Drawing Conclusions

Commissario Brunetti #20

by Donna Leon

Though there are some signs of a struggle, the medical examiner rules that a widow died of a heart attack. Brunetti can't shake the feeling that something or someone may have triggered her heart attack. With the help of Inspector Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra, perhaps Brunetti can get to the truth and find some measure of justice.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Italy, Audiobook, Detective, Mystery Thriller

260 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2011

About the author

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 from 1981 to 1999 at the american military base of Vicenza (Italy) and a writer.

Her crime novels are all situated in or near Venice. They are written in English and translated into many foreign languages, although not, by her request, into Italian. Her ninth Brunetti novel, Friends in High Places, won the Crime Writers' Association Silver Dagger in 2000.

Series:
* Commissario Brunetti

Reviews

[Justo Martiañez · Rating 2 out of 5]

He de decir que este libro me ha supuesto una decepción absoluta. Había leído el primer libro de esta serie del Comisario Brunetti y no fue para tirar cohetes, pero no estuvo mal, pero este, madre mía ¿Qué ha pasado?.
Hasta la página 200 no pasa nada, NADA, ni sospechosos, ni lineas de investigación, sólo un par de interrogatorios insulsos, diálogos de relleno, otros mal hilvanados o mal traducidos, que incluso he tenido que releer, porque no les encontraba el sentido.
De ahí al final, la cosa mejora ligeramente, pero vamos no os preocupéis, que no os va a dar un infarto por la emoción.
Por favor seguidores y adeptos del Comisario Brunetti, ayudadme. ¿Qué ha sucedido con este libro? ¿He sido yo, que venía con el chip de Carmen Mola y todo lo que venga me va a saber a poco? ¿He dado con uno de los peores libros de la serie? ¿Hay algo que se me ha escapado en esta lectura??
Estoy tentado de abandonar esta serie para siempre, aunque me fastidie, ya que echaré de menos la ambientación por esos "campos", calles y canales venecianos maravillosos.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nein, dieser Band der Commissario Brunetti Reihe ist kein Glücksgriff. Es gibt eigentlich kein Verbrechen und so zieht sich denn eine Ermittlung, die keine ist in die Länge. Stattdessen schwelgt Donne Leon in Beschreibungen der handelnden Personen und der gesellschaftlichen Zustände. Das alles ist aber nicht wirklich interessant. Ich habe das Hörbuch wahrend einer längeren Autofahrt angehört. Ansonsten hätte ich es vermutlich abgebrochen. Der zweite Stern ist ein Zeichen der generellen Zuneigung zu den Personen der Brunetti Romane (und Filme).

[Andrew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 20th book in the crime series featuring Venice based police Commissario Guido Brunetti. If you are a devotee of this series – like me – then you’ll know that the pace and style of these books is nothing like American or British crime novels: it meanders along with the narrative focusing as much on the city and the ways and customs of its inhabitants as it does on the crime itself or its protagonists. In fact, the books (to me) are more a commentary on the way of life and, perhaps, a wistful look at how the years are eroding not just the city itself but also the way in which the Venetians live their everyday lives. In this way, it reminds me much of the way James Lee Burke talks of Southern Louisiana and the gradual loss of Cajun customs and identity. The Brunetti story, this time, follows the investigation into the death of an elderly woman and gradually unravels a story that is both revealing and sad. A great read – as always.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one. Possibly one of my two favorites out of all the Brunetti I've read.

It's not a terrible "crime" as a crime may be defined. In fact, the departed has died from a heart attack. But this novel includes some of Guido's depth and purpose as few of the more evil or destructive cases.

There are a handful of tremendous quotes in this one too. Especially upon a "truth" that I have observed myself for decades. And that concerns how the most aiding and helping of "humanity" in their work and word are also the least human in their acts and kindness.

