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Death at La Fenice

(Commissario Brunetti #1)

Donna Leon

3.87 · Rating details · 26,670 ratings · 2,283 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

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Paperback, 270 pages

Published July 27th 2004 by Harper Perennial (first published June 19th 1992)

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Oct 15, 2019 Julie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-lending-library, mystery-shelf, 2019, e-book

Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon is a 2012 Grove Press publication. (Originally published in 1992)

Slightly dated, but oh the Venetian scenery!!

This is the first book in the long running Commissario Brunetti series. I’ve been curious about Donna Leon for ages but have never gotten around to sampling any of her work. This book is available in the Kindle Unlimited program, at the moment, giving me a great excuse to finally see for myself why this series has endured.

When a world- renowned musical c ...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Alex is The Romance Fox rated it it was amazing

Shelves: series, adventure-mystery-crime-thriller, authors-i-o

Death at La Fenice is the 1st book in the exciting Guido Brunetti Series by Donna Leon, set in the beautiful, romantic, mysterious and unique city of Venice.
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The series features Commissario Guido Brunetti, family man, modest, moral, loyal and philosophical detective extraordinaire.
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When famed conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room between Acts 2 and 3 of the of LA TRAVIATA at the La Fenicia theatre, Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder by cyanide poisoning.
He immed Death at La Fenice is the 1st book in the exciting Guido Brunetti Series by Donna Leon, set in the beautiful, romantic, mysterious and unique city of Venice.
photo botboat_zps1fpyvkvg.jpg

The series features Commissario Guido Brunetti, family man, modest, moral, loyal and philosophical detective extraordinaire.
photo commissario-brunetti_zpss6xeursw.jpg

When famed conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room between Acts 2 and 3 of the of LA TRAVIATA at the La Fenicia theatre, Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder by cyanide poisoning.
He immediately realizes that there’s a lot more about the victim than what he’s being told by the suspects …….his much younger wife and soprano, Flavia Petrelli and her lesbian lover, Brett Lynch and the people in his life who have been offended by his homophobic views. Brunetti also discovers Wellauer’s past as a Nazi sympathizer.

Narrated from Commissario Brunetti’s POV, we accompany him on his investigation and we experience his thoughts and musings as he works through the clues.

He’s forced to make choices between what the law is and what he believes is right. And that’s where we see the side of Brunetti that makes him such a moral person.

I enjoyed the segments with Brunetti’s family. There’s such love and warmth in their home. And I loved Paola, his wife.

If you enjoy a well-crafted and well-written story with beautiful settings and unforgettable characters, then this is the series for you.

I loved this segment in the book…………..

“Where does American money come from? Steel. Railways. You know how it is over there. It doesn’t matter if you murder or rob to get it. The trick is in keeping it for a hundred years, and then you’re aristocrats.’ ‘Is that so different from here?’ Brunetti asked. ‘Of course,’ Padovani explained, smiling. ‘Here we have to keep it five hundred years before we’re aristocrats. And there’s another difference. In Italy, you have to be well-dressed. In America, it’s difficult to tell which are the millionaires and which are the servants.”

...more

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Dec 31, 2019 mark monday rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: murdertime

this low-key and humane Venice-set detective yarn surprised me. not so much at the solving of the murder mystery (although I was surprised), but at how it all came together in such an organic way. the emphasis on family, children, little girls... the importance of doing the right thing even if it is not necessarily the legal thing... no spoilers here, but the end really brought things together in a way that made perfect emotional sense. all of the small everyday moments, the details that aren't ...more

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Apr 25, 2008 Morgan rated it it was ok

Let me start by saying that I love Venice and all things Venetian. I love reading anything that has to do with Venice. So the fact that this book takes place in Venice gave it at least one redeeming quality. I've heard from more than one person that Donna Leon was a good author, but after reading this book, I have serious doubts about that and I'm not sure she deserves a second chance. She set up a great plot and had intruiging characters, but then did nothing with them. I got halfway through th ...more

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Dec 02, 2019 Anne Bogel rated it really liked it

I finally, finally read this after legions of readers said Donna Leon was perfect for Louise Penny fans who were all caught up with Inspector Gamache. In this first installment of the Commissario Brunetti mysteries, a renowned opera conductor is found dead in his dressing room, a victim of cyanide poisoning. It's significant to the story that this is a particularly painful way to die.

