Named a Most Anticipated Mystery of 2018 by Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, “The Temptation of Forgiveness” is the 27th novel in Donna Leon’s bestselling mystery series. Police commissioner Guido Brunetti, and his fellow Commissario, Claudia Griffoni, investigate a suspicious accident and unintentionally disturb a longstanding and long-hidden scam. Brunetti, an accomplished inspector, and much beloved by mystery readers, moves through Venice with a practiced air, even while becoming frustrated by false leads. The myriad social interactions provide the key to solving the mysteries of who is leaking information from the Questura and how professoressa Elisa Crosera’s son was implicated in the drug traffic at his expensive private school. As usual, Donna Leon masterfully recreates Brunetti’s hometown, populating the streets with shop owners and craftspeople whose existence make up the very fabric holding the local side of Venice together. Fans of Donna Leon will be more than happy to take off with her again, spend time with Brunetti, and soak up the sights and sounds and tastes of Italy. Marilyn Stasio, in the New York Times Book Review, said “Donna Leon’s Venetian mysteries never disappoint, calling up the romantic sights and sounds of La Serenissima even as they acquaint us with the practical matters that concern the city’s residents.”
— Reviewed by Jenny Lyons of The Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury.
 
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