Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. A world-famous German opera conductor has died at La Fenice, and Commissario (Detective) Guido Brunetti pursues what appears to be a murder investigation without leads. The worst crime novel I read.....and one of the worst books I've read. It's a caricature of a novel. It's so bad, I felt it is an insult to books- even the most trashy writing is way better and can at least be considered a guilty pleasure. Here you feel the guilt for reading this, but no pleasure. It's guilty torture. On some level, it fascinates me how someone can write this badly. It fascinates me more than the fact that this book got published and read. In a way, reading this book was educational. Being able to write this badly has to be an accomplishment of some sort. I've never seen anyone mess up...every possible aspect of the book. Wellauer made good on his threats to Flavia, as a letter comes from her husband's attorney, threatening action. Brunetti comforts Brett, telling her that they have no case without Wellauer's testimony. Then he visits Clemenza again and uncovers the true story. Clemenza's sister was only twelve, and she was raped and impregnated by Wellauer while he was having an affair with Clemenza. Putting the pieces together, Brunetti realizes that Elizabeth Wellauer, after finding that her husband sexually abused her daughter from a previous marriage, poisoned Wellauer with antibiotics to make him go deaf. Realizing that his music was gone, Wellauer killed himself. Brunetti reports the death simply as a suicide, not wanting to drag Elizabeth Wellauer's daughter through a hurtful court case.

If you enjoy a well-crafted and well-written story with beautiful settings and unforgettable characters, then this is the series for you. The first book in the internationally bestselling Guido Brunetti detective series in which a high society murder leads Guido to investigate the darker side of beautiful Venice. Brunetti is painted as a sensitive man who, despite his long years as a detective, has a distaste for the violence he encounters in his work. This is in line with the cozy genre itself, with its general avoidance of excessive violence. Leon rounds out his character throughout the book by giving several glimpses into his past, enabling the reader to understand his character. This is the first book in the long running Commissario Brunetti series. I’ve been curious about Donna Leon for ages but have never gotten around to sampling any of her work. This book is available in the Kindle Unlimited program, at the moment, giving me a great excuse to finally see for myself why this series has endured. Brunetti finds out that Wellauer was moralistic and prejudiced against gays. He reneged on a deal with the gay director to place a friend of his in a performance, citing that he need not honor a deal with someone who is gay. He also threatened to tell Flavia's ex-husband about her lesbian affair with American millionaire archaeologist Brett Lynch, so that Flavia's abusive ex-husband could gain custody of their children. Brett admits that Flavia saw the conductor during intermission and that they fought about the threats.

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Fasini rubbed his hands together briskly, as if the gesture would help him decide what to say. “Maestro Wellauer has been . . . ” he began, but he found no satisfactory way to finish the sentence. Heald, Tim. “Donna Leon talks about corruption and death in Venice: interview.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 7 May 2009.

Why bother with characterization? All of the motives why people in this world do anything can be explained in two ways:characterization is well-done. of special note are how strongly characterized the women are. in particular, two central characters: the physician wife of the deceased - a famous and exceedingly unpleasant opera conductor - and an American archaeologist who is the (lesbian) lover of one of the suspects.

He immediately realizes that there’s a lot more about the victim than what he’s being told by the suspects …….his much younger wife and soprano, Flavia Petrelli and her lesbian lover, Brett Lynch and the people in his life who have been offended by his homophobic views. Brunetti also discovers Wellauer’s past as a Nazi sympathizer. I wasn’t blown away by this but it’s the first in a long series and so I assume they get better. I chose to read it only because I’m going to Venice in September and wanted to get in the mood! It’s very well written, however, and so I’ll probably be tempted to read more. Venice is a very old city, heavy with history, and proud of it. Among all the details of the streets, walls and huge windows, there was one thing that new nations do not have. The wearing down of the stone steps that have been there for centuries. The steps are worn down because so many people have walked this way. This was a powerful image. Death at La Fenice (1992), the first novel by American academic and crime-writer Donna Leon, is the first of the internationally best-selling Commissario Brunetti mystery series, set in Venice, Italy. The novel won the Japanese Suntory prize, [1] and its sequel is Death in a Strange Country (1993).

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From the first gallery, there came a burst of coughing; someone dropped a book, perhaps a purse; but the door to the corridor behind the orchestra pit remained dosed. The series’ popularity has also led to the publication of a cookbook, a tour book of Venice based upon Brunetti’s own walks, and a walking tour of Venice authorized by Donna Leon. Overall Reaction: Summary: The first book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series is very accomplished and a rewarding read. It's best read before the 24th book in the series as the later book doesn't give away the ending, but you'll know of one person who didn't kill the Maestro.