

About Face
Author: Donna Leon
Narrator: David Colacci
Unabridged: 9 hr 40 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 04/03/2009
Author: Donna Leon
Narrator: David Colacci
Unabridged: 9 hr 40 min
Format: Digital Audiobook Download
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: 04/03/2009
American author, Donna Leon, has settled nicely into a series of crime novels set in Venice, Italy entitled, Brunettixote. The novels feature the fictional character of Commissario Guido Brunetti.
Leon was born in 1942, and eventually lived in Venice, Italy for over 30 years. She was an English literature lecturer for the University of Maryland in Europe (Italy), and worked on a military base in Italy for several years, before she became a full time writer. She moved to Zurich, Switzerland, and also had a home in a smaller Swiss village.
The novels have been translated from English into several foreign languages, but for some reason the author did not approve them being translated into Italian. German television has shown 22 Commissario Brunetti episodes that they produced for broadcast.
In this 18th book in the 'Commissario Brunetti' series, the detective investigates two murders. The story can be read as a standalone with regard to the mystery, but readers familiar with the characters will enjoy it more. ***** Police Commissario Guido Brunetti and his wife Paola have been invited to......more
I am a big fan of Comissario Brunetti and I enjoyed reading this book but the ending was so stupid it ruined the whole thing for me. Stop reading if you don't want to know the end... The woman who was the central character was a victim of medical malpractice and had to have extensive facial reconstr......more
Anyone who follows my reviews will know that I am a fan of Donna Leon and love her characters. Emphasis on character. If you want action you will be bored. On the other hand if you enjoy character development with occasional lapses into discussion of Cicero and Ovid, not to mention Henry James, and......more
A carabinieri from another jurisdiction visits Venice. He wants some help with perhaps identifying a murder suspect who investigation has discovered makes contact from Venice. That murder involves trucking of garbage, and probably not actual garbage, but hazardous materials. I know I'm not up on the......more
“The details of home-cooked meals and family arguments, alongside a never-ending flow of crime, add a depth to Leon’s stories and are what makes her characters so believable and, in turn, her books so readable.” Independent (London)
“Despite the strong projection of his voice, Colacci can still shift his tone with his vocal characters to convey two people talking in confidence. His interpretation of Leon’s book proves an excellent example of how a narrator can improve the actual story.” Publishers Weekly (starred review), audio review
“With her eighteenth stellar entry in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Leon continues to live up to the increasingly high standards set by each novel.” Library Journal
“Brunetti tackles environmental malfeasance as he does all the other kinds of rampant governmental corruption he encounters, recognizing that full-frontal assaults are never won by individuals against institutions. Instead, he chips away at the edges of the monolith, carving shreds of hope from seeming hopelessness. No wonder we find him such a comforting presence.” Booklist