Also Paola is far more lighthearted in several scenes and within Guido/duo telefonino conversations. Lovely! Not showing her snob face as much. And the weather is superb here, as well. Lots of Venice walking tours. There is a delightful luncheon/dinner scene at the Brunetti's when they discuss "labels" people. Raffi eats and shows his shoes and clothes, without a one.

Guido and his partner do dig deep. And the entire reasons for bruises seen revealed.

Bureaucracy, of course, also has some sublime subterfuges.

But more than all that, the character of the Madre, the nun who was Sicilian, was completely superb.

In other reviews by other posters, I note now and again the accusation that Leon holds bigotry and more in her attitudes toward Southerners in this series.

No. The Madre is perfectly done.

[fleurette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I delayed writing this review for a long time because I don't really have much to say about this book. I'm in the middle of a massive reading slump and I was hoping that this book would help me beat it. But unfortunately it didn't happen. I have read and enjoyed books in this series in the past, but this one somehow did not work.

I don't know what's going on, but this mystery just didn't get me. Or maybe not even this ... I don't know, I really don't know ... I can't say if this book is not as good as some others or if I was in a completely wrong mood. Enough that I read it much longer and with less enthusiasm than I should have such a short book.

And now I don't feel like writing this review because I have nothing to say about this story. It's fine, in other circumstances I might like it more.

[Ayse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally find Donna Leon's books very compelling and thoughtful, as Brunetti's sense of justice and his battles between that sense and the actual laws are always interesting. This latest installment was very unsatisfying, as the mystery to me remained unsolved, or if it was solved it did not fulfill any sense of justice that normally applies to Brunetti's creative solutions. Usually he honors the victims and the important thing is knowing the story of what happened and that there was some closure for them. The way this book ends off has none of that with regards to the victim. It is almost as if the victim bears some of the blame for what happened to her because she wasn't willing to let go of a crime that had run out the statute of limitations. This does not jive at all with the usual way Brunetti views crimes and criminals and in fact victims.. Also there wasn't enough of his home life with his wife and kids. They were almost completely absent from the story, even more so than the previous book, where they were physically absent from Venice. Usually Brunetti's interactions with his family are what lead him to the correct justice based outcome. Their absence and the peculiar way that the story finished off left me with an unsettled feeling. Definitely not the best installment to a generally excellent series..

[Mark Stevens]

Terrific setting and sharp-eyed Guido Brunetti (as always). Deep undercurrents of Venice (as with most in this series).

But “Drawing Conclusions,” for me, dragged along. The story failed to work up a head of steam. Guido Brunetti didn’t seem all that concerned. Sure, he’s dogged. Sure, he keeps going over the scant details he uncovers. Yes, he has some powerful conversations and finally gets to the bottom of matters. But the investigation into the strange death of widow Costanza Altavilla is too much of a flat-line story. Despite the dark undertones, I never felt worried or concerned that Brunetti, or anyone, was in harm’s way. The tension factor is low, the story fairly thin.

I’d recommend that one for Leon completists only.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Early in my reading of this series I learned that Donna Leon had an agreement with her publisher. Her books could be translated into any language *except* Italian. The reason for this wasn't given, but I have chosen to believe it is because there is always a part of these stories that allude to the existence of the Mafia - usually referred to as "the south" - the corruption of government officials in general, and, to some extent, the corruption of society. Brunetti, of course, is an exception to this corruption but his boss, Vice-Questore Patta, is far from an exception. How Brunetti feels about his boss adds to his charm.

Guido Brunetti, Commissario di Polizia of the city of Venice, sat at dinner across from his immediate superior, Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta, and prayed for the end of the world. He would have settled for being abducted by aliens or perhaps for the violent irruption of bearded terrorists, shooting their way into the restaurant, bloodlust in their eyes.

OK, so the story progresses and a woman is discovered dead, as is the way of murder mysteries. But was the woman murdered? This turns into a dilemna for Brunetti as the autopsy reveals she died of a heart attack. Was she frightened so badly that the heart attack ensued? If so, who was responsible for frightening her so?

