Donna Leon Knihy

Americkú archeologičku Brett, ktorá pripravuje v múzeu jedinečnú výstavu čínskych terakotových sôch, brutálne zbijú pred dverami jej benátskeho bytu. O dva dni neskôr nájdu zaraždeného jej spolupracovníka...

Komisára Brunettiho navštívi bývalá mníška a zasvätí ho do hrôz, ktoré sa dejú pod zdanlivo nevinným rúchom cirkvi. V benátskych sanatóriách spravovaných cirkvou už záhadne zomrelo veľa starých ľudí..

Rušné námestia, očarujúce kanály, ale aj schátrané nočné podniky Benátok sú kulisou tohoto vzrušujúceho detektívneho príbehu. Šarmantný komisár Brunetti márne hľadá súvislosť medzi vraždou významného právnika a samovraždou vysoko postaveného účtovníka. Na stopu ho privedie prostitútka, okuliare a nelegálna videokazeta. Aby rozbil kruh neresti, musí zostúpiť až do benátskeho podsvetia…

V jedno sparné ránu objavia pri bitúnku neďaleko Benátok mŕtvolu muža oblečeného v ženských šatách. Spočiatku sa komisár Brunetti nazdáva, že ide o transvestitu, ktorého zabil niektorí z jeho milencov. Keď sa však ukáže, že obeťou sa stal suchopárny riaditeľ Veronskej banky, komisár si uvedomí, že si svoju prepotrebnú dovolenku bude musieť znovu odložiť.

Romantické Benátky – mesto zločinu. Komisár Brunetti vyšetruje smrť vojaka americkej vojenskej posádky...

Jeden z najslávnejších dirigentov svojej doby, Helmut Wellauer, bol zavraždený. Jeho mŕtve telo našli pred posledným dejstvom La Traviaty, v divadelnej šatni. Príčinou smrti bola otrava kyanidom...

In The Waters of Eternal Youth, the twenty-fifth instalment in the bestselling Brunetti series, our Commissario finds himself drawn into a case that may not be a crime at all. Brunetti is investigating a cold case by request of the grand Contessa Lando-Continui, a friend of Brunetti’s mother-in-law. Fifteen years ago the Contessa’s teenage granddaughter, Manuela, was found drowning in a canal. She was rescued from the canal at the last moment, but in many ways it was too late; she suffered severe brain damage and her life was never the same again. Once a passionate horse rider, Manuela, now aged thirty, cannot remember the accident, or her beloved horse, and lives trapped in an eternal youth. The Contessa, unconvinced that this was an accident, implores Brunetti to find the culprit she believes was responsible for ruining Manuela's life. Out of a mixture of curiosity, pity and a willingness to fulfil the wishes of a loving grandmother, Brunetti reopens the case. But once he starts to investigate, Brunetti finds a murky past and a dark story at its heart. The Waters of Eternal Youth is awash in the rhythms and concerns of contemporary Venetian life, from historical preservation, to housing, to new waves of African migrants, all circling the haunting story of a woman trapped in a perpetual childhood.

This engaging collection of stories and essays by the celebrated author of the internationally bestselling Guido Brunetti series showcases her delightful humor and irony. In her memoir, she previously offered a colorful tour of her life, from childhood in New Jersey to adventures in China and Iran, and her love of Venice and opera, but did not delve into her writing life. In this work, she reveals her admiration for great crime novelists like Ruth Rendell and Ross Macdonald, examining their storytelling techniques while dissecting her favorite books. She expresses her love for Dickens' *Great Expectations* and appreciates Sir Walter Scott's generosity of spirit. The author chronicles her extensive research efforts to authentically portray places and characters through Guido Brunetti and his colleagues, including interviewing a diamond dealer in Venice about blood diamonds and connecting with a courageous sex worker to accurately depict women's trafficking in Italy. Venice remains central in her memories, from the irritation of a noisy neighbor to the origins of Carnevale. Her teaching career yields memorable tales, such as helping a young Black boy in Newark and instructing Iranian pilots just before the 1979 Revolution. Throughout, she proves to be as compelling a storyteller about her own life as she is in chronicling Brunetti's adventures. Readers will find themselves captivated by her world.

When Commissario Brunetti receives a visit from one of his wife's students with a strange and vague interest in investigating the possibility of a pardon for a crime committed by her grandfather many years ago, he thinks little of it, despite being intrigued by the girl's intelligence and moral conscience. But when the girl is found stabbed to death, Claudia Leonardo is no longer Paola's student, but instead becomes Brunetti's case. Claudia seemed to have no discernible living family, but lived with an elderly Austrian woman. Brunetti is stunned by the extraordinary art collection the old woman keeps, and when she in turn is found dead, the case begins to unlock long buried secrets of collaboration during the war, secrets few in Italy are happy to explore...

When the body of man is found in a canal, damaged by the tides, carrying no wallet, and wearing only one shoe, Brunetti has little to work with. No local has filed a missing-person report, and no hotel guests have disappeared. Where was the crime scene? And how can Brunetti identify the man when he can't show pictures of his face? The autopsy shows a way forward: it turns out the man was suffering from a rare, disfiguring disease. With Inspector Vianello, Brunetti canvasses shoe stores, and winds up on the mainland in Mestre, outside of his usual sphere. From a shopkeeper, they learn that the man had a kindly way with animals. At the same time, animal rights and meat consumption are quickly becoming preoccupying issues at the Venice Questura, and in Brunetti's home, where conversation at family meals offer a window into the joys and conflicts of Italian life. Perhaps with the help of Signorina Elettra, Brunetti and Vianello can identify the man and understand why someone wanted him dead. As subtle and engrossing as ever, Leon's Beastly Things is immensely enjoyable, intriguing, and ultimately moving.