From the Bookshelf of Reading the Detectives…

Acqua Alta (Commissario Brunetti, #5)

Donna Leon

Start date: October 15, 2023

Finish date: November 6, 2023

Discussion: Buddy reads

Why we're reading this: Next in this acclaimed crime series set in Venice
[close] Next in this acclaimed crime series set in Venice

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What Members Thought

Aug 25, 2019 Tony Fitzpatrick rated it liked it

Acqua Alta is the term used when Venice is flooded by a combination of high tides and the winds of the Sirocco forcing water from the Adriatic into the Venetian lagoon. This fifth outing of Commissario Brunetti concerns art theft - notably Chinese Art. Brett Lynch, the gay lover of Flavia Petrelli the opera singer (whom we met in book 1) is an expert on the subject, and has recently returned from China. She is beaten up by heavies warning her to avoid a meeting with the Director of the Venice Ar ...more

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Oct 08, 2015 Shannon Teper rated it really liked it

I loved the setting of this book and the atmosphere the author created by having the book take place during the time of heavy rain and rising floodwaters in Venice. The characters were highly likeable and well-developed. The mystery could have been a bit more complex.

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Oct 05, 2023 Jill rated it liked it

Shelves: donna-leon

I did like this but do feel it was drawn out at times. I certainly learnt about the conditions of living in Venice. I had no knowledge of the yearly Acqua Alta, and now that explains why my son said that Venice stank.
Brunetti in this is found investigating a case where an American friend of his, has been badly beaten by two men who manage to get into her apartment under false pretensions. They tell her not to go to a meeting that has been arranged with a well known historian. This leads us into ...more

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Oct 19, 2023 Sandy rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery-detective-grp, rread-2023

This entry in the series highlights the flooding of Venice during the high-water season. I could only sympathize with how much worse it must be since the book was written. Good mystery with returning characters and visits with Brunetti's family. ...more

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