A Commissario Brunetti novel by Donna Leon
When a brick is thrown through the plate glass window of a travel agency
in Venice the police officers sent to investigate the incident are shocked to
discover that the offender is Paola Brunetti, the wife of Commissario Guido
Brunetti.
Her action is meant to be a protest because she believes the travel agency are organising sex tours to Thailand.
But her deliberate act of vandalism has immediate repercussions for
Brunetti’s police career. He is sent home on what is termed ‘administrative
leave’ for an indefinite period.
He spends his time reading his favourite books about ancient Greece until his 'administrative leave' is interrupted when the
owner of the travel agency is found to have been brutally murdered.
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| A water bus (vaporetto) approaching Rialto Bridge. |
Brunetti takes the decision to return to work and as soon as he arrives at the Questura he is put in charge of
the investigation into the man’s death by his superior officer, Vice Questore Patta.
Eventually Brunetti discovers that the murdered man
was involved in a money making racket that will have terrible consequences for its victims.
But he also finds out who is responsible for the brutal killing, bringing some kind of closure not just for the
man’s widow, but also for his own wife, Paola.
As always Donna Leon gives the reader intriguing glimpses of daily life
in Venice. On one occasion, Brunetti is with his sergeant, Vianello, on the No
82 vaporetto on the Grand Canal.
They make a last minute decision to get off at
Rialto but the boat has already moved away from the jetty. Vianello goes to the
sailor, who he knows, and the sailor signals to the captain to reverse the boat
to enable them to get off.
This causes the boat to lurch and a woman nearly
falls over, but Brunetti holds on to her to steady her.
Anyone who has ever been to Venice and been on the No 82 vaporetto will
be instantly transported back to the sights, smells and sounds of the Grand
Canal.
Fatal Remedies is a gripping and well plotted crime story set against
the uniquely beautiful and often mysterious backdrop of Venice.
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