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The New York Times–bestselling series transports us to "Donna Leon's enticing, troubled and beautiful Venice . . . Her latest mystery is one of her best" (Providence Journal).A New York Times Book Review Best Crime Book of the Year • A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice • A Financial Times Summer Book Pick • A Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine Most Anticipated Mystery of the Year
Commissario Guido Brunetti is surprised by the appearance of a friend of his wife's, fearful show more that her son is using drugs and hopeful Brunetti can somehow intervene. When the woman's husband is found unconscious with a serious brain injury at the foot of a bridge in Venice after midnight, Brunetti is drawn to pursue a possible connection to the boy's behavior. But the truth, as Brunetti has experienced so often, is not straightforward.
While Brunetti pursues several false and contradictory leads, he becomes exasperated by the petty bureaucracy that constantly bedevils him and threatens to expose Signorina Elettra, his superior's secretary. But steadied by the embrace of his own family and by his passion for the classics, he reads Sophocles's Antigone, and, in its light, considers the terrible consequences to which the actions of a tender heart can lead.
"It's the living, bleeding humanity of the characters that makes Donna Leon's police procedurals so engaging. . . . Tagging along after this sleuth is a wonderful way to see Venice like a native." ?The New York Times Book Review
"[A] droll and intelligent series." ?The Wall Street Journal
"[A] richly rewarding series . . . from a master of character-rich crime fiction." ?Booklist. show less
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Member Reviews
Guido Brunetti is a thoughtful, compassionate, and even-tempered man, who is well-read and curious about human behavior. Even he might admit that his job as Commissario di Polizia in Venice is not particularly taxing. Brunetti relies heavily on the expertise of the incomparable Signora Elletra Zorzi, who apparently can hack into any database at will. When Brunetti needs medical, employment, or financial records, many of which are confidential, the commissario asks Signorina Elletra for help, and she is more than happy to comply. In Donna Leon's "The Temptation of Forgiveness," Brunetti investigates an assault on Tullio Gasparini, who is married to a colleague of Guido's wife.
The author takes us on a tour of Venice's sights, including show more the city's fog-bound canals, picturesque cathedrals, and vaporettos or waterbuses. In addition, Leon describes in delectable detail the meals that Guido's wife, Paola, prepares for her husband and two children. On a more serious note, there is social commentary about corruption among government officials and the inducements that lead people to engage in illegal activities.
To Leon's credit "The Temptation of Forgiveness" reveals Brunetti's flaws as well as his strengths. No one would accuse him of being a workaholic. He takes time from his workday to enjoy a stroll, read the local newspaper, eat a leisurely lunch, or gaze out the window. He also makes an uncharacteristic error in judgment that leads him to misread the evidence and jump to an erroneous conclusion. By far, the most compelling scenes of the novel take place during its final pages, when Guido confronts a felon for whom he feels a measure of sympathy. This latest installment in Leon's long-running series is not particularly compelling or fast-paced, but it is worth reading for its varied cast of characters, wry humor, atmospheric descriptive writing, and insight into the decisions we make for good or ill. show less
The author takes us on a tour of Venice's sights, including show more the city's fog-bound canals, picturesque cathedrals, and vaporettos or waterbuses. In addition, Leon describes in delectable detail the meals that Guido's wife, Paola, prepares for her husband and two children. On a more serious note, there is social commentary about corruption among government officials and the inducements that lead people to engage in illegal activities.
To Leon's credit "The Temptation of Forgiveness" reveals Brunetti's flaws as well as his strengths. No one would accuse him of being a workaholic. He takes time from his workday to enjoy a stroll, read the local newspaper, eat a leisurely lunch, or gaze out the window. He also makes an uncharacteristic error in judgment that leads him to misread the evidence and jump to an erroneous conclusion. By far, the most compelling scenes of the novel take place during its final pages, when Guido confronts a felon for whom he feels a measure of sympathy. This latest installment in Leon's long-running series is not particularly compelling or fast-paced, but it is worth reading for its varied cast of characters, wry humor, atmospheric descriptive writing, and insight into the decisions we make for good or ill. show less
Donna Leon demonstrates again and again that a mystery novel need not be fast-paced, involve multiple crimes or even be particularly suspenseful to make compelling reading. She accomplishes this feat again in “The Temptation of Forgiveness” (2018).
