Blood from a Stone - Donna Leon

Background:

As many of you will know I have read and reviewed many novels by Donna Leon. When I saw this one the other day and realised I had not read it I had to purchase it. This author is one of my favourites, so I was really looking forward to it especially as the introduction to it sounded intriguing.


About the author:

Donna Leon is a very accomplished and successful international author. ...
...in America, she has travelled extensively and has made this city her home for the past 20 years. She has written 17 novels featuring Commissario Brunetti as the investigation officer; this is book 14 in the series.


Synopsis of the book:

The death of a Black African from Somali in the market square, while selling there brings Guido Brunetti into action. It is a few days before Christmas in Venice when the young ... more

Background:

As many of you will know I have read and reviewed many novels by Donna Leon. When I saw this one the other day and realised I had not read it I had to purchase it. This author is one of my favourites, so I was really looking forward to it especially as the introduction to it sounded intriguing.

About the author:

Donna Leon is a very accomplished and successful international author. She writes primarily about her favourite city Venice. Although born in America, she has travelled extensively and has made this city her home for the past 20 years. She has written 17 novels featuring Commissario Brunetti as the investigation officer; this is book 14 in the series.

Synopsis of the book:

The death of a Black African from Somali in the market square, while selling there brings Guido Brunetti into action. It is a few days before Christmas in Venice when the young man selling fake handbags is shot five times in a crowded market and instantly killed.

By the time Brunetti gets to the murder scene all that remains are the dead man and the Police. Both the witnesses and the fellow traders have fled. The witnesses are easy to trace being tourists but the traders will be harder to track down as they are mainly illegal emigrants who form an 'under class' within the city.

As Brunetti begins his investigation, his boss the Vice-Questore Patta tells him to drop his involvement in the case and that it will be followed up by another government agency. He is very disappointed as he feels he is slowly getting somewhere and he wants to know who and why this man was killed.

My thoughts on the book:

I have reviewed and enjoyed many of Donna Leon books in the past. However this one I did not enjoy very much and I was quite disappointed in it. For a Police investigation it had all the right elements but it never gelled together and left me feeling frustrated given the potential of the novel.

In the first place I felt misled. As on the front cover of the book it states winner of the CWA Silver Dagger, so I expected an excellent crime novel. However as I struggled on with it I doubted this, and consulted the web site which advised it was 'friends in high places' that won this award not this book.

So maybe my expectations where ridiculously high to start with. As I found this novel slow and hard going in contrast to most of her other books. There was still however the excellent writing standard with fantastic descriptions of Venice but the story was just not there for me.

Initially I read the brief description on the inside cover of the book and was very impressed by this. I felt sure I would enjoy this book, especially as immediately the author dealt with the death which was a great start for me. As a result I felt immediately into the story.

However that was for me as good as it got. I thought when the Commissario decided to go against orders and continue the investigation I would enjoy him breaking the rules. But when he did and he failed to collect evidence and was forced to rely on his friends and family for information I lost interest.

I felt the story was disjointed and very little was being achieved and there was a clear lack of direction in the investigation. For example it took the whole book for find the name of the murdered man and once the diamonds were discovered their origin.

It was also fitting in why this man was murdered was never satisfactorily resolved in my mind. It was clear it was a Professional job but why if he was involved in Arms purchasing was he selling fake garments in the market? It just didn't ring true and as such I sound it unbelievable and frustrating.

In retrospect I think the author was trying to share with us the issues affecting the Italian Police. Issues such as corruption, bureaucracy and who you know and how the Police try and get over and round these hurdles. Showing in Brunetti there is still a place for the honest Policeman with values in truth and family that he holds so dear.

The main character is Brunetti and as always he was superbly described in both his actions and his view on life. His persona is one I find easy to identity with and I enjoy the way he conducts his enquiries and his home life. This book demonstrated really well the problematic relationship he has with his manager and the results are several humorous conversations between them.

Brunetti is supported superbly in all Donna Leon novels by his family. They always play a key role in the novels, not always in the investigation but adding light relief, sometimes humour and sometimes ideas for Brunetti to ponder or a concern for a parent.

As always I enjoyed the author's descriptions of Venice. Over the books I have read I have become familiar and grown to like the sound of the place. Indeed, I am now planning to take a holiday there in December, which is amazing for a man who doesn't do holidays! Is I am intrigued by the place and I would like to learn more about it and its people.

For me the book went on far too long. I kept hoping in so doing that I would suddenly see the light and it would regain my interest but it never did. It was broken up nicely in regular chapters and regular interplay in the Brunetti household.

I suppose in this book Donna Leon was trying to be realistic about the way business is done in Italy. As a result the outcome of the investigation for me was disappointing but maybe she was just being honest and my expectations need to be addressed. As obviously not all Police investigations achieve a positive outcome some are never resolved.

Conclusion:

Overall this is a disappointing novel and I would not recommend it to Ciao members. There are many better novels this author has written. I felt the story was slow moving and nothing much was achieved by the investigating officer. You still have a clarity and quality of the authors descriptions of Venice to enjoy however.

Pages: 276
Publisher: William Heinemann
ISBN: 0-434-01299-8
Price: £5.49 (New paperback at Amazon)
About the author: www.donnaleon.co.uk

Thanks for reading this review.

This review is written on Ciao and Dooyoo under my name.

@CPTDANIELS January 2009 

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