Death at La Fenice

(Paperback)

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A new look for the first installment in the award-winning Brunetti series by crime fiction writer Donna Leon 'A splendid series . . . with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost smell it.' The Sunday Telegraph Winner of the Suntory Mystery Fiction Grand Prize The twisted maze of Venice's canals has always been shrouded in mystery. Even the celebrated opera house, La Fenice, has seen its share of death ... but none so horrific and violent as that of world-famous conductor, Maestro Helmut Wellauer, who was poisoned during a performance of La Traviata. Even Commissario of Police, Guido Brunetti, used to the labyrinthine corruptions of the city, is shocked at the number of enemies Wellauer has made on his way to the top - but just how many have motive enough for murder The beauty of Venice is crumbling. But evil is one thing that will never erode with age. 'What a ripping first mystery, as beguiling and secretly sinister as Venice herself. Sparkling and irresistible.' Rita Mae Brown 'Donna Leon has given fans of subtle, clever and literate mysteries something to cheer about. . . . A wonderful read.' Tony Hillerman

Reviews

"Donna Leon's Venetian mysteries never disappoint, calling up the romantic sights and sounds of La Serenissima even as they acquaint us with the practical matters that concern the city's residents." -- Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

"[A] piquant mixture of opera, food and Venetian scenery." -- Chicago Tribune

"Guido Brunetti can ride in my gondola anytime. What a splendid detective." -- Susan Isaacs, author of After All These Years

"Donna Leon has given fans of subtle, clever and literate mysteries something to cheer about...A wonderful read." -- Tony Hillerman

"What a gripping first mystery, as beguiling and secretly sinister as Venice herself. Sparkling and irresistible." -- Rita Mae Brown

"A challenging mystery, a sophisticated drama, and a unique glimpse of a medieval society that stilll flourishes." -- St Louis Post-Dispatch

"[B]reathless...lively launch of a series." -- Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Donna Leon was named by The Times as one of the 50 Greatest Crime Writers. She is an award-winning crime novelist, celebrated for the bestselling Brunetti series. Donna has lived in Venice for thirty years and previously lived in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Iran and China, where she worked as a teacher. Donna's books have been translated into thirty-five languages and have been published around the world.

Her previous novels featuring Commissario Brunetti have all been highly acclaimed; including Friends in High Places, which won the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, Fatal Remedies, Doctored Evidence, A Sea of Troubles and Beastly Things.