Leon's secret lies with interesting characters whose daily lives are filled with enough drama and comedy to keep readers entertained even as the mystery plods along. I sped through this novel more quickly than I do most mysteries.
This time the case before Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police involves a man's death from a fall from a bridge in the middle of the night. It may have been an accident but seems suspicious, especially since the man's wife had visited Brunetti just a show more couple of days previously with worries that her teenage son might be involved with drugs. The commissario's first thought is that the father might have died in a confrontation with his son's drug dealer.
Brunetti seems to have a one-track mind, my main complaint with the novel. Rather than compile evidence and thoroughly question witnesses, first the wife and son, he always seems to start with a theory, then look only for evidence to support it. When that fails, he tries another theory and gathers more evidence. Yet his methods actually work in the end.
Meanwhile we are amused by his relationships with his wife and children and with the people he works with, especially Signorina Electra, the ever resourceful secretary who seems to be able discover with her computer any information Brunetti might desire. Among her secrets, known only to Brunetti, is that she has bugged the office of their boss.
While not the best book in the long series, “The Temptation of Forgiveness” (I love Leon's titles) will not disappoint. show less
Leon's secret lies with interesting characters whose daily lives are filled with enough drama and comedy to keep readers entertained even as the mystery plods along. I sped through this novel more quickly than I do most mysteries.
This time the case before Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice police involves a man's death from a fall from a bridge in the middle of the night. It may have been an accident but seems suspicious, especially since the man's wife had visited Brunetti just a show more couple of days previously with worries that her teenage son might be involved with drugs. The commissario's first thought is that the father might have died in a confrontation with his son's drug dealer.
Brunetti seems to have a one-track mind, my main complaint with the novel. Rather than compile evidence and thoroughly question witnesses, first the wife and son, he always seems to start with a theory, then look only for evidence to support it. When that fails, he tries another theory and gathers more evidence. Yet his methods actually work in the end.
Meanwhile we are amused by his relationships with his wife and children and with the people he works with, especially Signorina Electra, the ever resourceful secretary who seems to be able discover with her computer any information Brunetti might desire. Among her secrets, known only to Brunetti, is that she has bugged the office of their boss.
While not the best book in the long series, “The Temptation of Forgiveness” (I love Leon's titles) will not disappoint. show less
A colleague of Paola’s at the university comes to Brunetti, troubled that her son might be dabbling in drugs. Brunetti isn’t sure what she expects him to be able to do about it, but before he has much time to mull it over, a man is discovered unconscious at the bottom of a bridge, apparently a victim of crime although that is not certain. When Brunetti learns that this man is the husband of Paola’s colleague, he begins to wonder if there might be a connection…. As far as I’m concerned, Donna Leon can do no wrong - except that we usually have to wait a year or so between books, which can be an excruciating long time! This latest entry, the 27th in the long-running series, contains all the beautiful descriptions of Venice, all show more the difficulties experienced by its residents, and all the complexity of Brunetti’s relationships both at home and at work. In addition, for this novel Ms. Leon has him re-reading Sophocles’ “Antigone,” which of course has him contemplating the choices that must be made between allegiance to family and duty to the state. Marvelous. show less
Can this really be Leon's 27th in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series? And, can it be that I have read and loved all 27? YES!
Donna Leon fans are in for a treat with yet another case for the charming Commmissario. Travel along with Brunetti past familiar Venetian landmarks, stopping here and there for a coffee or coffee and pastry. Join him as he negotiates the politics and cynicism of the Italian justice system. Visit again with his family and the cast of characters with whom he works. They are all here!
For anyone new to Donna Leon, this certainly can be read as a stand alone, but why deprive yourself? Go back to the beginning of the series and enjoy getting to know all of these memorable characters.
Donna Leon fans are in for a treat with yet another case for the charming Commmissario. Travel along with Brunetti past familiar Venetian landmarks, stopping here and there for a coffee or coffee and pastry. Join him as he negotiates the politics and cynicism of the Italian justice system. Visit again with his family and the cast of characters with whom he works. They are all here!
For anyone new to Donna Leon, this certainly can be read as a stand alone, but why deprive yourself? Go back to the beginning of the series and enjoy getting to know all of these memorable characters.
