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It seemed to take a long time for Venice resident Donna Leon to achieve the appreciation she deserves. Her Commissario Guido Brunetti series proceeded decorously down the years (rather like its protagonist) attracting little attention aside from that of the fortunate few who had happened upon these excellent mysteries set in a beautifully-depicted Venice. At last, with the CWA Silver Dagger, the talents of this author are finally being recognised. A group of American tourists bear unwilling witness to the killing of a black African, a vu cumpra. The man is busily plying his trade of selling counterfeit bags after the legitimate shops' closing hours, when two men approach the crowd gathered around the seller, draw guns and, with the accuracy of professional killers, execute him. Brunetti is sent to the scene but the incompetent Alvise has already effectively dispersed any useful witnesses. The commissario makes the best of a bad situation but finds himself thwarted on several fronts, eventually being forbidden to investigate by his superior, the ineffectual and corrupt Vice Questore, Patta. As usual, Brunetti is able to maintain a covert investigation. He is ably assisted by the computer genius, Signorina Elettra, and his friend and colleague Vianello. Also as usual, the investigation is narrated in parallel with Brunetti's home life. His wife Paola is horrified to hear their daughter Chiara dismiss the murder as being 'only' that of a vu cumpra. In her own way, without delivering an overt lecture, Paola attempts to convey to the girl that no one life is worth less than any other. She is heartened when Paola brings home an Islamic friend whom she is anxious to protect. Leon always emphasises the corruption of high office in Venice and, indeed, in the Italy in which Brunetti moves. In order to solve his cases, the Commissario himself is forced to call upon Paola's noble relatives and friends of his own -- perhaps by way of fighting fire with fire. Guido inevitably recognises things about himself in each novel that increase his self-knowledge -- for example, in this narrative he is startled to recognise the love he bears for two of his colleagues The depiction of Venice is always vivid in Donna Leon's books. While one might not, perhaps, wish to meet some of her characters and deal with the corruption that runs rampant, certainly the Venice she obviously loves is portrayed in brilliant and attractive colours. Her mysteries are never the same as the previous but are always inventive and her characters grow in each novel. While the book is successful as a standalone, it can only benefit the reader to broaden acquaintance of that talented policeman, Guido Brunetti, by reading more than just one book.
Reviewed by Denise Pickles, March 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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