by Donna Leon
Part of Commissario Brunetti, book 32
First published 2023
A November night call sends Commissario Guido Brunetti to investigate a body found floating in a Venetian canal. The victim is an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant with no official record of his existence in the city. Brunetti must rely on neighborhood gossip and personal memories to piece together the dead man's life. The investigation leads him to a small house on university professor's property, where he finds books about Buddhism, the Tamil Tigers, and Italian political terrorists from the 1980s. Working alongside Ispettore Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and the resourceful Signora Elettra, Brunetti assembles fragments of information about real estate deals, academic connections, and university friendships. The scattered clues seem unrelated until Brunetti discovers something that connects directly to his own student years. The case forces him to confront his past ideals and youthful mistakes while navigating the complexities of Italian politics and history.
Genres: mystery, crime, detective, political-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, past-mistakes, political-intrigue
Setting: Venice, Italy
Period: 1980s
262 pages · ebook · Atlantic Monthly Press