A book published in 2020

#PopSugarReadingChallenge2020

Occasionally, I read reviews from other readers of the Brunetti series--and frequently, they say things like 'time for Donna Leon to hang it up' or 'Leon has run out of ideas.' I haven't read the entire series (only 5 of 29) but the last two I read (also the last two she wrote) are really fantastic. The earlier books are simpler, perhaps. More cop-like. Bad people get found out and arrested and Brunetti doesn't spend as much time musing, on the pages, about human nature or good and evil.

There are plenty of series that do that, and only that: plot a crime, solve the crime (either with the lead character uncovering clues, or the reader knowing whodunit and watching the protagonist figure it out), a little epilogue of what happens to the bad guys--they're killed, they're jailed, they get away. There aren't many plot options in a police procedural. What makes the Brunetti series so delightful is what the reader imagines the completely Venetian approach to crime-solving to look like: working around ever-present corruption and political favors, going home every day for lunch and perhaps a siesta, the compact nature of the city and its residents.

There were several unique and beautifully written scenes in this book--the death of a young woman trying to reveal something important before she dies, the corruption of the private health care system ('you'd think we were America,' Brunetti remarks)--and the absolute entitlement of privileged men, who think the system works only for them. All of these lead to a crime--a murder--and a unique and vexing moral dilemma for Brunetti. There's a side plot (speaking of entitlement) that merely hints at another moral dilemma.

This is masterful plotting, augmented by masterful backstory (as Brunetti thinks of how his wife, Paola, says that men hate women). The summer heat (and the Venetian distrust of Arctic air-conditioning) is so prevalant that it's a character in the story. Leon's writing, as always, is intelligent. You cannot read a Leon book quickly or without re-reading some paragraphs, to collect the subtleties--the glance, the items of clothing, the kindness of a shopkeeper--that add to the story she's telling.

This was a good one. Recommended for those who like ambiguity.

I’ve read many of the Brunetti series, but generally out of order. I like Brunetti. He’s a reader and a thinker. He loves Venice, but isn’t fond of the heat and the tourists. He’s doesn’t approve of the corruption but realizes that to some extent it’s what makes Venice run.

In Trace Elements, Brunetti and Claudia Griffoni are called to the bedside of a dying woman. She tells them that her husband was killed because of the “bad money,” but dies before she can tell them more. With no real evidence of a crime, Brunetti and Griffoni start investigating, feeling they owe it to the dead woman. Their clues take them to a water testing lab where perhaps not everything is handled as it should be.

The plot was just complicated enough. Of course, we know that it was a murder, it always is in these books, and we know that with Brunetti’s perseverance and intuition, he and Griffoni will find the solution. But even when they know what happened, true justice is a bit trickier.

My favorite part of Trace Elements, like the rest of the series, is the characters. Brunetti and his wife, Paolo, have a wonderful relationship and I like the scenes of them at home resting or eating or talking. Signora Elettra is as awesome as always, clever and self-indulgent in a good way. Griffoni is relatively new to the series, but I like her so far.

I didn’t love the ending of Trace Elements, though. It was just too abrupt. Interestingly enough, I said the end of Beastly Things, #21, “left me a bit discombobulated.” And when talking about Through a Glass, Darkly, #15, I said “the end wasn’t resolved enough for me. I was left with a “that’s it?” feeling.” In the Girl of His Dreams, #17, the mysteries are “solved even if the resolutions aren’t entirely satisfying.” Maybe I just don’t like how she ends her books.

No és de les millors del Brunetti, però ha anat de menys a més fins al final, que sí que és un dels finals que poden tenir les investigacions del Brunetti. He trobat a faltar el poder i les converses més àmplies amb la Paola.

What does a decent person do when he lives in an increasingly poisonous environment—literally? The moral dilemma at the heart of this book affects all of us. It’s a good thing Brunetti has food, family, and reading to fall back on, or he would grow too cynical and the series too dark to bear. Instead, I come back to them with relief and gratitude.

Closer to 3.5, really. Enjoyable, with good characters.

"Are you a spiritual man, Commissario? ... I wasn't either, when I started working here. But if you work with death, you have to become spiritual, or you can't do it anymore" (Trace elements, p.85).

3.5 stars