Doctored Evidence

While Brunetti is on vacation, an old woman who noone likes (and for a good reason) is found murdered. Her live-in Romanian maid/housekeeper is missing so Lieutenant Scarpa closes the case quickly - he has a suspect, she is caught at the border with a lot of money and killed while attempting to evade the police. So case closed and Brunetti does not even hear about it.

Until one day, one of the neighbors of the dead woman comes back from abroad and decides to do the most non-Venetian thing ever - she decides to get involved and goes to the police to explain why the Romanian woman could not have been the killer. Scarpa really does not want to hear anything about it and does all he can to intimidate the uncomfortable witness but Brunetti show more is back in town and hears the altercation -- and decides to deal with the case personally.

And off we go onto another adventure where Brunetti, helped by Signorina Elettra and Ispectore Lorenzo Vianello, finally does what the police should have done from the start - namely: investigate the murder and find some justice for the victim - or at least the truth if justice is impossible.

As with most (all?) Brunetti novels, the crime shares the spotlight with Venice, Brunetti's family and reading and the personal connections of everyone involved. That's what really makes the series much better than the type of crimes it deals with would have made you think it should. And as usual, there is an underlying theme under all of that - in that case, the novel ties to the seven deadly sins - from a chance remark and through the investigation and all the way to the end.

Another solid entry in the series. show less

I can't say enough about how much I enjoy these Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries. Such depth of character, engaging storytelling, great sense of place and fabulous food descriptions. A very satisfying mystery. Looking forward to the next one.

Guido and Paola consider the murder of an elderly woman (refreshingly, a completely unlovable victim; no pathos here) in terms of the Seven Deadly Sins. In the end, although Avarice is involved, it would be equally valid to consider in terms of classical tragedy.

This is definitely one of my favorites in this series by Donna Leon. The complexity of the characters and their motivations continues to unfold as Leon continues the saga of Commissario Guido Brunetti, his wife Paola, his children (marching smartly toward young adult maturity), and his comrades at the questura (police headquarters): Ispectore Lorenzo Vianello and Signorina Elletra. She adds in a very true to life ongoing tug-of-war with others on the staff - his boss, Vice-Questore Guiseppe Patta, and the stuffed shirt everyone loves to hate, Lieutenant Scarpa.

In this episode, an old woman, not well liked by anyone, is found brutally murdered, and her illegal alien house worker has disappeared. Brunetti is on a well deserved vacation, show more and does not discover until he returns that . as usual, Scarpa has taken the easy way out, has not done his homework, and has declared the case closed. When a new witness appears to contradict Scarpa's conclusions, Brunetti feels compelled to reopen and take over the case. In the meantime, Vianello is dealing with an elderly relative who seems to have come under the spell of a TV evangelist cum rip-off artist.

Leon always adds into the mix wonderful discussions of current vs classic mores, police corruption, crime solving techniques and wonderful presentations of Italian food and drink. They are especially enjoyable as audios when narrated by the incomparable David Colacci who captures the Italian inflections and intonations so well. I have yet to discover what's not to like about this series show less

Venice, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, false-information, family-dynamics, friendship*****

Set in a time shortly after the beginning use of the euro, this unusual mystery uses the Seven Deadly Sins as part of the investigative process. I always find it easy to slip into a Brunetti mystery after an absence and out of any order. The shifty characters become clear and the well-meaning rule benders (my kind of people) romp through the serious and the snarky. Unusual in it's beginning, diligence, and denouement. Of course I loved it!
I admit that I really enjoy listening to narrator David Colacci, especially his Italian (or is it Venetian) pronunciations.

In this installment, Commissario Brunetti investigates a case Lt. Scarpa dismissed based on circumstantial evidence. The old woman who was a nuisance to her neighbors because she listened to her television at a loud volume was assaulted and murdered. Money from her bank accounts disappeared almost instantaneously. His wife, reading their daughter's textbook, makes a remark about the seven deadly sins which guides his investigation. Suspects abound, but he identifies the person responsible for the crime, clearing the reputation of an immigrant woman. I listened to David Colacci's excellent audio narration. I enjoyed turning over Guido's wife's remark in my own head as well.

Dottor Carlotti, making his weekly visit, finds his patient, Maria Grazia Battestini, dead. Someone has bashed her head in. Also that the caregiver, Flori is gone and the apartment is in shambles. The police immediately decide the caregiver is the guilty party, as she is gone — and she is Romanian, a foreigner.

Battestini, a house-bound woman with the reputation of not being a good neighbour. She runs her TV at all hours at high volume. She is rude to all and complains about everything. The police know well of her.

A neighbour returns from a stay in England to learn of the murder, and realizes it can’t be Flori who murdered the old woman. The neighbour goes to the Questora to volunteer her information. Information that could show that show more Flori wasn’t the murderer.

The first person she speaks to is Lieutenant Scarpa. He is the lead on the case and is satisfied with the current status. For back-up confirmation, Scarpa turns it over to Commissario Brunetti.

Burnetti feels different and takes on further investigation of the case, unbeknownst to Scarpa. Brunetti finds there are threads of greed, family turmoil, blackmail and fraud. Untangling these threads and finding the who and why of the case is a twisted path. Something Brunetti is excellent at.

Donna Leon’s Brunetti series is always an enjoyable read. show less