The New York Times-bestselling series and its Italian detective explore the seedy underworld of Venice: “Procedural writing at its best” (The Washington Post). Commissario Guido Brunetti’s hopes for a refreshing family holiday in the mountains are once again dashed when a gruesome discovery is made in Marghera–a body so badly beaten the face is completely unrecognizable. Brunetti searches … unrecognizable. Brunetti searches Venice for someone who can identify the corpse but is met with a wall of silence. He then receives a telephone call from a contact who promises some tantalizing information. And before the night is out, Brunetti is confronting yet another appalling, and apparently senseless, death.
“[One of] the real charms of this series [is] the endearing character of Brunetti and his compassionate insights into the heart of Venice and the soul of its people. . . . Truly, a refreshing hero.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Despite the gruesome way in which this murder, and subsequent ones, take place, it’s really a cheery, breezy mystery, filled with good humor and adventure. The ending can only leave the reader waiting avidly for the next time we meet Brunetti and his lively friends and cohorts.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Leon delivers her plot in an unassuming, graceful and beautifully paced prose that hides its measured elegance.” —The Washington Post
“One of the most appealing of recent detectives, Brunetti stars in a case that brings out his canniness and his compassion–and shows his creator spreading her wings more powerfully than ever.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Richly evocative. . . . Venice takes on a deep noir tint in Leon’s latest well-crafted work.” —Publishers Weekly
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It took me awhile to get into this one, because the beginning’s a little rough. Just lots of awfulness espoused about the victim in this case, because of the circumstances surrounding how the body was dressed and where the body was found. I understand why Donna Leon went there: because there are horrible stereotypes about men who dress like women …
Dressed for Death is #3 in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series.
This is the most violent , and lurid subject matter for a murder mystery that I have read by this author. That said, the main characters are still the same and I love that.
Love the Venice setting
Venice, law-enforcement, murder-investigation*****
This is my first foray into the world of Commissario Brunetti but it certainly won’t be the last! The only difference in the police work from other law enforcement areas id that it is all by water and not by roadways. Otherwise, policework is much the same everywhere and this book is a fine …
Donna Leone’s Inspector Brunetti series is one of my favorites. I love all of these books!
I really enjoyed Donna Leon’s Dressed for Death, which I picked up years ago in Puerto Vallarta. Of the past few books I’ve read, this is one series I might continue to read.
Set in Venice, Commissario Guido Brunetti is called to investigate a body of a man found in Maghera, a short distance from Venice. The murder is particularly gruesome …