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Donna Leon

Death at La Fenice: A Novel of Suspense Hardcover – July 1, 1992

by Donna Leon (Author)

4,545 ratings

Book 1 of 31: Commissario Brunetti

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When renowned opera conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room, the victim of cyanide poisoning, Guido Brunetti, the Vice Commissario of the Venice Police, must sift through several suspects. 25,000 first printing. National ad/promo.

Print length

263 pages
Language

English
Publisher

HarperCollins
Publication date

July 1, 1992
Dimensions

1.1 x 5.8 x 8.4 inches
ISBN-10

0060168714
ISBN-13

978-0060168711
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A breathless beginning and an unexpected lack of reference to the lush setting mark this lively launch of a projected series of Venetian mysteries. When legendary German conductor Helmut Wellauer is found dead in his dressing room two acts into a performance of La Traviata , police commissario Guido Brunetti is called in. Among those who might have provided the cyanide poison that killed the maestro, immediate suspects include the vaunted conductor's coolly indifferent young wife and those many in the music industry who are offended by his homophobia. Methodically probing into the victim's past, Brunetti also uncovers Wellauer's Nazi sympathies and a lead to a trio of singing sisters from yesteryear--one now destitute, one dead and the other missing. Though burdened by a dictatorial superior and two lumpen subordinates, Brunetti gets help from his aristocratic wife and her well-connected parents. The narrative's best moments involve Brunetti's wry exchanges with his colleagues and the cunningly masked, obvious solution.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Cyanide poisoning during the second-act intermission of La Traviata leaves the eminent conductor Helmut Wellauer dead, survived by a constellation of suspects from prima Flavia Petrelli (whose lesbian liaison with a wealthy American archeologist, Brett Lynch, Wellauer was threatening to expose) to director Franco Santore (furious over Wellauer's refusal to honor a bargain to find a job for Santore's protg)--and including of course Wellauer's suddenly wealthy, and much younger, widow Elizabeth. The investigating officer, Guido Brunetti, Vice-Commissario of the Venice Police, brings to his first case tact, persistence, and a useful sympathy with young women--which becomes suddenly pertinent when he unearths Wellauer's prewar involvement with a family of three star-crossed girls. Deftly plotted and smoothly written in the Ngaio Marsh cultural mode, but recommended even for readers who, like Brett Lynch, don't care for Verdi. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; 1st edition (July 1, 1992)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0060168714
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0060168711
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.1 x 5.8 x 8.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,342,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #22,296 in Police Procedurals (Books)
- #128,246 in American Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4,545 ratings

About the author

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Donna Leon

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A New Yorker of Irish/Spanish descent, Donna Leon first went to Italy in 1965, returning regularly over the next decade or so while pursuing a career as an academic in the States and then later in Iran, China and finally Saudi Arabia. Leon has received both the CWA Macallon Silver Dagger for Fiction and the German Corrine Prize for her novels featuring Commisario Guido Brunetti. She lives in Venice.

Photo by Michiel Hendryckx (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

5 star		56%
4 star		31%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Mario E. Aguilar

I don't have time for the excess storytelling!

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019

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I read this book because I was waiting for my copy of Camilleri's The Overnight Kidnapper to arrive. The immediate thought that comes to my mind is that this book should have been HALF the size it is. Did I really need to read 2 or more pages about Guido's monopoly game with the family?????? or how many room his in-law's palazzo has?

One thing is to give the reader atmosphere, a good back story and clues. Another is to get so long winded about so and so's shoes, how they smoke their cigarette, and who was a Nazi 40 years ago. You think these long winded passages might offer a clue, only to realize that they are totally unnecessary for the story.

Since this is her first book, I will give her an extra star, hopefully, she learned to pare down her storyline. Or was she paid by the word?

I doubt I will read any more of Ms. Leon's books. I don't have time for the excess storytelling.