I have read enough mysteries to be famliar with the genre, even if I am terrible at identifying clues along the way. This novel is different. The clues are out in the open. Well, sort of. Sort of, because about halfway a long ago crime is discussed. I did not know what to make of this long ago crime and how - or even if - it pertained to the woman who died of the heart attack. OK, so it must pertain or it wouldn't have been included in the novel. And so the pages began turning ever more quickly.

I seem to read an installment in this series every 8 months or so and each time I wonder why it isn't more often. I'm hoping to correct that over the next few months. The writing and characterizations and yes, the plots, are top notch for the genre. I'm tempted to find a 5th star for this one, but I'll stop short and say it sits toward the top of my 4-star group.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the pleasures of reading books in a series is that we have a chance to become really familiar with a set of characters. This particular mystery was not necessarily my favorite of Donna Leon's but it drew on Commissario Brunetti's romantic nature and also refined for the reader his very personal moral code. And, that I liked.

Food and family are usually very important in Leon's series and I was a bit disappointed that Brunetti missed so many meals in this book. It is always a great pleasure to follow the Commissario home for lunch or dinner and read the descriptions of those incredible family meals that his elegant wife prepares. The dreary café sandwiches featured in this book were listlessly ignored by Brunetti. I hope Ms. Leon realizes that her readers look forward to those meals every bit as much as her hero does and that it is a mistake to ignore them.

This was one book that I found more satisfying in its conclusion than in the reading. As my favorite fictional detective, Nero Wolfe, often said : "Satisfactory."

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adequate but not great detective story. This is a recent story about Leon's recurring character, Guido Brunetti, a detective in Venice, Italy. I liked Brunetti, refreshingly he is a detective without a flawed personal life.

The story is unusual for the detective genre. A woman is dead, but it isn't clear if it is murder or a natural death. One of the problems with the story for me is that the question is never resolved, at the end we don't really know how the woman died.

Along the way there are some red herrings that for the most part are just dropped once their usefulness as distractions are no longer needed (the missing pictures from the dead woman's apartment, the son's distress at the police investigation into his mother's death). Also, the woman's neighbor, who I thought was one of the more interesting characters, and about whom we learn a lot in the first few chapters completely disappears (with no resolution to her boyfriend issues that were described for no apparent reason).

The most interesting part of the story was a separate plot line involving a possibly fake will that may or may not be related to the death.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Satisfying but confusing. I think it was the women’s names that made it difficult to follow along in the audiobook that I listened to.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Sentence: Because she had worked for decades as a translator of fiction and non-fiction from English and German to Italian, Anna Maria Giusti was familiar with a wide range of subjects.

When a woman finds the body of her neighbor, Comm. Guido Brunetti is called to the scene. The medical examiner pronounces the cause of death to be a heart attack, but Brunetti has questions created by the blood from a wound on the victim’s head and a bruise near her throat. A search for the truth leads Guido to a home for the elderly, but it takes the assistance of Insp. Vianello and the talented Signorina Electtra to learn the truth surrounding the victim’s life and death.

There are many reasons to love Ms. Leon’s books. From the very first page, you are drawn into the story with no desire to leave it until the final line.

Leon creates such a definitive sense of place you feel you are by Brunetti’s side. The love both the author, and thus the character, have for Venice is apparent yet not idealized. They are aware of the flaws and decay which surrounds them, while realizing the irony of the city’s physical decay adding to its perceived charm. Her description of meals always leaves me hungry.

Brunetti’s relationship with Paola creates a solid core to both Brunitti’s character and the story. The dialogues between them bespeak a long marriage between two people who love, respect and understand one another as often exemplified by the humor in their conversations. One characteristic which makes Brunetti such a good policeman is that he accepts the possibility of “less tangible phenomenon.” In this case, it is feeling the “traces of a troubled death” in the victim’s apartment that causes him to investigate further in spite of the examiner declaring the cause to be a natural death. Including such details as Brunetti’s view of faith adds to our understanding of the character.

