behavior. We've been seeing that a lot this past year
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth!
Delete...to evolve and grow over time sure is important.
ReplyDeleteI try, oh, I try!
DeleteOnce again, I want to find this series. It still sounds SO good. I would love for our library to carry Donna Leon's series on Brunetti.
ReplyDeleteYou might ask them. The series is well-reviewed, and mysteries are popular. It wouldn't be much of an investment to have the first one on the shelf.
DeleteI just read book 1 and now I know why you like these so much. I really enjoyed it. I even ordered a used book 2 off of Amazon. Only wish I could find a bigger set, but they are popular I think.
ReplyDeleteYes, I get them one at a time, too. I've found a few in used book stores, but I haven't been to a book store lately :( I'm so glad you liked it!
DeleteI love the whole series and the films. Sorry you don't get the films on your TV, Valerie
ReplyDeleteI keep looking for them. Maybe someday they'll be added to a service I get :)
DeleteSounds a good series of books.
ReplyDeleteI must look out for them.
All the best Jan
They are good reads and well-reviewed.
DeleteI've read many of these, and I have the cookbook based on the Inspector's food preferences. I'm not sure I've read this one, however, and I have to check!
ReplyDeletebe safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I'm still filling in some of the middle ones.
DeleteThis series sounds like a fabulous read, glad you're enjoying them! Thanks for the recommendation 😁. Hugs, Jo x
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful series!
DeleteI love this series, too. I'm catching up to you -- I'm ready for #8! I'm glad they continue to remain good plots. Don't you just love the characters?
ReplyDeleteYes! I love the characters, and the balance between the mystery and the characters' personal lives is perfect.
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