Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti #1)

3.78 of 5 stars 3.78 · rating details · 4,738 ratings · 644 reviews

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 Wel...more

Paperback, 270 pages

Published July 27th 2004 by Harper Perennial (first published 1992)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

Best Detective/Mystery Series

41st out of 907 books — 856 voters

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

Cozy Mystery Series

62nd out of 292 books — 978 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Feb 02, 2013 Claude rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this novel very much and would have given it five stars had I not just dropped a Cara Black novel and wondered whether I liked Death at La Fenice so much more because of the mediocrity of the previous book. But I really enjoyed the setting, the way Donna Leon does not use too many picturesque Italian words, just what is necessary. A good plot although I had guessed the dénouement well before the end. I am looking forward to reading another Commissario Brunetti enquiry.

like 1 like · see review

Apr 20, 2010 Joyce Lagow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: brunetti

First in the Commisario Guido Brunetti series set in Venice, Italy.[return][return]At La Fenice, Venice� s renowned opera house, the curtain is ready to go up for the final act of Verdi� s La Traviata. Everyone is ready and waiting, but the conductor, the world famous Helmut Wellauer, doesn� t appear--because he is dead, of cyanide poisoning, in his dressing room.[return][return]Enter Commisario (Chief Inspector) Guido Brunetti, a compassionate, idealistic but realistic Venetian. Aspects of the...more First in the Commisario Guido Brunetti series set in Venice, Italy.[return][return]At La Fenice, Venice� s renowned opera house, the curtain is ready to go up for the final act of Verdi� s La Traviata. Everyone is ready and waiting, but the conductor, the world famous Helmut Wellauer, doesn� t appear--because he is dead, of cyanide poisoning, in his dressing room.[return][return]Enter Commisario (Chief Inspector) Guido Brunetti, a compassionate, idealistic but realistic Venetian. Aspects of the case puzzle him; he follows up seemingly trivial facts to uncover a past that leads directly to Wellauer� s death.[return][return]The beauty of Leon� s books is not the plots, which are very good but nothing really outstanding. Her strengths are in her characters. Brunetti, his wife Paola, their two teenage children Chiara and Raffi, are brilliantly realized. Other recurring characters, such as Vice-Questura Patta, are also memorable; Patta, in the tradition of Racer in the Ricahrd Jury series of Martha Grimes, is unforgettable, and his meetings with Brunetti are hysterically funny. Even the minor characters who appear just once add heft to the book; their authenticity is resounding.[return][return]In addition, Leon, who has lived in Venice many years, writes lovingly and in detail of the city. One of the fun activities I indulged myself in during this reread was to follow Brunetti through Venice� s streets and into its establishments via GoogleEarth maps of the city. The locales are real as are establishments such as Biancat� s San Polo florist shop. There are photos of buildings in the areas which just adds to the enjoyment, even if it does mean reading while sitting in front of a computer--well worth it![return][return]Last but not least is Leon� s wry humor, which at times is exquisite; there were many times when I still, after 4 or 5 rereads of this superb book, laughed out loud, and one passage had me in tears of laughter--again.[return][return]The resolution of the plot is different, certainly, and casts further insights into Brunetti� s character.[return][return]A superb book in an excellent series. Highly recommended.(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 08, 2009 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

A promising mystery series. I heard the author interviewed on NPR in a series about mystery writers who set their stories in one place. Donna Leon’s place is Venice and the mystery was pretty good. I figured out the who fairly easily, but the why was worth reading to the end for. A famous German conductor dies in his dressing room between acts of La Traviata at La Fenica, Venice’s opera house (before it burned down as documented in John Berendt’s The City of Falling Angels). Suspects are a famou...more

like 1 like · see review

Dec 11, 2008 Reinhold rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Gute Ansätze, aber insgesamt nur mittelmäßig

Dieses Buch stellt mich gerade bezüglich der Bewertung auf einer Skala von 5 Sternen vor ein wirkliches Problem. Es gibt eine wirklich nennenswerte Anzahl von Schwachstellen die auch eine recht harschen Kritik rechtfertigen würden, aber es gibt auch sehr gute Ansätze, die großes Lob verdienen würden.