The somewhat enigmatic Signorina Elettra Zorzi is brilliant and clever and someone from whom no information is safe. You also feel she would be a dangerous person to annoy as her revenge would be subtle yet effective. Leon does not slight the supporting characters either. Even the most minor player is fully developed and memorable.

Even the strongest opening, the most evocative sense of place, and the most natural dialogue can’t support a book without a compelling plot. No worries here. There are interesting observations on the differences between Italians from the North and South as well as a fascinating insight of battered women and the private system of safe houses to protect them. There are intriguing ethical and legal questions to make you think. And there are truths; some simple, but truths nonetheless, about that which is really important and the lengths to which one will go to protect it.

If you’re looking for car chases and fist fights; look elsewhere. “Drawing Conclusions” is a wonderfully written book that will stay with you after closing the cover.

DRAWING CONCLUSIONS (Pol Proc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-Italy-Cont) – Ex
Leon, Donna – 20th in series
Atlantic Monthly Press, ©2011, ARC – Hardcover ISBN: 9780802119797

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

When an old woman dies of a heart attack in her home, something feels off to Commissario Guido Brunetti when he visits the scene. The coroner finds evidence the woman had been grasped from the front and that she was possibly shaken. The autopsy is conclusive she died of heart attack and that she hit her head on a nearby radiator when she fell. Still Brunetti feels compelled to unofficially investigate. He finds the woman, a retired teacher, volunteered at a Catholic home for seniors. In his search of the apartment following her death, he found unopened packages of cheap women's lingerie in multiple sizes. He finds a cause for this in the investigation, and this leads to a further thread of investigation. This is not the strongest installment in the series, and Brunetti seems to feel guilt for some of the things Signorina Elettra does and that he asks her to do which skirt the law. I enjoyed listening to the installment read by David Colacci even if it wasn't a favorite in terms of plot.

[Cris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre mystery book with a lot of lose ends and unsatisfactory resolution. I liked the detective but it is not an original character. Disappointing.

[Norman Weiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tatsächlich zum ersten Mal gelesen bzw. gehört. Ich war seinerzeit nach dem achtzehnten Fall ausgestiegen, weil ich fand, daß es zunehmend um Mißstände gehe und nicht um einen Kriminalfall. Außerdem wurde mir der Ton zu belehrend-aktivistisch. Das ist hier anders. Die Mißstände - Gewalt gegen Frauen und der Umgang mit alten Menschen - werden mit einer allgemeinen Behörden- und Staatskritik verblendet, ohne unangenehm aufs Ohr zu fallen. Der Ton ist aber auch nicht resigniert.

Wie das Mordopfer tatsächlich zu Tode gekommen ist, wird weniger ermittelt als schließlich vom Täter erzählt. Dadurch ist alles wenig spannend, und das Buch liest sich mehr als Venedig-Roman denn als Kriminalroman.
Was mir beim Hören auch auffiel: Die Beschreibungen sind ungeheuer kleinteilig. Brunetti trat zum Tisch, zog den Stuhl zurück und setzte sich - so in dem Stil. Offenbar lese ich darüber leichter hinweg.

[Ruby Grad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another satisfying Commissario Guido Brunetti story. This time, he and his team are faced with the death of an older woman, who apparently died of a heart attack. The problem is the marks found on her neck and shoulders and the cut on her head. Did she fall and cut her head as the heart attack killed her? Did someone treat her in a way to bring on her heart attack? She was working with two vulnerable populations; was her death somehow related to either one? Although there is, again, no real development of the characters or their relationships, it is always fun to read the author's take on corruption in Italy and love, written with humor and appreciation for the city she calls home, Venice.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guido Brunetti is having dinner with Vice-Questore Patta and Lieutenant Scarpa, forced into this social occasion ostensibly to discuss promotions. Guido is praying for the end of the world or, at least, some violent distraction by armed intruders so that he could grab a gun and rid himself of the two men. Brunetti is not a a violent man but dealing with these men at the Questura is one thing, dealing with them on his own time is something else again.

