The water is rising in one of the world's most beautiful cities. Dark, cold and contaminated, they engulf palazzos and storied statues. This is a beautiful city that is difficult to live in; this we learn from Commissario Brunetti in another mystery set in Venice. We also get a lesson in art forgeries, Chinese porcelains and the diversity of lifestyles of the international set.
Recently I reviewed an earlier Brunetti mystery. I was intrigued by the process of writing formula mysteries, as well as liking the book. Here the book takes precedence as I settle into the comfort of characters already known to me, who I like and who will only become better known.
The American-born Donna Leon, who now lives in Venice, provides yet another pleasant ride into danger with the good Commissario Brunetti on the trail of art forgers and collectors and in the company of a hostile lesbian opera star and her "significant other". (There lies a lame euphemism for lover or companion.) The inspector appears to have had previous relationships with them and tensions bounce off the walls as he begins to unravel both the mystery and a web of chicanery in the art world.
Throughout the mystery and the human drama we learn more about the life of Venice, of modern Italy and of the international art world. Italy may be even more corrupt than Mexico, difficult as that may be to accept. It is, however, the home of the Mafia, the Cosa Nostra. Violent battles have engulfed the country in its fight against organized crime. The facts, as Ms. Leon presents them, may also include (like Mexico) the widespread, cultural acceptance of corruption and crime as a part of the daily life of society. It is a level of corruption tacitly acceptable to the population that is difficult for others to understand. It is not, as in America, the dark sides of people who are the exceptions and whose actions may lead them to be found out by the forces of honesty and goodness (enter a Frank Capra movie or a western where the sheriff finally prevails over the bad guys).
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