Early one morning Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Police confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young man is fished out of a fetid canal. All the clues point to a violent mugging, but for Brunetti the motive of robbery seems altogether too convenient.

When something is discovered in the victim's apartment that suggests the existence of a high-level conspiracy, Brunetti becomes convinced that somebody is taking great pains to provide a ready-made solution to the crime.

Rich with atmosphere and marvelous plotting, Death in a Strange Country is a superb novel in Donna Leon's chilling Venetian mystery series.

Listening Length

10 hours and 38 minutes
Author

Donna Leon
Narrator

David Colacci
Audible release date

May 1, 2018
Language

English
Publisher

Recorded Books
ASIN

B07CQTPSWK
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	10 hours and 38 minutes
Author	Donna Leon
Narrator	David Colacci
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com Release Date	May 01, 2018
Publisher	Recorded Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B07CQTPSWK
Best Sellers Rank	#24,034 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #11 in LGBTQ+ Mysteries #51 in LGBTQ+ Mystery (Books) #86 in Hard-Boiled Mysteries (Audible Books & Originals)

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2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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T. Bourbon

Great Mystery/Police procedural, takes place in Venice, Italy

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2021

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This series has been recommended to me for some time now, but the first I have seen of it was a Kindle special this month. I really liked the book, and I really liked the characters. It is book 2 of the series, but the first I have read of it.

I enjoyed the tour of Italy I got in this book, and appreciated the foreign intrigue. I have read a few other books set in Italy, so some of the terminology was familiar. This book deals with an American Army doctor that gets killed in or near Venice. Commissario Brunnetti is put in charge. With an attempt to avoid spoilers, this book dealt with a lot of political intrigue between the Italian police and the American Army personnel presence at a post a train ride away, where the victim was stationed. I found myself trying to figure out what time frame this book takes place in, which was a little distracting.

The book ended on a sad note, and not everything was fully tied up and settled. That was good and bad about the story. Maybe it will be built upon in the next book, maybe not, but I found myself sad after reading this one. That isn't my usual reaction, and the writing was good, and the book moved well. Still thinking about this one, and I guess that is a good thing.

9 people found this helpful

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Donna Leon's best?

Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2015

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NOW I UNDERSTAND why so many people are crazy about Donna Leon’s detective fiction! Death in a Strange Country, published in 1993, was the second in her series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Police, and it’s nothing short of brilliant. I’d made the mistake of reading her latest offering in the series, the twenty-fourth, Falling in Love, which I found unworthy of her reputation. Death in a Strange Country redeems her in my eyes.

The story in this novel revolves around two murder mysteries and a robbery, all of which Brunetti is assigned to solve. A young man, probably an American, is found dead floating in the water of a Venice canal. He may, or may not, be the victim of a robbery. Later, a young American doctor at a U.S. Army base outside a town near Venice is found dead in her quarters, dead of a heroin overdose. Finally, the Venice palace of a Milano industrialist is burgled and its owner sent to the hospital from a beating. In all three cases, Brunetti smells a story that would rule out the obvious explanation. His investigation of all these mysteries is hemmed in by his boss, a feckless and lazy Sicilian with a fancy title who is interested only in pleasing the powers that be and taking credit for any discoveries made by defying his orders.

Donna Leon has lived in Venice for twenty-five years. Her books have been translated into many languages — but not, at her request, into Italian. The true subject of Death in a Strange Country is corruption. Leon’s depiction of Italian society and especially the Italian criminal justice system is unsparing. Little wonder that she has resisted the translation of her novels into the local language!

36 people found this helpful

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Gary Goodnow

You'll grow to love Commissiario Brunetti and Venice

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2014

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This is perhaps my favorite murder mystery series, and I've read a ton over the years. The author does an exceptional job in developing all the characters - especially Commissario Brunetti. I spent 5 days in Venice a couple years back and spent just enough time to get a decent feel for this charming and very special city. It's obvious Leon has lived there as her descriptions of the city are exceptional. Brunetti's Venice encompasses all of Venice from the Grand Canal to the numerous one way canals, and you will feel like you are there. From the Expresso cafes to the pastry shops and deli's Brunetti frequents, you can almost taste the food and smell the aromas from the coffee to the less than pleasant smells of the canals.

This is the second book in the series (I recommend starting with that one first so you will have a better feel for Brunetti, but you certainly won't be lost if you begin with this one. Brunetti must solve a murder of an American soldier stationed at a nearby US military base, where all signs point to a mugging gone terribly wrong. But in his analytical fashion, Brunetti digs deeper and finds a high level conspiracy involving the US military at the base. Given the political ramifications, Brunetti must, in his semi Columbo style, determine why and how to progress the case given his Superior wants to sweep this all under the rug as well.

I won't go further, but suffice it to say, you will be entranced by our intrepid Commissiario's style, his ability to prior information out of reluctant people and his low key approach. He's the type of person we all would love to have as a boss.

This is one series I'll stay with as long as Donna Leon keeps writing them. It's hard to put the book down once I start it.