When his cell phone rings, Brunetti thinks it might be his wife, calling him in order to offer him a pretext for leaving. Instead, it is a real call is from the Questura. A woman has been found dead in her apartment, within walking distance of the restaurant. Neither Patta nor Scarpa would ever answer such a call, so Guido is free to leave and do his job as required. He arrives to learn that Anna Maria Giusti, returning from a few days in Sicily, had gone to her neighbor’s apartment to collect her mail. Signora Altavilla, a retired teacher in her sixties, is dead. There is some blood near her head but there are no signs of overt violence.

Brunetti has been doing his job for a long time but he has not become jaded. “A short time later, the men emerged with a stretcher, the form on it covered by a dark blue blanket. Brunetti was glad to see that the blanket was clean and freshly ironed, though he knew it made no difference.” Doctor Rizzardi, the pathologist, refuses to give Brunetti any opinion on the cause and manner of death but Guido “has a feeling” that something other than natural causes is at play. Inspecting her apartment, the police discover packages of unopened women’s underwear in a variety of sizes and individually wrapped toiletries The quiet schoolteacher opened her home as a safe haven for battered women. Men who attack the women they know would not be likely to have qualms about attacking a woman they didn’t know.

As the police continue learning about the dead woman, they discover another aspect of her life, another example of her altruism. She was a frequent visitor to a home for the aged, a willing listener to the stories told by people in their latest years. The director describes Signora Altavilla as a “confessor”, hearing things that people would never tell members of their families. “Madre Rosa referred to her terrible honesty….”. The confessor believed that absolution required restitution of goods and of reputations. Perhaps someone was afraid of the knowledge she had for even old stories can be dangerous.

In this book, there is one crime but two strands that lead to it. Leon again wraps the story around societal problems. Signora Altavilla was poking at the people who live in the shadows, those who abuse women and those who take advantage of the elderly. Brunetti is the heart of the story as he is in all the books in the series. He has not lost his humanity and he does not close his eyes to the difficulties imposed by following the letter of the law. His partnership with Signorina Elettra, the force behind the Venice police, has always led to criminal behavior. She steals information and he aids and abets her by using what she finds. Together, they work for the people of their city in ways best not investigated. Their’s is a business relationship, evolving over the years as they deal with the bureaucrats responsible for serving the best justice money can buy.

Leon seasons the story with moments that reflect Brunetti’s compassion, principles, and love of the ordinary things in life. As the family gathers for dinner, “It simply filled Brunetti’s heart to have them there and to be able to see and hear them, knowing they were safe and warm and well-fed.” He wants nothing less for the people who come into his professional life, whether old or young, wealthy or not. He is from the working class and married into the ruling class. He knows that despite their differences, he and his father-in-law are kindred spirits when it comes to family. The battered women have no family to whom they can turn. The elderly have their welfare in the hands of strangers. Guido wants to protect them as he protects his own children.

When one of the strands leads back to events fifty years before, Brunetti has to look at a basic truth from which choices are made. “…even the worst of men wanted to be perceived as better than they were.” History is always being re-written by those who abandoned conscience for cash and convenience. As Brunetti discusses bad choices made in order to bring about a positive result, he thinks of Henry of Navarre. In 1589, when the French Protestant was the last man standing in the line for the throne of France, he had to return to the Catholic Church in order to be crowned king. Henry, eager to be Henry IV, said “Paris is worth a Mass.” For Guido life in twenty-first century Italy is about the end justifying the means.

Donna Leon fills every page with details that can be spoilers. As with all the Brunetti books, DRAWING CONCLUSIONS moves very quickly. Leon is another author whose books beg to be read at one sitting. She does not provide pat endings but she provides endings that are true to her character. Brunetti is a rock. He may be worn by storms but they never change the essence of the decent man that he is.

