Brunetti’s pivotal character this time is a nun in a order that takes care of elderly people but who sees things she is not supposed to see and decides to leave the order and the religious life. We don't spend much time in her company but she shines on the page. Donna Leon really doesn't like the Church and very especially doesn't like Opus Dei, who are portrayed here as a shadowy organisation who place a persistent child abuser to run things in Venice, who is also siphoning off funds from the old people's homes. ( )

Quietly in Their Sleep is written by Donna Leon. This title is Book #6 in Ms. Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery series.
“A nun leaves her order and the nursing home it runs when she begins to suspect that some of the patients, those who have left their money to the Home, are discreetly being murdered. Turning for help from Commissario Brunetti, she unwittingly leads him into an investigation of both the closed world of the powerful secret church organization known as Opus Dei and the very public scandal caused by a local parish priest.”
A good story. As usual, the city of Venice, its culture and history, is the main character. Guido Brunnetti goes up against the Catholic Church in this title and I wish him all the best. He is a very ethical policeman and tries his best to get justice and accountability in the extremely shameful, venal, corrupt Italian ‘system’.
***** ( )

It all starts with a nun - or an ex-nun to be more precise. She is one of the nuns who had taken care of Brunetti's mother for awhile so when she comes with a tale of possible murder and elderly abuse, Brunetti decides to investigate, even if all he has is a woman's word. It is a quiet book - while there is death (and murder in some cases), it is an exploration of the state of elderly care and the lives of the nuns who deal with that more than anything else. Brunetti comes out a bit more morally ambiguous than usual although it feels more like Leon being more comfortable using his sense of justice (vs the law) than before. It also makes the story feel more personal on some level - stories about idealized policemen never really work properly. ( )

A woman came to speak with Commissario Guido Brunetti. She looked somewhat familiar, but he could not place her until learned that she had been a sister working at the nursing home where his mother had resided. Both his mother and he were very fond of her. She told him she had left the order three weeks ago and was troubled by some of the events she had witnessed and heard about while she was there.
It turned out there was much to be troubled about. Not only was the care deficient in some areas, people were dying in questionable circumstances.
Investigating her suspicions led Brunetti on an investigation not only about the care but about financial arrangements between some residents and the facility and the motivation of some of the people running it.
Luckily for Brunetti, Vice-Questore Giuseppi Patta had been out-of-the country for a couple of weeks so Guido was able to get started on the investigation without interference from his boss.
During the investigation, Brunetti became the target of an attack that jeopardized his life.
Issues with nursing home care and the motives of people running them as well as the education in Catholic schools and the way sisters are treated, is universal as are other situations addressed in QUIETLY IN THEIR SLEEP.
Like the other books in Donna Leon’s Brunetti series, the story is well-told. Interesting characters and situations. It keeps the reader engrossed in the plot which moves along smoothly.

Tidbits:

“[O}bjects survive us and go on living. It’s stupid to believe we own them. And it’s sinful for them to be so important.”

‘Hypocrites never think that other people can be just as false as they are.”

“There’s always something to discover about the people you think you know well.’

“But people are really afraid of Opus Dei. The way they were afraid of the SS, the Gestapo.” ( )

Least favorite of the series so far, I thought the ending was abrupt, the mystery was over shadowed by the messages about the Catholic Church and religion in general. I still enjoy the series and will continue. ( )