A woman serving the architecture faculty at Paola's university consults Brunetti about her son's drug use. Soon afterwards her husband dies in a fall from a bridge, and it appears he had some help getting over it. At times Griffoni seems a more capable investigator than Brunetti. At the same time Patta tries to find a leak in the department. While I always enjoy my visits to Venice through these novels, this one doesn't seem to be quite as cohesive as some. Some plot lines seem to almost drop from the radar. Leon's endings never wrap up quite as neatly as ones by other mystery writers--and I'll leave that there as a teaser! David Colacci's narrations are always superb.
Once again Donna Leon has proven that police-based mystery story does not need graphic violence, car chases, detectives getting into life-threatening situations, profanity, or sex scenes to provide a well-written story. There is not the adrenalin rush so common in this genre. For those familiar with the Commissario Guido Brunnetti series, THE TEMPTATION OF FORGIVENESS offers the same group of characters, primarily Guido’s wife Paola; Vice-Questore Giuseppe Patta, Commissario Claudia Griffoni, and Signorina Elettra, Patta’s gatekeeper and amazing source of information. For those who have not read the previous books, you’ll still be able to appreciate the book as a stand-alone.
Soon after Brunnetti arrived at work one morning, a show more woman was escorted into his office. He recognized her as a colleague of his wife’s, but didn't really know her. Eventually he learned that she was concerned about her fifteen-year-old son. During the past year, his grades and dropped and his attitude had changed considerably. She thought he might be drugs and want to know that was a criminal offense. Brunnetti tried to find out the source of the drugs, but the mother was rather evasive.
That night, that he was called to the scene of a possible crime. A man was found bleeding and unconscious at the bottom staircase near the canal. He had no identification on him nor did there appear to be any witnesses. The police could not determine whether it was an accident or if he had been assaulted. Brunnetti immediately recognized the man as the husband of the woman who had been in his office. Following a long night in a slow-moving emergency room, after series of x-rays tests and scans, the doctor said the man had suffered severe brain damage and didn't know if he would ever regain consciousness or, if he did, would be able to communicate.
Brunnetti wanted to both find source of drugs. In the process, he discovered a scam involving elderly, confused people, a pharmacist, and a doctor.
As in all of the books in the series, Donna Leon provided a compelling picture of Venice: its people, its atmosphere, changes in the city, and the workings of the city government and the police department. Throughout the book, Brunnetti referred to Sophocles’s Antigone” with its examination of right and wrong, when should a law be broken, and at what cost?
Tidbits:
Five men who neither spoke Italian nor could explain the meaning of certain road signs were provided with a complicated wiring system so they could pass the test to get driver's licenses.
There are many Italian accents that enable someone to know where the speaker learned to speak the language. The story explains several of them. That knowledge helps bring people together or divides them. Some people who have contact with the public, such as police officers, learn to adopt those accents to facilitate the conversations with people they interview.
Because of her gender experiences, Griffoni is able to see situations, e.g., control by men of women, in ways that her male colleagues do not.
Paolo explains the difference between life and novels:
"That's why people like novels.... In most novels, things get explained to them by the narrator. They get told why people did what they did. We’re accustomed to that voice, telling us what to think.
"It's too easy. And in the end, it's so unlike life, so fake....
"Life doesn't have a narrator – it's full of lies and half-truths – so we never know anything for sure, not really.”
I’m not sure what the first chapter, getting immersed in a very heavy fog while taking a water taxi to work, is supposed to mean, unless it represents life: Suddenly, everything changes and you can’t see where you are. Then it clears up.
Unfortunately, too many chapters should have been combined. They are a continuation of the same characters in the same place. Minus one star for that.. show less
Soon after Brunnetti arrived at work one morning, a show more woman was escorted into his office. He recognized her as a colleague of his wife’s, but didn't really know her. Eventually he learned that she was concerned about her fifteen-year-old son. During the past year, his grades and dropped and his attitude had changed considerably. She thought he might be drugs and want to know that was a criminal offense. Brunnetti tried to find out the source of the drugs, but the mother was rather evasive.
That night, that he was called to the scene of a possible crime. A man was found bleeding and unconscious at the bottom staircase near the canal. He had no identification on him nor did there appear to be any witnesses. The police could not determine whether it was an accident or if he had been assaulted. Brunnetti immediately recognized the man as the husband of the woman who had been in his office. Following a long night in a slow-moving emergency room, after series of x-rays tests and scans, the doctor said the man had suffered severe brain damage and didn't know if he would ever regain consciousness or, if he did, would be able to communicate.
