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| Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery | 
| Author: Donna Leon
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy New: $2.30
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Avg. Customer Rating:  51 reviews
Sales Rank: 34941
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 006074068X
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780060740689
ASIN: 006074068X
Publication Date: August 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Now all of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor who died painfully from cyanide poisoning during an intermission at La Fenice. But as the investigation unfolds, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape -- a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and shocking depravity. And the dilemma for Guido Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one ...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 46 more reviews...
 Nice Little Crime Story June 10, 2008
I'm not following the five star group, but I enjoyed the story and the way Donna Leon writes. There's enough personal information about each of the main characters to add the realness and enjoy the little fickle behaviors of each, without it becoming the main driving part of the story telling. And the story itself is good, but not excellent in my opinion, because certain things that happened are almost too bad and too cliche-ish. There's a bit of exaggeration here and there of how bad some of the living conditions are and how much certain people have suffered because of this evil genius. And yet, in the end, we have a reasonable explanation of what happened, a charitable act of forgiveness that makes us feel better about "the law", and there's a certain balance of good and evil that feels like real justice instead of "letter of the law."
I'll definitely read more of the series to get the larger view. This was my first.
 Operatic complexities March 8, 2008
A death at the opera, a matter for the police, and my, how quickly the action starts. In Venice the police arrive by boat. Guido Brunetti is the Commissario of the police and the hero of this series.
It is learned the dead man is Wellauer, a German conductor. It seems that the death is caused by the ingestion of cyanide. One of the newspapers pictures the deceased maestro with Maria Callas.
Brunetti's wife's parents live in a palazzo. He asks his wife to arrange for him to attend a party there so he can ask questions about the maestro. Brunetti feels that in Venice gossip is the real cult. After the party Guido Brunetti decides to interview some of the musicians.
I really don't like to give genre fiction five stars, but this is exceedingly good.
Giustizia the Brunetti Way March 1, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had never read a Donna Leon novel before, and it is my misfortune for her Death at La Fenice was brilliant! Venice comes alive in her flawless prose and although the murder could have occurred anywhere in the world, the setting and its unique sub-culture lent an aura of beauty and elegance to the narrative. This is a quiet, sometimes hilarious, but always sensitive whodunit. I don't have to include a synopsis here as many others have done a better job of it. Suffice it to say that I was very satisfied with it. The plot was imaginative, the ending touching, the protagonist a delight to know. Well done, Ms. Leon!
I enjoyed it so much, I have ordered the second in the series. January 6, 2008
Death at La Fenice, written in 1992, is Donna Leon's first in her series of crime novels set in Venice, featuring Guido Brunetti, Commissario of Police. (The American author has lived in Venice for many years and has taught English literature at degree level.)
La Fenice (pronounced La Fen-ee-chay) is the city's opera house, and the death is that of a visiting German conductor. (On her own website, the author relates how the impetus behind the book was her dislike of a certain German conductor with a dubious past, presumably von Karajan.)
Over 25 chapters and 338 pages, my interest was maintained: although not an un-put-down-able book, it is nevertheless a willing pick-me-up-able one. The characterisation is good, the description of Venice is realistic, and the plot believable. I enjoyed it so much, I have ordered the second in the series, Death in a Strange Country.
Death at LaFenice November 21, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Not your typical mystery book. The ending is not only a surprise, but a unique one. Enjoy!
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