Die erste große Überraschung erlebte ich, als ich sehr bald feststellen musste, dass Leon ihren Personen scheinbar keine Seele gegeben hatte. Kaum jemand d...more Gute Ansätze, aber insgesamt nur mittelmäßig

Dieses Buch stellt mich gerade bezüglich der Bewertung auf einer Skala von 5 Sternen vor ein wirkliches Problem. Es gibt eine wirklich nennenswerte Anzahl von Schwachstellen die auch eine recht harschen Kritik rechtfertigen würden, aber es gibt auch sehr gute Ansätze, die großes Lob verdienen würden.

Die erste große Überraschung erlebte ich, als ich sehr bald feststellen musste, dass Leon ihren Personen scheinbar keine Seele gegeben hatte. Kaum jemand denkt etwas und wenn dann doch etwas gedacht wird so handelt es sich um reine Sachinformation; das Innenleben ihrere Charaktere wird de facto völlig ignoriert. Demgegenüber finden sich aber immer wieder sehr aufschlussreiche Informationen bezüglich der Körpersprache der handelnden Personen, was die Szenen wieder etwas belebt.

Ein weiteres Manko ist die langsame Handlung, die sehr viel Unwesentliches schildert - nun dies findet man zwar auch bei Henning Mankell, aber es ist letztlich doch nicht vergleichbar, da bei den Wallanderkrimis, die Langsamkeit aus der liebevollen Erzählung der Protagonisten und Antagonisten herrührt.

Selten aber doch nimmt das Buch auch politisch Stellung, niemals jedoch gesellschaftskritisch und differenziert, sondern immer in einem sehr vereinfachten, platten Stil - à la "Die Welt ist schwarz-weiß". So wird z.B. postuliert, dass wer während des Dritten Reichs nicht gegen die Nazis auftrat automatisch für sie war. Wer nicht für uns ist, der ist gegen uns.

Sprachlich ist das Buch über große Strecken bestenfalls Durchschnitt, teilweise aber auch nur auf dem Niveau eines Groschenromans. Stellenweise aber blitzt das Genie auf und Leon hebt sich aus der Masse wirklich positiv heraus.

Nun aber noch zum Inhalt: Während der Vorstellung der Traviata an der dem venezianischen Opernhaus La Fenice, wird der gefeiertet Stardirigent durch Zyankali getötet aufgefunden. Brunetti wird auf den Fall angesetzt und findet auch sehr schnell eine Unmenge an Ermittlungsrichtungen die er alle verfolgen muss. Die Auflösung der Geschichte aber ist dann völlig anders, als alles was man bis dorthin erwartet hätte. Diese sehr interessante und nahezu geniale Wendung ist schließlich der Punkt der wirklich großes Lob verdient und somit eine mittlere Wertung als angemessen erscheinen lässt. (less)

like · see review

May 15, 2013 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, crime-fiction

Four and a half stars.

Death at La Fenice is the first book of the long-standing crime series by Donna Leon. We are introduced to Commissario Guido Brunetti in his native Venice. A famous conductor is found dead in his dressing room during intermission, apparently poisoned by a dose of cyanide in his coffee. In the early stage of the investigation, Brunetti notes “how strangely similar his work was that of a doctor. They met over the dead, both asking ‘Why?’ But after they found the answer to tha...more

like · see review

Mar 05, 2013 Jonathan Stephenson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Any book set in Venice I am predisposed to like and the continuing success of the undemanding detective novel as a genre is testimony to its value as an antidote to many things. So, what is there not to like here?

Donna Leon knows Venice better than I do and describes it well: how the mood of the city changes with the weather and the seasons; how its history is ever present—and how it is a different place to those who visit it and those who know it well. And the unique complexity and containment...more Any book set in Venice I am predisposed to like and the continuing success of the undemanding detective novel as a genre is testimony to its value as an antidote to many things. So, what is there not to like here?

Donna Leon knows Venice better than I do and describes it well: how the mood of the city changes with the weather and the seasons; how its history is ever present—and how it is a different place to those who visit it and those who know it well. And the unique complexity and containment of the city's geography is often part of the story in her books too, so in fact the inclusion of the map is always relevant.

Commissario Brunetti the detective, his family and his police colleagues are plausible enough characters. The Italian bureaucracy of the time depicted in the novels is believable too—and the routine inclusion of meals in the storytelling and descriptions of the food eaten, both emphasise the European setting and is vaguely reminiscent of Maigret. All this is part of the scenario that makes 'Death at La Fenice' an enjoyable read.