27 people found this helpful

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Barbara Ewing

Plot, Setting, Characters - All Excellent

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2020

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I am new to the Donna Leon mystery series, having read two previously. I am now a total and devoted fan of this author's abilities to deliver a real story connected to the real world . Plot - a world famous conductor dies of cyanide poisoning in his dressing room during a concert he is conducting. Setting - I could have walked the streets and traveled by boat through the canals of Venice. Characters - Best of all, the Commissario Brunetti, his family, his reactions to his co-workers and boss, the people he interviews, all are so authentic you feel you know them at the end of the book. The texture and focus of this writer's work are splendid to read and aren't I fortunate that I have several more books to read in the the Donna Leon series. After my gushing review, you know I recommend this book.

One person found this helpful

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Debbie Archer

Death at La Fenice

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2019

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This is the 1st book in the Guido Brunetti mystery series by author Donna Leon. Wasn't familiar with her, but found her books while browsing in a bookstore in the Dursodoro district of Venice recently. Wanted to try one of her many books, so started with the first one, and have been hooked ever since. Can't get enough of Guido, his family and co-workers. Can also relate to many of the places mentioned in her books (We heard a beautiful choir singing in front of La Fenice). She'll introduce a series of characters and slowly digs into the mystery at hand. The last chapter reveals the murderer (usually not the person you thought it would be) and solves the crime. Good character development. Every time I finish a book, I think it tops the last one. Anxious to read them all!

3 people found this helpful

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Lilalma

Fun Mystery Set In Venice and at La Fenice Opera House

Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2019

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Loved the tie in to Venice in such a visual way. Plus the food descriptions are awesome. You feel like you are walking in, eating in, and listening in the heart of Italy. Such a great setting. The mystery isn't one that you can "solve" because you keep getting the pieces as the story evolves, but it is more of a setting-mystery. Enjoy the setting, and watch along as you see the city, smell the area, taste the delicious foods, and enjoy the evolution of the crime. This is also the kick off of a series of mysteries that involve the same detective and his wife and family. It's a good start and you'll enjoy others more after you read this one.

20 people found this helpful

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Jili Power

Outstanding...

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2020

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The characters are so very well developed early in the book that you know them well by the ending. That ending is inevitable and the reader should not really be surprised, knowing the characters as well as one would. The details are so well drawn that reading the book is seeing it all in the mind’s eye. The locale is simply amazing! I could not resist referring often to the map app on my iPad to look upon areas of Venice where the characters were and action taking place. This is the first book in the series, I have several more of them in my iPad Kindle, so I’m about to embark on a marathon reading spree. I’m eager for more and highly recommend this book (I expect I’ll be recommending all of them).

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017

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This is the first time I've read the one that started them all. I can't remember when I read my first Commissario Brunetti mystery, but I loved them from the start. First and foremost, they are set in Venice and La Serenissima is most definitely a presence. From the vaporetti to the feral cats, Leon captures the essence of the city until you can almost smell the sea.

The working out of the mystery is done without the help of his superior, almost against his wishes. His boss would prefer to bring the case to a quick close, place the blame on some foreigner, and get it out of the papers before it hurts the tourist season. Brunetti is more interested in finding the truth, no matter how unpleasant, and he's not going to be stopped by something as minor as his superior's opposition. Fortunately, he has the support of his peers and underlings to help him and his many connections in all strata of Venetian society.

The tropes I love are in place from the very beginning, and this novel does a fine job of launching the series: Brunetti's clueless boss, his conflict over his wife's aristocratic background, and his refusal to give up until he ferrets out the truth.

58 people found this helpful

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eclectic reader

The real crime is gradually revealed

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2020

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Venice and La Fenice are certainly characters in the story. I had read and enjoyed a Brunetti mystery a few years ago and am glad to now be getting back into the series. Perhaps recent travel to Venice pushed me over the edge.
La Fenice burned for the third time in 1996. This book was published in 1992 before that fire, the third in is history. La Fenice = the Phoenix.
Character development well done, making them believable. The scene in the apartment of the former diva in her poverty was touching and real sounding.
I enjoyed the mention of being able to see the distant mountains on a clear winter day as I had that experience when I was there recently.