[☯Emily Ginder · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very fast and absorbing read. Venetian Commissario Brunetti explores the death of an elderly woman. She appears to have died of an heart attack, but there are some unexplained bruising around her shoulders. Was she attacked and had an heart attack as a result?

I was uncomfortable with some of the illegal and corrupt actions taken by Brunetti and members of his police department. Unfortunately, that is the way life operates in Italy today and so it is a realistic, but sobering, view of that society. It seems that Brunetti is more accepting of the corruption as he gets older.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is 20th in the series and Commasario Guido Brunetti again dispenses 'justice', which may not follow the letter of the law. Brunetti and Venice are like old friends at this point. Leon has a lot of fun with the Signorina Elettra character; and as a result, we love her too.

[Senga krew_w_piach · Rating 4 out of 5]

To moje drugie spotkanie z komisarzem Brunettim, tropiącym przestępców na ulicach Wenecji (chociaż 20 tom w serii), i oficjalnie oświadczam, że od teraz jest to mój ulubiony książkowy policjant. Uwielbiam jego mądrość, lewicową wrażliwość, świadomość własnego przywileju, kierowanie się sprawiedliwością własną (ludzką), zamiast ślepego wypełniania przepisów, miłość do żony, przyznawanie się do wątpliwości i słabości. Jest absolutną antytezą twardego policyjnego mucho. I jest cudny❤️
Wspaniałe są także postaci drugoplanowe, których z racji wielkiego przeskoku nie zdążyłam dotąd poznać - inspektor Vianell i super bystra, konkretna, świetna signorina Elettra. Paola, żona Brunettiego, kochana i uroczo uszczypliwa, a ich relacja godna pozazdroszczenia.
Nie są to kryminały rwące i niebezpieczne ja górny bieg Dunajca, ale intryga nie obraża inteligencji czytelniczki, a charakter Brunettiego gwarantuje nieoczywiste rozwiązanie i dużo emocji. Najbardziej atrakcyjne jest dla mnie jednak tło społeczne tych książek i sposób w jaki Leon opowiada o włoskiej mentalności. Rzeczy, o których mówi na przykład Joanna, jak relacje z urzędami, nadmierna biurokracja, bałagan wszędzie, korupcja i interesowność, szersze problemy, jak zapewnienie godnej starości, czy pomoc kobietom ofiarom przemocy, ale też takie codzienne specyfiki u dziwnostki Włochów. No i Wenecja, zupełnie nie jak z pocztówki, chociaż stale przypominająca, że jest najbardziej romantycznym miastem świata.
Ten tom jest dodatkowo naprawdę wzruszajacy, jestem płaksą jak powszechnie wiadomo, ale przy kryminałach nieczęsto mokną mi oczy.
Jedyne ale - tłumacz Robert Sudoł uparcie używał terminu „transeksualista”, który w książce naprawdę propagującej sprawiedliwość społeczną i inkluzywność razi. Ale składam to na karby czasu - książkę wydano 11 lat temu, kiedy chyba jeszcze ne było takiej świadomości językowej.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brunetti investigates the sudden death of an elderly woman in her apartment. The post mortem determines she has died of a heart attack, but Brunetti has spotted some faint bruising and is concerned about the circumstances. He decides to ask a few discreet questions but is frustrated by the lack of response from those who knew the lady. With the help of Signorina Elettra, Brunetti begins to uncover the truth.

I always enjoy the cases where Brunetti is faced with moral ambiguity and the need to balance justice and the law. Here we find references to a number of the social issues that Leon likes to tackle - domestic violence, political corruption, care of the elderly - but they are more the framework to issues of morality and humanity.

Another plus is that we get to see more interactions between Signorina Ellettra, Vianello and Brunetti, as they apply resourcefulness and lateral thinking to resolving the nagging uncertainty that Brunetti can’t shake. Entertaining and thought provoking story.