Is this a great detective story—probably not? The theme of what might have happened in the war (WWII) and Italy's fascist past is ever present and is less easy to engage with a couple of decades after the book was written than it would have been originally; and the ending is arrived at not so much as the result of a sequence of clues that gives the reader cause to suspect, as a gentle calling of time on a pleasant sojourn in Venice that they have been having.

Nobody else in this novel seems to care that much about the fact that this rather unpleasant person has been murdered, except for the wrong reasons, so why should the reader look for more than an 'oh that's what happened—I wondered if that was it' sort of explanation as an ending?

Not the most enthralling plot then compared to others in the series, yet somehow that doesn't detract from the pleasure of reading it. However, I suspect if you don't know Venice, including its outer edges away from the main tourist beat, it may not have the same appeal.
(less)

like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery, italian

I enjoyed this book a lot; sat down and read it in a day. As is often the case, I came back to the first book in a series after having read a few of the later ones. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not – but at least I know that I like the later ones. This is indeed the first book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series, set in and featuring the city of Venice. But strangely for me, it immediately featured a character (Brett Lynch) who had already featured in one of the subsequent books I...more I enjoyed this book a lot; sat down and read it in a day. As is often the case, I came back to the first book in a series after having read a few of the later ones. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not – but at least I know that I like the later ones. This is indeed the first book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series, set in and featuring the city of Venice. But strangely for me, it immediately featured a character (Brett Lynch) who had already featured in one of the subsequent books I had already read! We also meet many of the characters who will populate the subsequent books – his politically-savvy, but police-work-ignorant boss; his wife and children, his in-laws, and perhaps most of all, the city of Venice, whose waterways and eating places are lovingly described throughout. The books are not so much mysteries as a stroll around Venice, commenting on its people and places and the changes taking place in the venerable city, from the effects of acid rain to the burgeoning tourists forcing out the shops that the dwindling numbers of locals use. Interestingly, the crime takes place in a site that is a part of Venetian history itself. The Teatro La Fenice opera house, the place of the title, burned down since the book was published, and like the Phoenix of its name, was rebuilt later.
In this story, a famous German music conductor is found dead from cyanide poisoning in his dressing room in the opera house, between the second and third acts of La Traviata. Brunetti goes about solving the problem in the old-fashioned way – with shoe-leather and personal visits to the suspects and witnesses. The conductor turns out to have been not a very nice person (though a great conductor) so suspects are plentiful. He also has a wife some 30 years younger than he was, and is immediately suspected by Brunetti’s wife (who always gets it wrong, we are told). In addition, the conductor survived World War 2 by collaborating with the Nazi regime. Is that a factor?
The book is well written and easy to read. It has the flavor of Maigret, but with more actual detecting. I will continue to dip into the series, perhaps in sequence next time!(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Nov 25, 2012 Mónica Silva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Donna Leon agrupa nesta obra os elementos essenciais de um bom policial: um enredo misterioso e empolgante, uma personagem principal extremamente carismática e descrições detalhadas de uma cidade impressionante.

Esta estória tem como pano de fundo a belíssima cidade de Veneza, retratada pela autora de uma forma realista mas mantendo o misticismo habitualmente associado a este local. As descrições são detalhadas mas não massudas, ajudam o lei...more

like · see review

Mar 16, 2012 Dirk rated it 2 of 5 stars

Reading this book reminded me why I can't usually find in genre fiction what satisfies me in a novel. I think this is a pretty good example of genre fiction. It does not flaunt, for example, the deliberately awkward and ugly similes characteristic of noir fiction. I recently stopped reading a detective Chen mystery (A case of Two Cities by Qui Xiaolong) after about 30 pages because from time to time blossomed in my path a simile resembling one of those giant Indonesian flowers that look and smel...more Reading this book reminded me why I can't usually find in genre fiction what satisfies me in a novel. I think this is a pretty good example of genre fiction. It does not flaunt, for example, the deliberately awkward and ugly similes characteristic of noir fiction. I recently stopped reading a detective Chen mystery (A case of Two Cities by Qui Xiaolong) after about 30 pages because from time to time blossomed in my path a simile resembling one of those giant Indonesian flowers that look and smell like rotting flesh to attract flies. And Death in LA Fenice makes some effort at in-depth characterization, unlike say, Agatha Christie, where characterization is like the molding of inexpensive chess pieces – only sufficient to differentiate how they move in the game. It even is in a sense about the character of the victim, but I never felt any of the characters was fully human, had any of the fitful unexpected texture of real people. And the writing is okay, easy to follow, never awkward, but flat. I never said to myself, 'Wow that's a lovely paragraph, or sentence.’ It is set in Venice and the detective walks around Venetian neighborhoods and rides the vaporetto a lot. I have been to Venice several times as a tourist, and it rang true, but it never rang out. It was like a map rather than an aerial view. Geof Dyer's 's Jeff in Venice and Death in Varanasi, not a good book in my view, never the less makes Venice much more alive and interesting. The plot is the process of the detective solving the crime, a process of discovery, like Lambert Strether's discovery of what is going on with Chad Newsome in James’ The Ambassadors, or the process of discovery so popular in family secrete novels these days. An intriguing kind of plot, but the processes of his mind never intrigued me.
I recall picking up a copy of the newsletter of the Canadian science fiction writers association at a friend’s house that included an article addressed the issue of whether people who actually tried to write well should be allowed to remain members of the association.
Of course, there are exceptions, Raymond Chandler, some Dashiell Hammett, some Ursula K. Le Guin, and Nabokov’s fine science fiction novel Ada, for example.
(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Feb 29, 2012 Durdles rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