One person found this helpful

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JoeDoeBooks

Plenty for pure crime fiction fans but much more as well.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 1, 2018

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Foggy mornings, ice cold hovels and public transport aren’t the first thing that come to mind when you think of Venice, but they are the reality of the city and by counterpointing the opulence of society balls, opera openings and the ancient city itself, Donna Leon evokes a sentimental, almost melancholy Venice for her detective Brunetti.
He stalks, good naturedly though his investigation, seemingly content and at the same time personally burdened by the tensions, corruption and decay around him. Anchored securely by his three loves, family, work and the city. Other characters are brought to life incredibly quickly, making it is impossible to tell who will become a major part of the story and who merely a passing, fascinating cameo. This is no tourist guide to the city. You feel the place rather than see it and the descriptions of anything as familiar as a landmark are fleeting.
It’s no traditional who- done- it either. There is a death, a list of suspects and a trail to follow but the crimes are not the purpose of the book and their solution is not its aim. The reveal is early, the ending abrupt but the story and the characters evolve and react and Leon tells us much more than she writes, both about her characters and their home.
There’s plenty here for pure crime fiction fans but there’s much more as well.

23 people found this helpful

Mary Bessenich

Fantastic story. Absolutely loved it ❤

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 18, 2019

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Oh wow! Having recently attended a live performance of La Traviata performed at Covent Garden I just adored the subject matter of this great book. I depicted the murdered conductor as the world famous Herbert von Karajan. The characters within this book are so colourful and vivid - my absolute favourite being the very elderly opera singer living out her final years in abject squalor in a poky damp ridden flat on the island of Guidecca.

You immediately warm to the detective Guido Brunetti who is just an ordinary guy: a family man who is blessed to live in the enchanting city of Venice. This is a real page turner in every sense. Tremendous!

14 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Life, glorious life!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2020

Verified Purchase

I am ashamed. I had heard of Donna Leon's work but for some unfathomable reason had never read any of it. For reasons not important to this review I decided to read this one; opera, Venice. And oh, how glad I am that I did. After a surfeit of violent, mindless detective stories what a pleasure it was to read a civilised mystery written in elegant language and a likeable detective with a happy family life. Sheer joy. Plot? Oh, right, Venice, the opera, German homophobic superstar conductor around 70 found dead by cyanide. Rumours about possible Nazi past of said conductor, not to mention dubious sexual life, much younger wife, old scandals, failing talent. Soprano suspected. We find out what happened as we get conducted tour of Venice. Loved it. Am now officially a fan. Read but prepare for addiction.

5 people found this helpful

millhall

Murder comes in many guises.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 25, 2021

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First published in 2015, this book turned out to be the first of a series of novels which all feature a Venetian detective called Guido Brunetti. Donna Leon is well qualified to use Venice as her location since she lived there for 30 years. A knowledge of Venice does add to the enjoyment of the book as one can imagine wandering along familiar canals or Piazzas, but it is by no means essential. I sensed that Leon expected to use this book as the first of a series, since she takes time to portray her detective in considerable detail, together with his nuclear family. The story line is unremarkable. Only the subject - a famous conductor - separates this murder investigation from the humdrum. Starting with a blank sheet of paper, Brunetti assiduously builds his case and solves the crime. I especially enjoyed the subtlety of the writing and the Venetian atmosphere is well portrayed. Some aspects did irritate me - not least the emotional breakdown of a world famous archeologist over the fact that her lesbian lover might be exposed. This detail seemed to me to add little to the plot and could have been omitted without any real loss. Leon is a gifted writer and this murder mystery novel is in the top tier of the genre.

One person found this helpful

Annabelle

Wonderful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 21, 2022

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This was my first Donna Leon book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m delighted to have found a new author who writes not only eloquently but informatively. Yes it does help if you have been to Venice but it’s not essential. I have to say I assumed she was Italian but apparently not. It’s not a complete “can’t put it down” book but it is a relaxing easy read. I’m a great fan of detective/crime stories and some of them become somewhat gory . Nothing wrong with serial killer stories but it’s nice to read something which is a straightforward unravelling of a straightforward murder. I’m going straight on to read her next one !

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Death at La Fenice: A Novel of Suspense Hardcover – July 1, 1992

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Donna Leon

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