Veneno de Cristal

by Donna Leon

First published 2011

A bright spring day finds Commissario Brunetti and Inspector Vianello taking a break from the Questura to help Vianello's friend Marco Ribetti. Marco has been arrested while protesting the chemical pollution of Venice's lagoon. But Marco did not reveal the shameful secrets of Murano's polluting glass foundries. The body discovered in front of furnaces that burn at 1400 degrees around the clock belongs to someone else entirely. The victim has left clues hidden within a copy of Dante's work. Brunetti must descend into his own version of hell to uncover who is contaminating the lagoon's waters. The investigation takes him deep into the secrets of Murano island, home to the world's most famous glass factories, where industrial pollution and murder intersect in Venice's ancient waterways.

Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective

Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful

Tropes: amateur-sleuth, investigation

Setting: Murano, Venice

Period: Spring

278 pages · Paperback · Planeta Manuscrito

Content warnings: violence

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