Funny how a whole crime series can pass you by. I heard Donna Leon discussing this book on a radio show and,having visited Venice, thought this would remind me of my holiday. I even had a photo of the Gran Teatro la Fenice to use as a bookmark. Anyone looking for an action packed travelogue is in for a disappointment. I don't think gondolas are mentioned once. Not even in a chase sequence.
Although the author lives in Italy, apparently she is unrecognised there and the books are not available in...more

like · see review

Aug 17, 2011 Tony rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-crime-detection

Leon, Donna. DEATH AT LA FENICE. (1992). ****.
This was the author’s first in her series of cases featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti and the city of Venice – so much for my reading the books in order. The mysteries, so far, seem to be low key psychological investigations into various crimes, concentrating on the people behind the crimes rather than on the crimes themselves. In this respect, Ms. Leon ha modeled herself after the novels of George Simenon and his police commissioner Maigret. As w...more Leon, Donna. DEATH AT LA FENICE. (1992). ****.
This was the author’s first in her series of cases featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti and the city of Venice – so much for my reading the books in order. The mysteries, so far, seem to be low key psychological investigations into various crimes, concentrating on the people behind the crimes rather than on the crimes themselves. In this respect, Ms. Leon ha modeled herself after the novels of George Simenon and his police commissioner Maigret. As with Maigret, Brunetti finds that most crimes, including murder, are based on events that have occurred in the past and usually involve either money or love (or lust). In this adventure, a world famous conductor is found dead in his dressing room at the Fenice opera house in Venice. He was discovered between acts two and three of La Traviata – dead from cyanide poisoning. The immediate problem that Brunetti encounters is that there are too many potential suspects that might have had reason to spike the maestro’s tea with cyanide, from his current wife to his past ones. The conductor’s manic hatred of homosexuals also raises its head as a potential source of suspects. He had a crusader’s goal in punishing as many of them as possible, including wrecking their careers in music when he had the chance. Since the world of music is home to many gay men and women, the list of possible perps increases significantly – especially when you find out how many of them have had negative encounters with the conductor. Complicating all of this is the fact that he is of German extraction and had ties to the Nazi regime during the war. Brunetti is at first overwhelmed with all of the potential candidates, but soon realizes that he will only find out the facts of the current deed by exploring the history of the conductor himself. It finally works itself out in the end, with Brunetti getting to the bottom of the case. The real reason will come as somewhat of a surprise to the reader, but it all makes sense. Recommended.
(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not much of a mystery reader, but I suspect this isn't really of the caliber of an Agatha Christie or Alexander McCall Smith. The writing is stilted as if it had been translated from another language (it hasn't). The characters are fully fleshed out in a way that's nice -- except for our sleuth Commissario Brunetti, who seems oddly unmotivated. His main psychological repertoire involves feeling awkward and wondering about why he's wondering about something. I'm not sure precisely how much of...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 26, 2011 Skyring rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have not only another long and complex detective series to devour, but a new destination!

