Mystery set in VENICE

9th December 2022

So Shall you Reap by Donna Leon, mystery set in Venice.

My goodness, this is already no. 32 in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series. The first novel she published was in 1992, a span of around thirty years, averaging one novel per year. That is quite a feat! Each novel takes a different tack, but the setting of Venice is consistently colourful and makes a perfect read for anyone who want to explore the city through fiction. This novel is set post-pandemic and the reality of the last couple of years is marked – the pandemic has wreaked havoc on some of the shops, left boarded behind metal grilles, and generally it feels there is a malaise hanging over the city. It’s early Winter and the wind is whipping up litter and the cold has settled into fabric of the city. Paola, Brunetti’s wife, is intent on ensuring her husband dresses appropriately. The caring nature of the Commissario is evident, too, and there are windows into his own home life as he spends time with his Paola and the children, perhaps eating food (of course) or generally hanging out in their home or making their way through the city.

The story opens with an attack on one of his team and broadens into a storyline where a body is discovered in one of the canals. He is not unfamiliar with the victim, as their paths had crossed in a rather grand palazzo just recently – the commissario had been ascertaining, at the best of someone he knows, whether the property might just be on the market. The bigger properties seldom come onto the market. This particular edifice seems not to be available but his interest is nevertheless piqued, given the owners.

The dead man – clearly a buddhist – had been busy amassing literature that focussed on terrorist groups at the end of the 20th Century, a curious collection given the dead man’s provenance. Where does Brunetti even start to bring all the clues together?

An engaging and easy to read novel that will transport you to Venice – as always – with this author.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

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