Mühsamer Krimi: Acht Bücher rund um den sypathischen Commissario Brunetti hatte ich gelesen, als mir dieses weitere in die Hände fiel. Acht Bücher hatte ich zuvor mit Begeisterung gelesen, auf DAS GESETZ DER LAGUNE hätte ich im Nachhinein gut verzichten können. Zwar hat Donna Leon rein technisch gesehen wieder gute Arbeit geleistet, doch wird der Spannungsbogen in dieser Handlung äußerst mühsam aufrecht gehalten. Drei der vier Toten erscheinen als reine Hilfsmittel um überhaupt so etwas wie Neugier beim Leser wachzurufen, entpuppen sich aber schnell als für die eigentliche Story dürftige Seifenblasen. Dabei war das Setting so gut gewählt: Ein keines Fischerdorf an der Adria, unweit von Venedig. Aber leider, leider hat sie aus der dortigen ländlichen Atmosphäre, den verschlossenen, mitunter kauzigen Bewohnern nichts gemacht. Da passt das einfallslose Mordmotiv vollkommen.

The murder of two fishermen off the island of Pellestrina, south of the Lido of the Venetian lagoon, draws Commissario Brunetti into the close-knit community of the island, bound together by a code of loyalty and a suspicion of outsiders worthy of the Mafia. When his boss's secretary Signorina Elettra volunteers to visit the island, where she has relatives, Brunetti finds himself torn between his duty to solve the murders, concerns for Elettra's safety, and his not entirely straightforward feelings for her...

This is a straightforward, slow-burning thriller. The exotic Italian settings are vividly described and the action, when it comes, is exciting. An easy Sunday afternoon read. ( )

10th in the Commisario Brunetti series, set in Venice, Italy.

Pellestrina is a small village that sits on a strip of land on the southwest edge of the Venice lagoon; it is under the jurisdiction of Venice. In the middle of the night, two clam fishermen are murdered, and their boat set afire and sunk. Because the pellestrinotti are clannish and settle their own affairs, Brunetti and Sgt. Vianello have no luck getting any information from the villagers. Signorina Elettra, offers to go undercover in the village; she visits her cousin there every year, and insists that no one will know who she is or notice her. Brunetti, despite qualms whose origins he does not wish to investigate too closely, reluctantly agrees.

Leon crafts a very different story here, one that is more like a thriller than a police procedural. Some of her usual themes surface: environmental damage, this time to the fishing industry; the ever-present corruption in the Italian government. But the big news is that Signorina Elettra takes center stage as a protagonist, and she is a good one. The story is a little slow to get off the ground, but the climax, a real page-turner, more than makes up for it, taking place during a life-threatening storm. While Leon’s signature use of Venice as a background for her stories is not present in this book, the plot is good enough to get along without it. And the pellestrinotti are interesting enough in their own right.

Another excellent installment in the series. Highly recommended. ( )

The books about commissario Brunetti are cosy crimestories, but the detailed descriptions of italian cuisine makes my stomach growl, and it's not entirely suitable reading in a cabin on the swedish countryside, far away from espresso, newly baked lemonpie and fresh figs. One thing that's getting on my nerves: the commissarios incompetence with computers. It's written in 2001, and is supposed to be contemporary. Lucky for Brunetti that Signora Elettra is a hacker. ( )