The city of Venice is a lead character in these books. Not the tourist city of gondoliers and campaniles, but the little nooks and bars that the residents frequent. The Undercity, as it were, that the guidebooks don't mention. Oh, sure, the Grand Canal is here, as is St Marks and all the rest, but the city is shown as a place where people live, where people love, where people commit murder and all manner o...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jun 08, 2010 Madeline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: detective-fiction

Before I get to the review part, can I ask a question of my Goodreads friends? I know some of you probably speak Italian, so can someone please tell me how to properly pronounce "Fenice"? With my years of French I automatically go with "Fe-nees", but I suspect the correct pronunciation might be "Fen-nee-che". Whenever I have to say the title out loud I'm never sure if I'm saying it right and always end up waffling between the two options. So it'd be nice if someone could tell me how to say it ri...more Before I get to the review part, can I ask a question of my Goodreads friends? I know some of you probably speak Italian, so can someone please tell me how to properly pronounce "Fenice"? With my years of French I automatically go with "Fe-nees", but I suspect the correct pronunciation might be "Fen-nee-che". Whenever I have to say the title out loud I'm never sure if I'm saying it right and always end up waffling between the two options. So it'd be nice if someone could tell me how to say it right.

Okay, anyway. The story opens at the beginning of the third act of Traviata at the famous Fenice opera in Venice. The conductor, a man named Wellauer, has been found dead of cyanide poisoning in his dressing room. There are plenty of what we'll call The Usual Suspects (I watched Casablanca last night) - a much younger wife, a passionate soprano, a betrayed performer, and plenty of journalists and musicians who know way too many of the conductor's dirty secrets. Enter police commissioner Brunetti, who has to figure out which of these people had the best reason to want the conductor dead.

To do this, he has to dig into Wellauer's past and try to figure out what kind of man he was. This takes many chapters, and lots of interviews over the phone and in restaurants with a variety of people who worked with the conductor over the years. The pace moves slowly, and there are very few major plot-twisting revelations until the very end, where everything suddenly speeds up and I kept expecting Brunetti to put on his sunglasses and tell someone that This Shit Just Got Real.

The story is good, the writing is good, the setting is fantastic, and the mystery is fascinating - it's because of the pace that this book gets four stars instead of five. Maybe it's because I'm used to Agatha Christie, where we get a new startling revelation or clue every couple of chapters, but for some reason this story just dragged a little too much for my taste. For instance, in a scene that's depressingly reminiscent of the infamous Vampire Baseball Scene in Twilight, an entire chapter of Death at La Fenice is devoted to Brunetti playing Monopoly with his family. Sweet, but I wanted the story to focus on, ya know, the murder.

(less)

like 3 likes · see review

Aug 16, 2009 Jody Bell rated it 3 of 5 stars

I recently heard an interview of Donna Leon on NPR last Sunday night. She was surrounded by adoring fans who asked her interesting questions about contemporary Venice. Her answers were equally interesting. She has lived all over the world, and currently resides in Venice. She cherishes her anonymity there and though she is an American, she considers Venice her home. I was captivated by her great passion for opera, international cuisine, and crime throughout her interview. I was eager to see how...more

like · see review

May 01, 2012 Q. Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

If a book is set in Italy, chances are I’ll snatch it up. I loved my three weeks in Italy and so have a weakness for such books. “Death at La Fenice” takes place in Venice, and Leon does the city justice. Seeing gay, lesbian and bisexual characters in such a mainstream mystery was awesome. Even awesomer was looking at Leon’s other books (“La Fenice” was published in the early 1990s, although it just came out in ebook) and seeing that some of the lesbian characters return in future books. Observi...more

like · see review

Feb 10, 2011 Natacha Martins rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, biblioteca

A história propriamente dita começa com a morte do maestro Helmut Wellauer, um dos músicos mais respeitados pelos críticos, um génio musical, que é encontrado morto no seu camarim, envenenado. Helmut morreu durante o intervalo da ópera que estava a dirigir na altura, no teatro La Fenice, um lugar emblemático em Veneza. Guido Brunetti é destacado para investigar a estranha e inesperada morte do maestro. Não havendo um suspeito óbvio, a única solução que Brunetti encontra para desvendar o mistério...more A história propriamente dita começa com a morte do maestro Helmut Wellauer, um dos músicos mais respeitados pelos críticos, um génio musical, que é encontrado morto no seu camarim, envenenado. Helmut morreu durante o intervalo da ópera que estava a dirigir na altura, no teatro La Fenice, um lugar emblemático em Veneza. Guido Brunetti é destacado para investigar a estranha e inesperada morte do maestro. Não havendo um suspeito óbvio, a única solução que Brunetti encontra para desvendar o mistério é tentar perceber quem era o maestro, na sua vida privada, longe das luzes da ribalta e dessa forma esperar encontrar quem lhe quisesse fazer mal.
O livro acaba por ser essa deambulação do detective, pelo passado do maestro, interrogando as pessoas que dele fizeram parte, mas também as pessoas que no presente conviviam com ele, quer profissionalmente, quer na intimidade.
Brunetti com as suas perguntas que aparentemente não tinham importância acaba por levar a investigação a bom porto e o mistério por detrás da vida e morte do maestro acaba por vir ao de cima. O que Brunetti não estava à espera era de descobrir o que acabou por descobrir e que essa descoberta o fizesse violar algumas regras morais e de comportamento a que está obrigado por pertencer a uma força policial. Mas sobre isso não digo mais nada. Digo apenas que me agradou muito que o detective Guido Brunetti não fosse um super-polícia, com uma inteligência e poder de dedução para além dos limites humanamente possíveis. Gostei que fosse um polícia do qual emanava até alguma preguiça, um homem que não era obcecado pelo trabalho, não o levando para casa. Gostei deste polícia mais humano e por isso mais real.