[Moa Kronbrink Mannheimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag är uppväxt med att tillbringa somrarna i Italien, tio mil öster om Venedig, och har i och med detta varit i Venedig minst 15 gånger! Venedig är en fascinerande stad på många sätt och det är just porträttet av Venedig och det italienska livet som fångar mig mest i Donna Leons böcker. Vill man fröjda sig åt italiensk mat, gator, uttryck och traditioner är det här rätt bok. Brunetti framställs som ödmjuk, sympatisk och dragen åt det vänstra hållet politiskt (ett ställningstagande som smygs in då och då i berättelserna) Ibland upplever jag dock beskrivningarna och utläggningarna FÖR långa och obetydliga. Kommer på mig själv med att skumma igenom vissa av dessa för att snabbare nå vidare i berättelsen. Intrigerna i båda dessa böcker försvinner bort i långa dialoger, Brunettis tankebanor och miljöbeskrivningar och upplevs i slutändan som ganska obetydliga . Men detta känns ändå helt okej och inte så irriterande som man kan tro. Lagom gosig läsning för tråkiga kvällar.

[May · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I have enjoyed Commissario Brunetti, Vianello, Signorina Elletra et al, as they work they through, and around, the process of solving another mystery.
I continue to enjoy Donna Leon’s mysteries, in and around the calles of Venice

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit to being pretty distracted while listening to this one, so my rating might not agree with others. Brunetti again solves the puzzle in his usual manner, but with extra care for the old people who are connected to the story.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

He walked up the steps, past the shoes and the papers: to a Venetian, this amoeba-like tendency to expand one's territory beyond the confines of the walls of an apartment seems so entirely natural as barely to merit notice.

Another amazing novel by this author.

Brunetti was not a man of faith, at least not in a way that posited a supreme being that concerned itself with the doings of men: as a policeman, Brunetti knew enough about the doings of men to make him hope the deity would be warned away from them in search of some more deserving species. But at odd times during his life he found himself racked with a sense of limitless gratitude: it could come upon him at any time, and it always leaped upon him with maximum surprise.

Guido Brunetti is always a man of philosophical thought, compassionate demeanor, integrity and wit - not to mention his deep love of his family and his enjoyment of rhetoric. This book, as much or even more than the others in the series, highlights those marvelous character traits and his highly entertaining relationships with his winsome family, with his impossibly malleable superior, Patta, and with the dazzling Signorina Elettra.

His superior's secretary, Signorina Elettra Zorzi, was behind her computer,; she was bedecked, like unto the lilies of the field, in a blouse that had to be silk, for the pattern in gold and white would have been wasted on any lesser fabric.

It had been so flawless that Brunetti had not seen the change take place. He recalled the passage - he thought it was in the Twenty-fifth Canto - where Dante sees the thieves transformed into lizards, lizards into thieves, the moment of transformation invisible until complete. One instant one thing, the next, another. So too had Patta passed from the sustainer of peace at any compromise to the relentless seeker after justice, ready to mobilize the forces of order in the pursuit of truth.

I think I laughed and smiled more through this book than any other of Leon's novels, simply because his enjoyment of his family (and his wife's cooking) was so on display.

Chiara seemed satisfied when her mother assured her that the chicken was a free range, bio chicken, that it had lived a healthy, happy life, and Brunetti, a man sworn to keep the peace, did so by not enquiring just how one was meant to tell if a chicken had been happy or not. Chiara, of course, did not eat any of said chicken, but her vegetarian principles were sufficiently assuaged by her mother's assurances as to the lifestyle of the chicken to cause her not to provoke the other members of the family with her comments upon the profoundly disgusting act they were engaged in by eating said chicken. Her brother Raffi, unconcerned as to the chicken's happiness, cared only for its flavor.

The plot was a little convoluted for my taste (or perhaps I was distracted, seeing as it's the holidays), but it is the characters, wit and language that win my heart in this series. Brunetti's laudable character is so transparent when he finally draws the right conclusions about what actually happened to lead to the death of the widow in the apartment. I wish I knew a man like him in real life.