As the investigation unfolds, it's clear the man had a dark past and many enemies, and that the perpetrator want ...more

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Jul 29, 2018 Ivana Books Are Magic rated it did not like it

If you didn't know, you don't have to know how to write to publish a book. All you need to do is pick a popular location, let's say Venice, populate it with one dimensional characters, every imaginable stereotype about Italy and the world, sentences that couldn't be called writing even if one was trying to be exceptionally kind- and there you go. Don't forget to randomly insert a bunch of Italian words to show your 'deep insight' into Italian culture.

You don't have to know anything about writin If you didn't know, you don't have to know how to write to publish a book. All you need to do is pick a popular location, let's say Venice, populate it with one dimensional characters, every imaginable stereotype about Italy and the world, sentences that couldn't be called writing even if one was trying to be exceptionally kind- and there you go. Don't forget to randomly insert a bunch of Italian words to show your 'deep insight' into Italian culture.

You don't have to know anything about writing a crime novel to write a crime novel either. You pick a protagonist, commissario Brunetti, give everything away in the first chapter and then drag the story on by repeating everything you already said one thousand times. What to say of Brunetti? Commissario Brunetti who is not even one dimensional (more lacking dimension) and the best you can do is keep talking about how we likes his coffee. If you pile on enough insignificant details, perhaps people won't notice you don't have an idea what characterization is or what it should look like. A clue: it's not piling insignificant details one onto another.

Why bother with characterization? All of the motives why people in this world do anything can be explained in two ways:

1. Clearly he/she is Italian
2. Clearly he/she isn't Italian.

Why bother using your head? Why bother explaining things or trying to find sense in them? It's that simple. People do things because they are either Italian or not. That explains everything! Why, Donna Leon, that's so simple it is....incredibly stupid. Or brilliant. That way you can get away with not using your head and still publish a novel. So, the joke is on the readers.

Not only were all the characters in the book one dimensional collection of stereotypes, the description of the society and the setting was a pile of prejudice and stereotype as well. The plot....wait was there a plot? Alright, let me be polite and call it a plot- the 'plot' had so many holes it was....I don't even know where to start. I can feel my brain cells dying in agony as I think of this book.

The 'novel' opens with a poisoning of a famous opera conductor. Instead of investigating the murder, commissario Brunetti is being very nice to all people involved, especially the potential female suspects, and does not really work on solving the murder, and why would Brunetti be doing that, when he can make a few calls and wait for all the clues to fall into his lap. For it's Venice and everyone knows everyone so why shouldn't Brunetti just wait for everyone to supply him with bits of predicable information that will lead to predictable end.... Literally, the man does NOTHING! Everyone else works for Brunetti, all he does is make a few calls and/or rely on people he knows to lay it out to him in endless monologues.....and the dialogues are agonizingly boring!

Here is an example, Brunetti calls his a friend of his, who opens the conversation by sympathizing with comimissario over how 'pressured' he must feel to solve this case. Then Brunetti asks him to find out more about the opera conductor and his past affairs. They talk in length and then the friend asks Brunetti whether he is a hurry to get the information. The same friend who opened the conversation with Brunetti with the acknowledgement that Brunetti must be in hurry to get some piece of information and that is why he must be calling! Unfortunately, 100% percent of dialogues and monologues are self-serving, repetitive and boring. And so is the book.

The worst crime novel I read.....and one of the worst books I've read. It's a caricature of a novel. It's so bad, I felt it is an insult to books- even the most trashy writing is way better and can at least be considered a guilty pleasure. Here you feel the guilt for reading this, but no pleasure. It's guilty torture. On some level, it fascinates me how someone can write this badly. It fascinates me more than the fact that this book got published and read. In a way, reading this book was educational. Being able to write this badly has to be an accomplishment of some sort. I've never seen anyone mess up...every possible aspect of the book.