Gostei da forma como Veneza é descrita, não conheço a cidade, mas sinto que o livro me passou alguma da mística que a cidade carrega. Gostei que Donna Leon não tivesse enaltecido a cidade, retratou-a como a cidade velha que é, mas também como a cidade histórica que é, com os seus encantos escondidos e o seu ambiente por vezes mágico. Gostei! :)
O que não me entusiasmou assim tanto, foi o facto de o livro ser um pouco parado. Muita da investigação de Brunetti é feita a partir de conversas informais às pessoas que privavam com a vítima, muitas perguntas, muita conversa fiada e pouco desenvolvimentos no crime propriamente dito. Achei, nesse aspecto o livro menos bem conseguido, embora a sua leitura até tenha sido rápida porque a escrita é fluída. Mas não senti uma curiosidade assim tão grande, porque o clima que se cria não o proporciona. O final foi, de certa forma, inesperado e só mesmo na parte final senti alguma urgência em desvendar o mistério.
Outro pormenor que me fez franzir o sobrolho algumas vezes foi a fixação da autora por olhos e narizes, as descrições de grande parte das personagens incluíam olhos "bem espaçados" e narizes às vezes demasiado longos e outras vezes com o tamanho perfeito. :)

É um livro com uma escrita acessível, com uma história relativamente bem estruturada e com personagens interessantes e suficientemente ambíguas para que não as descartássemos como possíveis assassinos. Pessoalmente o que mais gostei no livro foi mesmo do cenário de Veneza, a dinâmica da cidade e dos seus habitantes foi o que mais me agradou descobrir neste livro.

Gostei. Se vou ler mais algum da autora? Não sei... se se proporcionar não vejo porque não.(less)

like · see review

Nov 06, 2012 Bridget rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

A couple of people I know read this book, and it had good reviews in a couple of places, so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, when I finished it, I thought to myself, "Well, OK."

I did like the main character, Guido Brunetti, the Police Commisario in Venice, and the descriptions of his home life. I liked finding out some "local" info about Venice and the people that live there.

The story involved a well-known, megastar operatic conductor who - at the very beginning of the book - is foun...more

like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Rebecca Anderson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: challenge-11

I have never met a character that can deflect attention away from himself as much as C. Brunetti. I say this first because it was so annoying how often he pushed the camera away from him, I can honestly review the other characters of this book, but probably not him.

This book is a border-line cozy mystery. I say border-line because I actually half enjoyed it. C. Brunetti is an officer in Venice who investigates the murder of a infamous maestro. The mystery is... well, colorful. There are loads of...more I have never met a character that can deflect attention away from himself as much as C. Brunetti. I say this first because it was so annoying how often he pushed the camera away from him, I can honestly review the other characters of this book, but probably not him.

This book is a border-line cozy mystery. I say border-line because I actually half enjoyed it. C. Brunetti is an officer in Venice who investigates the murder of a infamous maestro. The mystery is... well, colorful. There are loads of characters that are oddly eccentric. Like I mentioned about, however, Brunetti didn't like to talk about himself... at all. When he was with his family he went on about his daughter's love for mathematics and how he was lucky his son wasn't building a bomb in his bedroom. When he was interviewing to women he could only picture them naked in a shower together, which I thought was very strange, but all the power to him!

The book gains it stars for the fun story telling, the mystery and how thought out it was, the eccentric characters, and because I'm a sucker for Venice.

