Aquest llibre no s'ha d'agafar com a thriller o novel•la policíaca. Més aviat és un trocet de la vida del Commissario Brunetti, que curiosament involucra casos policials. És interessant que, tot i que no m'ha agradat la trama, la manera com escriu Donna Leon m'ha tingut molt distreta. Potser en el futur llunyà torno a llegir-la, però no tinc pressa.

The main character in this book is the hot Venetian summer. There isn't much of a plot, but the usual cast of characters worked its magic on me. I looked back over the past few books in the series and my reviews are lukewarm, but I can't stop reading this series - Brunetti, his family and his coworkers are too compelling!

I read an advance reader copy via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. I’ve loved the Brunetti books, so jumped at the chance to read the latest one early. Many of the things fans love, are back again. I agree with others in that it takes a while to even discover if a crime has been committed. And there’s maybe a little too much time dwelling on the hot weather and tourists - labouring the point somewhat. But it’s otherwise a decent instalment in a long running series.

Each Commissario Brunetti adventure is like reuniting with an old friend. Through the years, readers have been able to get to know Guido Brunetti, his thought process, his family, and his beloved Venice. Each investigation reveals more of his personality and his city, through the marvelous writing an dbeautirul descriptions of art, architechture, food, people, and, of course, crimes. Delightful addition to this beloved series.

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Trace Elements is the 29th (!!!) Guido Brunetti mystery by Donna Leon. Released 10th March 2020 by Grove Atlantic on their Atlantic Monthly Press imprint, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

For fans of the series, the author, her style, the characters, and the settings need no introduction. For readers unfamiliar with the author who are looking for a solid series (and I mean -the entire series- there's not a clunker in the lot), this could definitely be the answer. This is a gently paced book with perfectly delineated characters who are well drawn and acting true to nature. They breathe and feel and Ms. Leon manages to imbue them with 3 dimensions without ever once abusing the reader's trust. The dialogue is well rendered and believable. There is humor, pathos, humanity, and decency, if not always justice in the strictest sense. Although it's one of a series (and I heartily recommend reading them all), it works perfectly well as a standalone.

The author doesn't shy away from shining a light on the seedier side of the government infrastructure along with the 'realpolitik' involved in the interoffice shuffling of inconvenient media problems as well as juggling privacy and data protection laws to mostly stay on the right side the law while still managing to solve crimes. Commisario Brunetti and his colleagues and family are so well written that it's always a delight to catch up and 'visit' them. I like it very much that Brunetti has a healthy family life and that he's a reader himself. There are small literary asides peppered throughout the book which show his humanity and intelligence and in a way, his love and appreciation for his wife, who is a professor of literature.

Leon is a capable and gifted storyteller, writing in top form and providing pure delightful high quality entertainment. This is a warm and well written mystery procedural. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.