However much this dinner with Patta and Scarp might have driven Brunetti to long for a second grappa - or the second coming - the realization that acceptance would prolong the meal led him to resist the waiter's offer, just as good sense led him to resist the bait offered him by Scarpa.

This installment contains everything I love about the series - the wit, the preciousness of family, the corruption of the Venetian government, and the incomparable person of Guido Brunetti himself. I hated to have it end!

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six-Word Review: Brunetti doubts death cause, pursues hunch.

This is the most slow moving book of the entire series in my opinion. As with all Leon's books, it is a character driven story as opposed to a thriller or mystery. It builds on the discovery of an older woman's body. Costanza Altavilla is obviously dead from a heart attack. But, based on some marks on her body, Brunetti wonders if it was just a heart attack or if it's possible the attack was the result of someone threatening her.

As he investigates, in spite of his boss, Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta, wanting to declare the case closed, he is constantly confounded by inconsistencies around her behavior. No one has a bad thing to say about her and yet it is obvious she has secrets. He continues to plumb her life and finds connections to an old folks' home, a network of hideaways for abused women, and a long-closed case involving a very wealthy woman and her strange will.

With the help of the enigmatic Signorina Elettra, Patta's Secretary, and her computer skills and contacts, he follows many leads to arrive at the correct conclusion. Yes, crimes were committed but murder was most likely not one of them. Justice is hard enough to achieve in the bureaucratic and corrupt Italian court system, that to bring a case without a clear villain and easily described parameters is a waste of time.

As in all of Leon's books, the city of Venice and Brunetti's family are as much a part of the narrative as whatever case Brunetti is working on. That he somehow maintains his dedication and love of Venice in spite of the decay and barriers he inevitably faces makes him among the most human of this genre's protagonists. It also moves me to consider Leon's books as much literature as mysteries.

[David Harry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Venice and one of the reasons I loved Donna Leon’s latest book, Drawing Conclusions, is because it is set in Venice. The famous Commissario Guido Brunetti return again to investigate the apparent heart attack of an older woman.

The other reason I loved Leon's novel is because it perfectly captures the imperfections of the human condition. These human imperfections are as apparent as the crumbling imperfections of the once great city.

Commissario Brunetti probes what, to the professionals around him, appears to be a death by natural causes, but to him seems "troubled". ‘Not necessarily violent nor criminal just troubled.’ Brunetti’s natural suspicion fuels his tendency to distrust of what people tell him. Brunetti follows what he senses over what he hears. To him, death by natural causes is the the beginning and certainly not the end.

If you love Venice—or even the thought of that ancient city in a relentless fight remain above the water level—you’ll enjoy reading Drawing Conclusions. If, however, you also love intelligent mysteries that probe the nature of human existence, then you’ll deeply love Donna Leon’s latest Comissario Guido Brunetti’s Mystery.

For the full review please visit my blog at www.davidharryauthor.com/2011/11/myst...

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I can say about “Drawing Conclusions” that I haven’t said about all of Donna Leon’s other books? Her books are always well thought out and have more to do with the complexity of human emotion than they do with the violence of death. I never tire of the way Brunetti works through an investigation…the way he thinks, the way he looks inside himself to arrive at answers. I’m nearing the last book that Leon has of yet written in this series...and am hoping she writes a little faster!

[Carole · Rating 1 out of 5]

The constant thread of telling the story of political corruption and contemplation of society's decline is getting old. The habit of ending a story with a real conclusion in the last novels appears to be laziness on Leon's part. Blah, blah, blah.....the end. Her last 5 books involve a trend of failing to develop a plot and work with it to completion. Very sad....because I have enjoyed her early books. Goodbye to this author.

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guido Brunetti's latest case involves the death of a retired school teacher who is found dead in her apartment by her neighbour on her return from holiday. Although her death is apparently from natural causes, Brunetti is not convinced... His investigation uncovers a web of intrigue and deceit stretching back beyond the statute of limitations. Fascinating.