Brunnetti wanted to both find source of drugs. In the process, he discovered a scam involving elderly, confused people, a pharmacist, and a doctor.
As in all of the books in the series, Donna Leon provided a compelling picture of Venice: its people, its atmosphere, changes in the city, and the workings of the city government and the police department. Throughout the book, Brunnetti referred to Sophocles’s Antigone” with its examination of right and wrong, when should a law be broken, and at what cost?
Tidbits:
Five men who neither spoke Italian nor could explain the meaning of certain road signs were provided with a complicated wiring system so they could pass the test to get driver's licenses.
There are many Italian accents that enable someone to know where the speaker learned to speak the language. The story explains several of them. That knowledge helps bring people together or divides them. Some people who have contact with the public, such as police officers, learn to adopt those accents to facilitate the conversations with people they interview.
Because of her gender experiences, Griffoni is able to see situations, e.g., control by men of women, in ways that her male colleagues do not.
Paolo explains the difference between life and novels:
"That's why people like novels.... In most novels, things get explained to them by the narrator. They get told why people did what they did. We’re accustomed to that voice, telling us what to think.
"It's too easy. And in the end, it's so unlike life, so fake....
"Life doesn't have a narrator – it's full of lies and half-truths – so we never know anything for sure, not really.”
I’m not sure what the first chapter, getting immersed in a very heavy fog while taking a water taxi to work, is supposed to mean, unless it represents life: Suddenly, everything changes and you can’t see where you are. Then it clears up.
Unfortunately, too many chapters should have been combined. They are a continuation of the same characters in the same place. Minus one star for that.. show less
Guido Brunetti confronts illegal drug distribution and pharmaceutical fraud in this book. A mother, a professor at Paolo's university, comes to Commissario Brunetti believing that her son is taking drugs. However, without a lot of information Brunetti is forced to gather evidence in a round about way. Utilizing not just Senorina Electra and her suspect computer but also sources from the underworld, Guido determines that there is more than just illegal drugs at issue.
It amazes me that such a Renaissance man as Guido Brunetti is, that he can still find a way to be empathic to many of the worst criminals.
It amazes me that such a Renaissance man as Guido Brunetti is, that he can still find a way to be empathic to many of the worst criminals.
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Author Information
63+ Works 46,147 Members
Donna Leon was born on September 29, 1942 in Montclair, New Jersey. She taught English literature in England, Switzerland, Iran, China, Italy and Saudi Arabia. She is the author of a Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery series. Friends in High Places, a novel from the series, won the Crime Writers Association Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction in show more 2000. German Television has produced 16 Commissario Brunetti mysteries for broadcast. She was a crime reviewer for the Sunday Times. She has written the libretto for a comic opera and has set up her own opera company, Il Complesso Barocco. Her titles Jewels of Pardise, The Golden Egg, By Its Cover, Falling in Love and The Waters of Eternal Youth made The New York Times Bestseller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Temptation of Forgiveness
- Original title
- The Temptation of Forgiveness
- Original publication date
- 2018-03
- People/Characters*
- Guido Brunetti; Lorenzo Vianello; Claudia Griffoni; Paola Brunetti; Tullio Gasparini; Elisa Crosera (show all 8); Elettra Zorzi; Giuseppe Patta
- Important places
- Venice, Veneto, Italy
- Epigraph
- The law condemns, but love will spare.
Handel, Esther, Act II, Scene 3 - Dedication
- For Ann Hallenberg
- First words
- Having left the apartment smack on time so as to arrive at the Questura on time for a meeting with his superior, Brunetti found himself seated toward the rear of a Number One vaporetto, glancing idly through a copy of that mo... (show all)rning's Gazzettino.
- Quotations
- 'Aristotle,' he said aloud. “'It is impossible for the man who does nothing to be happy.”'
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Though it took them twenty minutes to walk there, neither spoke until they reached the Questura, when Brunetti left her with the officer at the door, said goodbye, and went up to speak to the magistrate who would question her.
- Blurbers
- Stasio, Marilyn; Erdrich, Louise
- Original language
- English US
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Reviews
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- Rating
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