I've just googled Donna Leon and found that she demanded her novels wouldn't be translated into Italian. Blessed are the Italians, for they will be spared of reading this book! ...more

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Jan 21, 2018 Negin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: italy

I chose this book, the first in the Commissario Brunetti mystery series, because the setting is Venice, and my family and I will be briefly visiting there soon. Donna Leon does a wonderful job describing the city. If you’re looking for the type of mystery that you can’t put down, this isn’t it. Except for the ending, when it all comes together, this book is more about characters and the setting. A famous, but not particularly likeable conductor is found dead in his dressing room at the La Fenice ...more

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Jan 19, 2020 Blaine DeSantis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Being Italian I enjoy detective novels set in Italy. For some reason, however, I had never tried Donna Leon until a week ago. I really enjoyed Book 1 of the Brunetti mystery series. A conductor is found dead between acts at the Venetian Opera House, La Fenice, during a performance of La Traviata. It is fairly obvious that it was death by poisoning, but who had access to get the poison into the conductors cup of coffee?? There are plenty of clues, plenty of potential murderers and a lot of backst ...more

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May 12, 2012 Sue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: mystery lovers

Shelves: around-the-world-in-52, italy, mystery, kindle, read-in-2012

Well, I've now entered the world of Commissario Guido Brunetti, of the police force of Venice. This is the first of Donna Leon's long-running series set in that fabled city, which is equally a character in the novel. This was an enjoyable beginning with a nice introduction to Brunetti's family, his investigation techniques, many fellow officers, and assorted Venetians of all stripes. His travels around the city give an interesting and occasionally claustrophobic feeling to the place.

I enjoyed th ...more

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May 01, 2012 Giacomo rated it it was amazing

I have read @ ten of Donna Leon's books and this review reflects my opinion of most of them. Some have a slightly better story, a little more engaging than others, but for the most part, the books are about Brunetti, and about Venezia, and the Italian people.

Commissario Guido Brunetti is a deep and interesting character, but he is unlike most detectives you’ll find in American mystery books. Brunetti solves crimes with his wits, and all the while deals with crooked politicians; his independent a ...more

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Mar 01, 2016 Carolyn rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, cosy-crime, around-the-world

I read this because it's set in Venice, a city I've only been to on a dull rainy day in winter, but one I enjoyed visiting very much. The damp only served to heighten the atmosphere and the lack of tourists gave us room to move and explore. The novel does have some nice descriptions of Venice and the Venetians but otherwise I found the writing a bit stilted and the story somewhat predictable.

Comissario Guido Brunetti is the detective in charge of investigating the death of a famous German condu ...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Madeline rated it really liked it

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 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.

...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Jonetta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: group-read, mystery-suspense-thriller

Commissario Guido Brunetti is called to Venice's La Fenice, the city's premiere opera house, when the infamous maestro Helmut Wallhauer is found dead in his dressing room after intermission. Brunetti must quickly solve this case as the victim's high profile creates added pressure on city officials to provide answers.

Brunetti is introduced in this first book of the series and he is an interesting study. His investigation style probably conforms with that of his city's culture, more of a laid bac ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Susan in Perthshire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: crime-thriller

Oh I do so love visiting a foreign city and reading this book was as good as wandering around Venice for real. A great character in Commisario Brunetti who comes alive in front of one’s eyes. Great plotting and beautiful descriptions which evoke the reality of Venice. I have not read Brunettin order so starting at the beginning is a bit strange but it feels rather good. I look forward to catching up on the other ones I have missed!

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Nov 08, 2019 Scott rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense

This novel is about a world-famous conductor who is poisoned in his dressing room during an intermission. Commissario Brunetti, in his first outing, must dig deep into the man's past to find out who could possibly have wanted to do such a thing. Turns out there were quite a few people who had reason to dislike him, but enough for murder? I did guess the primary aspect of the case long before it was revealed, but it did not spoil the story, because there were still more mysteries to be uncovered. ...more

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Apr 27, 2018 Roman Clodia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The first in this long-running series and Brunetti emerges fully-formed from the start with his humane efficiency, and his charming family. The plot doesn't have the same emotional and politicized depths as some of the later books but the Venetian setting and immaculate writing make this stand out in an over-crowded crime marketplace. ...more

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Jun 17, 2018 Fred Shaw rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Death at La Fenice: A Commissario Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon

Donna Leon is a master at developing irresistible characters, and her portraitures of Venice are done so well, that it was if I were there once again marveling at the antiquity and majesty of the city.

This is not an edge of the seat thriller, but it is a masterful murder mystery. The highly creative characters and the location of the story made it the page turner it is. The story is built around the likable Commissario Dottore Guid ...more

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Jun 16, 2019 Jackie rated it liked it

It’s a decent book. I correctly identified who it was very early on. That being said it was still an enjoyable read but I’m unsure if I’ll read another

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Apr 26, 2018 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, italy

Fabuloso! Bravo, Signora Leon, on the first book in the Commissario Brunetti series. I will be reading more.

