Death at La Fenice is the first novel in Donna Leon’s internationally best-selling Commissario Guido Brunetti series. During intermission at the famed La Fenice opera house in Venice, a notoriously difficult conductor is poisoned, and suspects abound. Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. To do so, he he calls on his knowledge of Venice, its … its culture, and its dirty politics. Revenge, corruption, and even Italian cuisine play a role. The novel that started it all, Death at La Fenice is an entrancing mystery, rich in atmosphere.
“Few detective writers create so vivid, inclusive and convincing a narrative as Donna Leon, the expatriate American with the Venetian heart. . . . One of the most exquisite and subtle detective series ever.” —The Washington Post
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I have read @ ten of Donna Leon’s books and this review reflects my opinion of most of them. Some have a slightly better storylines or are a little more engaging but all of them have one thing in common: she has created magnificent characters and fit them perfectly into this Italian setting. You can almost feel the chill in the air on those cold …
My introduction to Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti series was with Aqua Alta, which is actually the 5th book in the series. It was so good, I went back to the beginning with Death at La Fenice and kept going forward. Death at La Fenice, as with all of the books in the series, is well-written, entertaining, and very, very Italian in tone. Or …
Death at La Fenice is the first of Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti police procedurals. She imbues it with a remarkable she sense of place, and the place is Venice. I can’t think of a better place to want to be on a rainy Minnesota day. The wise and warm Brunetti and his family help give a sense of the culture of Venice, and the crimes …
A stylish beginning to a long-running mystery series. Brunetti is a wonderful detective–smart, sensitive, and urbane. And the details of life in Venice are fascinating.
Death at La Fenice is the very first book in the long running series by Donna Leon. The most beautiful descriptions of Venice, a solid mystery, excellent characters– what more could a reader want. The atmospheric ambiance translates well to the audio version and the reader is perfect.
A great introduction to Commissario Brunetti.
I loved this book ! I always reading Donna Leon and her desciptions of Venice!
Very few authors these days do setting-as-character well. This is one of the things I loved about “The Last Train to Key West” by Chanel Cleeton.
Donna Leon uses setting brilliantly in this first Commissario Brunetti novel. Anyone who has been to Venice will immediately recognize La Serenissima in her novel—the smell ozone of before the rain, the …
The series of book written by Leon about a police inspector in Venice make for wonderful reading. She has a great ability to capture the flavor of Venice and it’s inhabitants. It helps if you know Venice or Italy but if you have a mind open to different cultures you will love the characters. I recommend reading her books in order as it feels …
Since I finished all of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache novels and am eagerly awaiting the next release in August, I decided to dip my toes into Donna Leon’s Guido Brunetti mysteries. It felt a little jarring at first, going from Three Pines to Venice. But, as I acclimated to a setting that felt starker (well, it was winter) and more dreary, I …
Wonderful writer. Great characters, and Venice, Italy is one of them. Exceptional series
Good book to learn a little about Venice, Italy
Takes place in Venice, Italy, with much information about that area, plus a mystery resolved by the policeman, can’t remember his name.
Outstanding! Feel like I’ve been to Venice, the descriptions of the setting were amazing.
Leon can not write a bad book. This is the first In a series of mysteries set in Venice Italy. Characters are believable and I felt I wanted to know them more fully, so glad there are many books in series. I wish I could read them in order, but have not as I buy them when sale priced. None have failed to entertain. It was fun to read the first in …
Evocative. Love Donna Leon.
Leon is a master!
I haven’t read a Donna Leon book that I haven’t loved!
Love this inspector and his wife. You feel you are in Venice, corruption and
all.
Wonderful read. Rich characters and intricate exposition.