false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170784207m/71677.jpg 71677 21 Guido Brunetti, the protagonist of Donna Leon's brilliant series about crime in high and low places in Venice, Italy, is back in a smart thriller about a murdered street vendor, one of the illegal immigrants who sell fake fashion accessories outside the tourist mecca's high-priced boutiques while trying to stay one step ahead of the law. Someone had a reason for wanting the nameless African man dead, and the search for the killers and the men who sent them to Brunetti's beloved and beautifully evoked city shortly before Christmas leads the thoughtful, multifaceted and uxorious Commissario to the unfamiliar Venetian milieu where the vu cumpra live. In the cramped, airless room where the Senegalese vendors manage to find shelter, Guido discovers a fortune in so-called "conflict diamonds" hidden among the murdered man's meager belongings. But finding the diamonds' provenance and the killers who were seeking them proves to be an exercise in bureaucratic misdirection. Warned off the case by his boss in the name of "national security," Guido nonetheless persists with his investigation, in the course of which he discovers what--and who--really matters to him. Leon depicts the city she also clearly loves with such skill the reader can almost hear the watter lapping at the edges of the canals and smell the espresso beans roasting in the crisp cold winter air. A tour de force from an author whose reputation for skillful plotting, extraordinary descriptive powers, and complex characters has earned her a loyal base of fans; if you haven't discovered her work before this, <I>Blood from a Stone</I> will only whet your appetite for her extensive backlist of titles featuring Brunetti and his colleagues. <I>--Jane Adams</I> 69409 book 2005 Blood from a Stone (Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries) total:336|5:63|4:149|3:106|2:12|1:6| 336 1259 447 35 4 0 false false Sat Aug 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 07 16:10:39 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 09 00:12:33 -0700 2009
It is a Christmas book. For those who want to get an early start on their holiday mayhem.

It seems they have a big problem with im...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 11 07:51:21 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 07:59:06 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Apr 09 21:46:02 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 21:51:03 -0700 2009 loving Venice. Inspector Brunetti investigates the murder of a Vuo Compra - one of the Africans that illegally sells knock-off purses in the streets. I found the book a fun read because while we were in Italy, a police officer yelled at us for browsing the co...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 22:59:46 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 29 23:07:26 -0700 2008
Commisarion Brunetti & his wife, Paola are two wonderful characters: two good people whose eyes on the world are jaded enough t...more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Sun Aug 19 13:41:54 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 19 13:48:23 -0700 2007 Leon, Donna- 15th in series
William Heinemann, 2005- UK Hardcover
Commissario Guido Brunetti is investigating the murder of a street vendor; one of the many illegal immigrants from Africa who sell imitation designer handbags. ...more...]]> 3 0 true false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 23 11:26:20 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 24 09:54:49 -0700 2007
Characterization: as usual, the (auto?)biographical strengths ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 16:44:18 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 14:43:19 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Fri Apr 24 05:31:27 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 05:33:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 17:45:50 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 22 17:50:10 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jun 26 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Feb 04 04:38:42 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 04 04:38:59 -0800 2009
Needless to say I am a big fan of Donna Leon
]]> 3 0 false false Sun Jun 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun May 31 14:30:35 -0700 2009 Sun Jun 07 16:14:30 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Thu Feb 26 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Sep 07 07:45:50 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 12 10:49:11 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Jun 07 15:33:22 -0700 2007 Thu Jun 07 15:34:59 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 12:18:34 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 12:19:51 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jan 30 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 08:16:44 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 08:17:18 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon May 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 07:46:56 -0700 2009 Thu May 28 19:57:41 -0700 2009 ]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jul 03 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 06:17:54 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 11:51:30 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Apr 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 13 09:02:47 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 11:03:54 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 12:46:45 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 18 12:47:14 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jan 24 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 01 11:26:44 -0800 2009 Fri Jan 30 15:42:37 -0800 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=71677