Product Description

As Donna Leon’s many fans have come to expect, beloved Commissario Guido Brunetti once again finds himself pursuing a puzzling case his fellow policemen would rather leave closed. After a wealthy elderly woman is found brutally murdered in her apartment, the authorities suspect her maid. But when the maid meets an untimely end trying to escape from border police, and it appears that the money she carried may not have been stolen, Commissario Guido Brunetti decides—unofficially—to take the case on himself. Filled with Leon’s signature plot twists, Doctored Evidence is a terrific novel of suspense that is sure to delight loyal fans as well as attract new ones.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28377 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-03
• Released on: 2005-05-03
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

From AudioFile
Commissario Guido Brunetti faces a moral dilemma. Ambitious, arrogant Lieutenant Scarpa has closed a vicious murder case. However, Brunetti discovers that the chain of evidence is missing several important links. Scarpa's sloppy police work draws the masterful Brunetti into conflict with higher-ups, forcing him to employ some not-quite-legal methods to solve the case. David Colacci's performance adds color to Leon's intricate plot and fascinating characters. He is careful that Brunetti; his brilliant wife, Paola; the beautiful computer hacker, Signorina Elettra; and faithful Inspector Vianello speak with only the slightest hint of Italian accents, enough to locate the story but not enough to turn characters into caricature. Colacci's voice turns Leon's Venice alternately damp and nasty or suffuses it with a warmth and humanity that mirrors the story's swiftly shifting currents. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

The Baltimore Sun
Fans of Leon will not be disappointed. . . . She has crafted yet another expert mystery.

Review
Fans of Leon will not be disappointed. . . . She has crafted yet another expert mystery. (The Baltimore Sun) Deeply satisfying and often very funny. (The Miami Herald) A beautifully cadenced mystery . . . no one is more graceful and accomplished than Donna Leon. (The Washington Post)

Customer Reviews

In Search of the Seven Deadly Sins
Early in Doctored Evidence, Commissario Guido Brunetti asks his wife, Paola, about a book she is reading . . . a text on religion that has been assigned to their daughter, Chiara. They muse about the seven deadly sins and speculate about whether or not anyone takes those sins seriously any more. During his case, Brunetti assumes that only certain sins can be motive enough for murder. Is he right?

As the story opens, Signora Battestini has been bludgeoned to death by someone strong. She's an old lady who never leaves her apartment, but nothing has been taken. A missing housekeeper seems worth tracking down by Lieutenant Scarpa, one of Vice-Questore Patta's enforcers. In the process of arresting her, a terrible accident takes place. Scarpa and Patta are satisfied that the housekeeper is the killer, and the case goes dormant. Brunetti is away on vacation at the time.

All might have stayed that way, but a neighbor comes to report that the housekeeper is probably innocent. Scarpa tries to get rid of the neighbor, but Brunetti ends up involved. From there, the real investigation begins.

One of the most interesting parts of this story is when Dona Leon fills in some background by Signorina Elletra Zorzi and her seemingly magical ability to access records that shouldn't be available to her. You'll be astonished by the contrast between her personal scruples and her unscrupulous methods for gaining police information.

Brunetti also gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar after doing some illegal searching. How will he handle the potential for exposure and discipline?

The mystery in this book is pretty good. It will be some time before you'll be able to figure out who the murderer is and the motive. The ultimate explanation was credible and added to the pedestrian tone of dealing with the minor and major annoyances of life:

How should you persuade the neighbors to make less noise at night?

How can an exploited housekeeper with questionable papers protect herself from exploitation?

How should a threat to respectability be met?

How can endless official delays be overcome?

Take a ride on the #1 Vaporetto if it's not crowded and enjoy the sights and sounds of Venice (I wouldn't dare suggest you try to enjoy the odors of Venice).

A wonderfully enjoyable read
Reminiscent of Durrell's "sense of place," Leon's writing evokes Venice and its people with strong characterization, an obvious love of its food, weather, bureaucratic wrangles and rich dialogue. The plot is secondary to these thoroughly enjoyable features. There are two or three scenes where the Commissario interviews players in the evolving murder plot which are so carefully detailed that the reader feels he is seeing a movie. One does not have to worry about cardboard characters and implausible plots; Leon is a fine writer and a joy to read. "We'll always have Venice," by reading Donna Leon.

Great Start, But Then what.....?
Few people in Venice trust the cops who tend to be dense, crooked, and conniving. One exception is the compassionate, clever, and honest Commissario Guido Brunetti, Donna Leon's series detective. Venice is a city that thrives on gossip, corruption and petty politics. Brunetti calls Italy a loony bin.
A cranky, nasty old lady is found murdered in her apartment. Her maid is suspected because she takes flight and later while running from the police is killed under a rushing train. Case closed by his colleagues--but not by Brunetti who finds a witness to disprove the maid's guilt. The detective not only has to solve the case but fight off a superior and underlings looking for a quick solution.
This is not Donna Leon writing at the top of her form. It's a listless story that is a fairly long slog plodding to an ending that's a let-down. The story's pace is one that only a turtle would love. But I still like the series and especially Guido .
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