We return to Venice in this second of the series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti as he is confronted with the death of a young American and a possible suicide of the doctor who identified the body. Since Brunetti's superior, Patta, wants the murder of the American resolved quickly, Guido goes to the American Army base in Vicenza to gather information on the victim and to try to determine why he was killed. When later he is handed on the case involving a mugging of a VIP and theft of expensive art, little does Guido know that the cases are connected and will result in an unusual ending.

I really enjoy these mysteries because Donna Leon serves up the clues in a slow and subtle way so that that the reader is going at exactly the same pace as the character. She delicately weaves the story introduces each element that is needed to resolve the mystery at the same time giving it the necessary importance and details to push the reader forward. Her interconnection of the characters and the story is quite masterful.

I have to admit that this story was so well-written that at times I truly believed that it could be happening and that really seemed so real that I wonder if Ms. Leon knows something that we all don't. Should we all be so trusting of a foreign government that doesn't behave the way we want? Should any country have carte blanche to behave in a manner that is not to the betterment of all mankind? This book definitely posed so very interesting questions about our or any society and made me stop and wonder. At the same time as I am wondering, I was wishing that I could visit all the places that she described with such vivid preciseness - the beauty of the city with the contrasts of its problems, oh well, maybe someday. ( )

Death in a Strange Country is the second book in Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series. Brunetti, a Commissario in the Venice police department, is called to the scene of an apparent murder - a body is found floating in a canal. Brunetti discovers that the dead man is an American, an officer in the public health department at the military base in Vicenza. A young doctor is called to identify the body, and Brunetti finds that she is terrified, but of what he doesn't know. As he continues to investigate the crime, he finds that the potential cause may be rooted deep in corruption. In the end, Brunetti discovers more about why the crime is committed that who - ultimately - is responsible.

This was an excellent mystery. Leon's draws the reader into the lives of the characters, who are well fleshed out and seem to jump to life from the page. Once again, Venice is just as much a character in the book as the others - Leon describes the city in such a way so that the reader feels she is there. I felt the plotting was handled quite well, and the uneasy ending fit the story perfectly. Death in a Strange Country is definitely one of the most well-written mysteries I've read, and I look forward to the next book in the series. ( )

This is the second in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series. Leon takes her readers to the streets and canals of Venice as Brunetti investigates the murder of an American serviceman. I enjoyed this book even more than the first. Leon pacing and plot are exactly right. She takes us through twists and turns, while revealing just enough clues to keep us engaged. She captures Venice perfectly - making us feel as if we are there with Brunetti. And Brunetti is a character that I really enjoy. In this second book, we learn more about him, his family, and his style of solving mysteries. I'll be reading more of this series.

An America soldier is found floating in a Venetian canal, murdered. Commissario Brunetti is called in and soon finds himself involved in a case extending from Venice to the American military base at Vincenza—complicated by government cover-ups, shadowy Mafia presence and insurance scams.

This is the second in the series and I enjoyed it even more than the first. The plot is reasonable...more a "why did the murder occur?" than a "who did the murder?" story. It moves along swiftly and logically. Ms. Leon continues to flesh out her characters, mostly by providing us further glimpses into Brunetti's family, from the son starting to emerge from the Land of Teenage Angst to the father-in-law who moves in the powerful world of the movers and shakers that start to take notice of Brunetti's efforts.

The best part of the story is that it doesn't have a pat solution. Once the reader understands all that is going on, any complete solution would have been simply too neat, though many mystery authors would have tried. Instead, though the reader is left with a very satisfying resolution to some of the immediate problems, Donna Leon makes no secret of her stance on some of the larger issues involving big business and government, and the reader is left sharing some of Brunetti's cynical perception that he has done nothing to solve the real problems...only moved them somewhere else.

I recommend this series for mystery fans. ( )

I first came to this series with a feeling of apprehension, but after reading the first two books in the series I can now exclaim on how wonderful they truly are. Guido Brunetti is a good man. He doesn't seem to have any of the general afflictions given to modern day detectives in fiction. He's not too bitter, and he uses sarcasm only when necessary. Nor does he seem to suffer from alcoholism, another shocker. He has a well-established marriage and two teenaged children. Such a rarity!

This series for any mystery lover is a breath of fresh air. If you're interested in Venice, Italy or just want a good mystery to chew on for a day or two, I'd highly recommend these. ( )