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Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2009
272 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Incinerators across the south of Italy are at full capacity, burning who-knows-what and releasing unacceptable levels of dangerous air pollutants, while in Naples, enormous garbage piles grow in the streets. In Venice, with the polluted waters of the canals and a major chemical complex across the lagoon, the issue is never far from the fore.
Environmental concerns become significant in Brunetti’s work when an investigator from the Carabiniere, looking into the illegal hauling of garbage, asks for a favor. But the investigator is not the only one with a special request. His father-in-law needs help and a mysterious woman comes into the picture. Brunetti soon finds himself in the middle of an investigation into murder and corruption more dangerous than anything he’s seen before.
"It's not until a violent climax at the Casino that the two halves of the plot come together, and then the connection is more convincing in metaphorical than literal terms." - Kirkus Reviews.
"Leon flawlessly melds the two plot threads as she parallels her characters' vulnerability with that of Venice." - Publishers Weekly.
"Starred Review. Leon continues to live up to the increasingly high standards set by each novel." - Library Journal.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Regine Mosiman
Donna Leon is the author of the international best-selling novels featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti, all of which have been critically acclaimed. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Leon has lived in Venice for about thirty years.
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