14 people found this helpful

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Will Pfister

No idea why these books are good!

Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2021

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There is almost no action. No witty repartee'. Little sex. No spectacular reveals or whodunnit. The crimes are interesting but not particularly innovative. The locale is exotic but frequently described as rundown, dirty or corrupt. The characters aren't quirky.
He just a good guy with a good family doing a good job. Like an Italian Maigret.
The amount of wandering around and stopping for food or coffee is phenomenal.
Somehow it works. The novels are engrossing and addictive. Don't start unless you want to read 30 books. You won’t stop.

Helpful

jocf

Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017

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I've become quite the fan of Commissario Guido Brunetti, his family and his coworkers, so much so that I'm working my through the entire Donna Leon series. She paints such a wonderful, realistic picture of Venice, Italy that, even though it exposes it's underbelly, it still remains a place for me to see on my bucket list. Having previously seen several foreign-language movie version of Ms. Leon's Brunetti books, it's conveniently given me visual references on the characters and locale. The odd thing is that the tv movies were in German with English subtitles but the characters did look Italian enough to be believable. Go figure.

The earlier books are somewhat dated (Brunetti doesn't have a cell phone) but charmingly so. Crime is still crime, however, so the anachronisms are not too distracting. I highly recommend this series, especially for police procedural fans.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Roman Clodia

Brunetti - number 2

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2018

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The second of the long-running Brunetti series and here we see Leon introducing a more politicised element to her emotive story-telling: issues of the American army in Europe, of toxic waste and high-level cover-ups merge with more domestic scenes in Venice. Especially potent are the portraits of a Sicilian mother and her petty criminal son; and the ambiguous activities of Brunetti’s own father-in-law.

Offsetting the darker elements are scenes of comedy in Brunetti’s ongoing feud with Patta, his boss; and the wonderful warmth of his family life. Nuanced and atmospheric, this is crime writing lit up with wit, intelligence, subtlety and humanity.

4 people found this helpful

Marguerite

Love Brunetti, love his Venice, just not feeling the love for the plot

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2018

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I really like Brunetti, and I love the Venetian setting of these books. I love the politics that come into it, and the way the Venetian life-style is depicted - so very different from the tourist version. But I was a bit disappointed in this story. It contained all of the above, but it what it didn't really have at the centre of it was a murder mystery, sadly. My overall impression was that the author had a germ of an idea, but it simply wasn't enough to fill the book - hence my view that there was something missing, it felt kind of stretched out and at the same time I kept waiting on something else happening. On saying that, I read it quickly enough, and I'll be coming back for more of Brunetti. I just hope his next case is a bit more satisfying.

2 people found this helpful

ES in London

Excellent

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2022

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Evoking Venice on every page, this intriguing story had me well absorbed. The likeable Dottore Brunetti and his love of Italian food make for a highly entertaining hero tackling another mystery with his characteristic intelligence. Referencing the role of US forces in Italy as well as Mafia, corruption and the collapse of Italian politics, this novel covers a lot of ground and is a very good read.

Rachel

So excited

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 3, 2022

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I'm only on my second Commissario Brunetti book, and am totally hooked on the main characters and the intriguing setting of Venice. It's a place visited on my honeymoon, but then only seeing the historic side and the key art collections, there's so much more as I've gathered to the real life of Venice to see.
Looking forward to book 3, doesn't seen to be available
on kindle!?

Gs-trentham

A Book floating face-up in a murky genre

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 29, 2009

Verified Purchase

Impossible to demur from the comments of other reviewers here, except perhaps from Professor Mitchell's revelation of too much of the plot and his down-playing of the dénouement (so strongly felt that he seems to have published it twice).

Donna Leon's books quite simply inhabit Venice. Those of us who know it only superficially find it easy to recognise and by the end feel we understand the city and its customs and hidden corners a little better. If we have never dropped in at that little bar for a coffee and a brioche, we can be sure we will spot it next time and not pass by.

The crime, of course, is intriguing enough to keep the reader turning pages but the pleasure is the setting in which it is wrapped: the place and the people. Above all, the people. Commissario Brunetti has few rivals in detective fiction for the way in which his character emerges through myriad small details. The reader sees him at work and at home, with strengths and weaknesses in both, but they are indivisible halves of the same man. If one were the victim of a crime, one would be fortunate indeed to have Brunetti on the case.

The Commissario alone would guarantee Donna Leon's rightful place among the best of her peers, but there are other subtle virtues not to be overlooked. In passing, Death in a Strange Country airs thoughtful views on immigration, on corruption, and on polution of the planet. And all this with a beautifully understated sense of humour.

At one point, Paola Brunetti makes a risotto for her husband. "He took two forkfuls, sighed in appreciation, and continued to eat ... Paola saw that he had passed beyond the point of hunger and was eating for the pleasure of the act ..." Contemplating the long list of Donna Leon's other titles, one experiences a similar sensation.

10 people found this helpful

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