* Oops! Correction, that should be "Brava, Signora Leon." ...more

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Apr 28, 2012 Kwoomac rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013, fast-read, murrrrderrrr, reviewed, mystery, contemporary-lit, police-procedural

I quite enjoyed this little mystery. It's the first in a series taking place in and around Venice. The protagonist is an affable police commissioner who manages to run his investigations his own way, in spite of a blustery clueless boss, all the time adhering to the societal, often archaic, rules and norms of Venice.

Some pluses for me - First of all it takes place in Italy, a place I love. There's lots of talk about food and wine, two of my favorite things. I love how everyone here has a glass ...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Book Concierge rated it really liked it

Shelves: concierge, mystery, italy, library, series

Commissario Guido Brunetti makes his debut in this wonderful mystery set in Venice. World-renowned Maestro Helmut Wellauer is taken suddenly ill after the second act of La Traviata – or so management would have the audience believe. But it’s clear to the doctor who volunteers her assistance that the Maestro is beyond help. In fact, he’s quite dead when she arrives at his dressing room. It quickly becomes clear to Brunetti that there are several possible suspects, and that the victim, while a mus ...more

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Oct 14, 2010 Bill rated it really liked it

Shelves: police, mystery-europe

Donna Leon is one of my favourite mystery writers. I love the characters, Commissario Brunetti and his family. Signorina Elletra, the Vice Questore's secretary is my favourite character, a strong, independent woman who is able to infiltrate the corners of bureaucracy to get vital information for Brunetti. The setting of Venice and Italy is interesting; you feel like you are walking along the canals of the city. The decay, decadence, corruption is highlighted, but at the same time, the honour and ...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Dirk rated it it was ok

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 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.
...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Mike rated it it was ok

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

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Apr 24, 2011 Allison rated it it was ok

This is a so-so murder mystery. It was loaned to me by someone with whom I work because the detective in this series is located in Venice. Then, both my kid's school principal and my mother recommended I read it for the same reason. Honestly, there are apparently another 20 books in the series and I can't for the life of me figure out why anyone would read them. This book, while completely readable, is formulaic, predictable and totally acceptable if you have nothing else, but it certainly isn't ...more

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Apr 13, 2020 Marina Kahn rated it really liked it

Started this book during our isolation & requirement to stay at home due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Since this affected Italy terribly I decided to read a book based on Venice. I had previously read two of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series #5 Aqua Alta & #17 The Girl Of his Dreams & I found both to be satisfiying reads. So what better way to start April but the first in the Brunetti mysteries.
This is not going to be a fast paced or gory story; the pace is slow & methodical and from the poi Started this book during our isolation & requirement to stay at home due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Since this affected Italy terribly I decided to read a book based on Venice. I had previously read two of Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series #5 Aqua Alta & #17 The Girl Of his Dreams & I found both to be satisfiying reads. So what better way to start April but the first in the Brunetti mysteries.
This is not going to be a fast paced or gory story; the pace is slow & methodical and from the point of view of Commissario Brunetti. Venice is the star of the show and you get a glimmer of the City’s background; her neighborhoods, churches, architecture and the various Venitian denizens. Venice is not s crime filled city but petty crimes and crimes of passion still occur. As the Commissario says: if there is murder it’s usually because of money/greed or love/sex.

So, a famous music conductor is poisoned while conducting La Traviata in La Fenice Opera House and the hunt is on to find the culprit. So you get background information about La Traviata, Verdi, various musicians, tenors, mezzo sopranos & sopranos. All of whom have their reasons & motives to murder the conductor.
It turns out the conductor is not a wonderful genius but a horrendous fiend, a Nazi sympathizer, homophobic, vain, misogynist, egotistical & selfish man. So who cares that he’s dead but Brunetti is a moral upstanding cop and he continues to search for the truth.
The mystery of who did is easy to figure out; I knew in the middle of the book who did it. But this is not so much about who did but about Brunetti, his family, his comrades and his moral compass. I enjoyed the characters and the setting. Loved to be able to get a glimpse of Venetian family life & the glorious food and drinks.
We watch as Brunetti slowly unfolds & solves the mystery and rises over the machinations of his vain and self serving supervisor and the 2 inept inspectors assigned to help him. Alas, we’ve been there before.
Definitely will continue reading this series. ...more

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Feb 13, 2021 Annette rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-mystery, 2021-reads

2.5 ⭐️

My takeaway from the story is that Venice is very beautiful but the Italians are very rude. The characters are more like caricatures than real people. I did liked the twist at the end that’s why I rounded up.

