This is the
first of the Commissario Guido Brunetti series.
Some friends have recommended it; others have dismissed it as
mediocre. I decided to give it a try
because it is set in Venice, a city I love.
A world-famous
opera conductor, Helmut Wellauer, dies at a Venetian opera house after drinking
coffee laced with cyanide. Brunetti is in
charge of the investigation and begins interviewing everyone who might have
means and motive. Could Wellauer’s
much-younger wife be guilty? Could it be
a singer or musician offended or threatened by Wellauer’s homophobia? Very quickly, Brunetti decides that the
answer will be found in the conductor’s past and delves deeper into his
background.
Brunetti is
a likeable detective. He is a refreshing
change from the many emotionally damaged detectives I’ve encountered in the
mystery genre. He is a family man with
an independent but supportive wife and two children with normal teenage
problems. His approach to investigations
is very laid back; like the canals in Venice, he meanders. At the
end, he has a moral dilemma and it is his handling of it that will raise him in
most readers’ esteem.
The mystery
itself is not the most complex. I
guessed almost immediately who killed the conductor; only the motive remains
unclear until later. Some aspects seem
dated (a character is blackmailed because of sexual orientation), but the book
was written over a quarter of a century ago when attitudes were different.
It is not a
fast-paced narrative. There were some
scenes which could have been eliminated or at least shortened. For instance, Brunetti spends an evening
playing a board game with his family.
Yes, the episode shows Brunetti’s relationship with his wife and
children, but it is not necessary to describe the moves the family members make
while playing the game.
Two aspects
I enjoyed are the descriptions of Venice and the touches of humour. Anyone who has visited Venice will end up
feeling like they are re-visiting the city because of the depictions of the
canals, streets and buildings. Much of the
humour comes from Brunetti’s interactions with his arrogant superior, Giuseppe
Patta, though I also loved the restaurant scene featuring “Signora Antonia, the
Junoesque waitress who reigned supreme” at an expensive restaurant and decides
what Brunetti and his guest want to eat.
This is a
quick, light read perfect for the beach or when travelling. I’m not going to rush to read the 26 other
books in the series though I will probably pick up another one or two in the
future. I understand that there is a
German television series based on the books and I will see if I can view
episodes of it.
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