The book loses stars because of how backward it can be sometimes. Brunetti can't stand his in-laws for... some reason, even though they seem to be polite towards him and really admire his work. His father-in-law even goes out of his way to invite people to a party so Brunetti can 'over-hear' some rumors about the murdered individual, and Brunetti is still convinced they hate him or something.

Then there's his boss, Patta, who is strange and I wonder how he even got to his position in the first place.

And Brunetti, like I said, is so easily distracted. The narrative stops for just moment to talk about his lesbian fantasies and hi memorization of the appearance of church bells for goodness sake. I sort of rose an eye-brow when I read this but decided against trying to figure them out after a while.

This is an entire series, so I wouldn't mind reading another one sometime. Sort of a good week-ender.

(Totally love his wife, though, who's like a psycho literature teacher and goes crazay with her blue pen on student papers. Damn right you gotta keep them students in line, crack the whip!)
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars

I love Italy and I've tried reading a few of the Italian masters of crime fiction. I decided to read this because it is on a BBC Book Club list. I was pretty disappointed. Some people might like Donna Leon and I'm sure she has an army of fans but I found the prose stilted and dull, the plot cadaverous and the book stuffed with cliches and dull stereotypes about Italian life and culture. The prose style read as if it had been badly translated from the Italian.....it turns out the author is an Ame...more

like 2 likes · see review

Jan 29, 2013 Anita rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, police-procedural

A German maestro is found dead in his dressing room during the performance of la Traviata at the famous opera house la Fenice. It is almost immediately apparent he died of cyanide poisoning - the drug was in his coffee. Commissario Guido Brunetti must parse the great number of potential suspects to solve the crime. Was it due to the maestro's rumoured Nazi past, his singling out and destruction of homosexuals in the opera, the grudge a poverty-stricken former opera star held against him for the...more

like · see review

Oct 29, 2011 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, library-loan

It took me a long while to get comfortable with this book. It seemed curiously flat when I had been looking forward to immersing myself in Venice (which I have never visited), and yet some aspects of the setting seemed slightly laboriously clarified. Rather differently, I found the pervasive corruption difficult to stomach (I know, I know, I'm reading a novel about a killing and I'm struggling with financial impropriety) I was starting to feel that although I had believed this would be the first...more

like · see review

Aug 26, 2011 Kerry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, 7, library, mystery

Death at La FeniceI finished this up yesterday and found I enjoyed the book a lot. I hope I'll be able to fit in reading more books in the series at some point. (Happily, except for this first one that I had to borrow from the library, the rest are all available for Kindle - and I'm even allowed to buy them down here in little old New Zealand.)
I was rather proud of myself that I had essentially guessed the murderer about ¾ of the way through, even though I couldn't figure out the why of it until...more Death at La FeniceI finished this up yesterday and found I enjoyed the book a lot. I hope I'll be able to fit in reading more books in the series at some point. (Happily, except for this first one that I had to borrow from the library, the rest are all available for Kindle - and I'm even allowed to buy them down here in little old New Zealand.)
I was rather proud of myself that I had essentially guessed the murderer about ¾ of the way through, even though I couldn't figure out the why of it until, like Guido, I had some more information to make all the pieces fall into place.

I wouldn't say I've totally fallen for Guido Brunetti, but I feel this kind of solid solidarity for him, not that we are familiar, but that he's someone who would make a good friend. His family are lovely and I am delighted to know they continue to feature as the series progresses.

I found the book to have a sort of middle ground between a light mystery and a detailed police procedural. We don't get the nitty, gritty of murder and forensics and blood and hate. Instead, it's a slow, steady and interesting development of and care towards the details so that the pieces of the puzzle can be put together and a solution to the mystery found.

I was a little confused about when this was set at first, since there was a lot of talk of what the victim had done before and during the Second World War, which seemed a very long and distant way away to me, making me wonder if it was meant to be set a decade or two prior to when it was published. But as I sorted out dates as the book progressed, I figured out that it must be set right about when it was published (the copyright date is 1992). Perhaps, if you're Italian with German victim and suspects, the war still feels a lot closer than it does way over here? I don't know, but I'm glad I figured out the time period as that kind of thing tends to bug me. (I'll be interested to see if computers and cell phones work their way into the stories as the series progresses.)

