I Am a Reader - "Drawing Conclusions" by Donna Leon

A number of years ago I stumbled on a book written by Donna Leon, "Death at La Fenice," and made the acquaintance of fictional Commissario Guido Brunetti, the Vice-Commissario of the Venice Police.  Over the years I have read through the series and feel like I have become personal friends with Guido, his very-much-loved wife, Paola; his teenage children: Chiara and Raffi; his trusted side-kick, Lorenzo Vianello; and the delightful, well-connected and computer-savvy secretary, Signorina Elettra.  A native of Venice, Guido Brunetti cares deeply about the safety of his city and does what he can to rid it of crime.  But he is nobody's fool...he views life, the bureaucracy and red tape of Italian institutions, the Catholic church, and human nature with a skeptical eye.  He also demonstrates finesse, the "Italian way" of getting things accomplished.  He knows how to set his body posture, tone and inflection of voice, even at the cost of his own self-image, to in a sense, manipulate his totally in-effective, pompous superiors, Vice-Questore Patta and Lieutenant Scarpa.

So I felt like I was coming home when I picked up Leon's latest novel, the 20th in the series, "Drawing Conclusions." 

The victim in this mystery is an elderly Italian woman found dead in her apartment from an apparent heart attack.  Brunetti's personal sense of justice spurs him on to answer all the questions in his mind before accepting this cause of death.  This quest has him follow various threads that lead back in time to the victim's past.  The characters we meet along the way, the victim's son, an elderly nun, a neighbor are well-drawn and believeable. Part of the pleasure of the book is wandering around the city of Venice with Brunetti.  It is written not just with wonderful descriptions of the city of Venice, its cafes and alleyways, but with insight into human nature and attention to the emotions that arise in human relationships.

What touches me most about these books is the person of Guido himself.  A sensitive, caring man, he delights in his family.  The interludes described when he is able to return home for the main noontime meal, il pranzo, with the family, the interactions with his wife and children, are all enjoyable to me, providing a peek into Italian domesticity.  I also appreciate how the author touches on various Italian social and political issues as well as immersing the reader in life as it is lived in Venice.

The author, Donna Leon, was born in New Jersey but has lived in Venice for thirty years.

Donna Leon at the Bridge of Sighs, Venice.

She was a lecturer in English Literature at the University of Maryland University College - Europe in Italy.  She was also a professor at the American Military base in Vicenza, Italy from 1981 to 1999.  Here is her official website.  Donna Leon was until recently the crime reviewer for the Sunday Times and is also an opera expert.  She has written the libretto for a comic opera and has set up her own opera company, Il Complesso Barocco. 

I am an avid reader and I especially enjoy books that transport me back to Italy.  It is the next best thing to actually walking the streets or in this case, riding a vaporreto.  This review is my contribution to the Books in Italy Challenge for the month of June.  To read other reviews submitted this month, click here.