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Jan 01, 2015 Mj rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, female-author, mystery-suspense-thriller, 2015

I wanted to start a new police procedural series and after doing some research decided to begin the Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon. The ratings were high on Goodreads and Lj, an avid police procedural reader I follow, rated a number of books in the series quite highly.

One of my series’ criteria was to have an interesting central character. In a long running series, I want the police officer solving the crime to have a lot of depth, both personal strengths and foibles and to be very hu I wanted to start a new police procedural series and after doing some research decided to begin the Commissario Brunetti series by Donna Leon. The ratings were high on Goodreads and Lj, an avid police procedural reader I follow, rated a number of books in the series quite highly.

One of my series’ criteria was to have an interesting central character. In a long running series, I want the police officer solving the crime to have a lot of depth, both personal strengths and foibles and to be very human and someone I can relate to. While I sometimes like intricate plots in standalone mysteries or thrillers, when investing in reading a series, great characters and character development are a must. I like to get to know the people in the series and enjoy the company of people I am spending so much time with.

Commissario Guido Brunetti seemed to have lots of interests and looked like he would meet the interesting police officer criteria. The clincher however was the series locale. I have been fond of Italian culture in general and particularly fascinated by Venice, the city of love, beauty, water and canals. What better way to visit a city and country and soak everything up than as an arm chair traveller enjoying an ongoing book series?

Death at La Fenice, Book 1 in the Commissario Brunetti series didn’t disappoint. The central character turned out to be as interesting and complex as I’d thought. His thought patterns, demeanour, processes and family all intrigued me. Brunetti is married to a smart working wife named Paola from a well-connected family who is successful in her own right. He is a father to two engaging children who are polar opposites – a precocious daughter named Chiara who loves math and Raffaele (Raffi), a socialist son who is not a big fan of the establishment. My sense is that Brunetti is a sensitive, small “l” liberal in general and encourages his family and others to be critically independent thinkers and to live and let live.

Besides his family members, the book’s other characters - his friends, colleagues, boss, the murder victim, witnesses and specialists consulted by Brunelli were all vividly developed and interesting. This series definitely has the makings of an intriguing ensemble cast.

The city of Venice played a key role and was a strong character. I quite liked the Venetian life style described and also Guido Brunetti and his family. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone better and to seeing more of Commissario Brunetti in action.

The plot development in Death at La Fenice is rather leisurely which was a bit unexpected but nonetheless enjoyable. There weren’t a lot of twists and turns and often minimal information was provided. I suspect the pace was quite realistic and comparable to a real life police officer’s investigation, particularly in a city such as Venice. I felt like I was right beside Brunetti, accompanying him during his visits and interviews with suspects. His investigations felt more like chats with people than business like interrogations. I suspect that Brunetti’s personableness and conversational style will turn out to be one of his investigative strengths – being able to connect with witnesses and murderers and getting them to open up and talk and with him.

All in all a good start to what I hope will be a terrific police procedural series. ...more

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Jul 11, 2017 Olivermagnus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: europe, mystery, 2017, police-procedural, opi

Maestro Helmut Wellauer, considered the world's greatest living conductor, is found dead of cyanide poisoning between Acts 2 and 3 of La Traviata at Venice's La Fenice Opera House. Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police is called in to investigate. There are plenty of suspects since Wellauer made a lot of enemies on his way to the top.

An engaging and professional man in his forties, Brunetti is one of the three highest detectives working under Vice-Questore Giuseppi Patta, a pretentiou ...more

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Jun 28, 2019 Dolf Patijn rated it really liked it

A number of years ago I bought a book by Donna Leon in Dutch. I thought the original was written in Italian only to learn that she is actually American and I also learned that the book I bought was number 9 in a series. Ah well, I promised myself that I would start reading the series from the start in English and then forgot about it until she was mentioned in a book about Venice that I read recently. I decided to make a start in the series and here I am, after reading the first book.

Donna Leon ...more

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Play Book Tag: Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon - 4 stars	1	9	Apr 30, 2019 04:00AM
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About Donna Leon

Donna Leon

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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