The next book to be published in the series is something like number 20, so if I want to keep reading, I've got plenty ahead of me to enjoy. Yay.(less)

like · see review

Oct 24, 2012 Brian Williams rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Commissario Brunetti is given the task of investigating the sudden death of a famous conductor at the Venice opera house. The maestro died in his dressing room during an intermission, an apparent victim of cyanide poisoning. It's a well plotted mystery, told in a deliberate, almost languid fashion, that gets bogged down on only a few occasions. There's a few red herrings, but they make the resolution more satisfying. The side story of the soprano and her "secretary" are particularly interesting...more

like · see review

Jul 29, 2012 Susan Ferguson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, mystery, fiction

A rather engrossing mystery. Commissario Guido Brunetti is called in to investigate the death of a famous and genius conducter, Wellauer. He is found dead in his dressing room after the second act - a cup of coffee laced with cyanide spilled in the floor. He has been behaving oddly, distracted and according to several people, one of them having played a performance with him before, his old brilliance and fire are gone. The orchestra for the opera La Traviata is off - the music is not holding tog...more

like · see review

Sep 06, 2011 Sharon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

After reading several books in the Brunetti series, I've decided to go back and read some of the earlier books. Commissario Brunetti is called in to La Fenice to solved the murder mystery of the conductor Maestro Brunetti. The murder (cyanide poisening in his coffee) occurs between the second and third acts. There is a complex cast of suspects for his murder--including several former and current employees. Also he is hinted as possibly being a Nazi, and he hates homosexuals.

Other recurring char...more

like · see review

Nov 19, 2012 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Home from Italy and back to Venice (in my books). The Bookread ratings are all over. I enjoy the story telling and Italian inserts but evidently the Italians do not because, I learned from the bookreads ratings, the series is not published in Italian!

TRIVIA
Censorship: Brunetti reflected upon the possible advantage of censorship of the press......German people got along very well with a government that demanded it, and the American government seemed to fare similarly well with a population that w...more

like · see review

Aug 19, 2012 J rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: high-school-fiction, mystery

This mystery series was recommended to me, and since the setting is Venice and I love anything Italian I figured it was a sure bet. Inspector Brunetti is called to investigate the murder of a world famous conductor, who was poisoned between acts 2 and 3 of La Traviata. While Brunetti is a likeable protagonist, and the modern day setting of Venice, with its aristocratic heritage juxtaposed over the crumbling architecture and poverty of the masses is intriguing, the mystery itself seemed secondary...more

like · see review

Oct 30, 2011 Deena rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bosler, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Aug 01, 2010 Lisi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads, read-in-german

Der Roman „Vezianisches Finale“ von Donna Leon beginnt mit dem letzten Akt einer Oper in Venedig, wo die Zuschauer in den Saal strömen, um sich den letzten Akt anzuhören. Doch es geschieht nicht wie geplant, der Dirigent wird entschuldigt und durch einen anderen ersetzt, was einiges an Diskussionen auslöst.
Kurze Zeit später betritt Commisario Brunetti den Ort, da es ziemlich schnell feststellt, das der Dirigent tot ist und ermordet wurde.

Man nimmt als Leser an, dass es nun eigentlich mit den Erm...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Mystery, Crim...: Nov/Dec Group Discussion: Death at La Fenice	72	251	Dec 22, 2012 01:56am
Starting From The Top	11	56	Aug 12, 2012 05:36pm

combine
Other Editions (39)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

346 users

Cultural > Italy

83 users

Mystery > Crime

77 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

19 users

Thriller

15 users

Mystery > Detective

15 users

European Literature > Italian Literature

7 users

Travel

5 users

Music

5 users

Suspense

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Donna Leon

Donna Leon (born September 29, 1942, in Montclair, New Jersey) is an American author of a series of crime novels set in Venice and featuring the fictional hero Commissario Guido Brunetti.

Donna Leon has lived in Venice for over twenty-five years. She has worked as a lecturer in English Literature for the University of Maryland University College - Europe (UMUC-Europe) in Italy, then as a Professor...more

More about Donna Leon...

Books by Donna Leon

Death in a Strange Country (Commissario Brunetti, #2)

Dressed for Death (Commissario Brunetti, #3)

A Noble Radiance (Commissario Brunetti, #7)

Through a Glass, Darkly (Commissario Brunetti, #15)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Death at La Fenice

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Death at La Fenice
avg rating	preview: Death at La Fenice Goodreads rating: 3.78 (4738 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68099.Death_at_La_Fenice?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347391566l/68099.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/68099.Death_at_La_Fenice?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon[/url]

Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website