Murder, Venetian Style

As intermission ends at Teatro la Fenice, the third gong strikes.  The opera goers return to their seats, eagerly awaiting the final act of La Traviata.  But the orchestra does not begin to play.  Suddenly, from behind the curtain, the artistic director steps out, announcing that Maestro Wellauer is unable to conduct, and the assistant director will finish the performance.  Wellauer will never conduct again.  The police are called, and when they arrive (by boat, as this is Venice), Commissario Guido Brunetti enters the dressing room and finds the body. Maestro Helmut Wellauer, the most famous conductor in Europe, lies contorted by the effect of cyanide in the coffee he'd begun to drink.  Who could have wanted the esteemed maestro dead?

In  Death at La Fenice, it's Brunetti's task to find out, and he's an expert at detection.  At first there appears to be no possible motive, but as the investigation deepens, an array of secrets, rivalries, and intrigue is uncovered.  Was it the assistant director, hoping to eliminate a rival?  Or the soprano, who's hiding a secret only Wellauer knew, that could destroy her career?   It couldn't be his young and beautiful wife, apparently devastated by his death.  And what about the rumors that Wellauer, a German, was a Nazi sympathizer during WWII, a strong motivation for revenge?

As Brunetti investigates, we meet a unique cast of characters:  his vain, insufferable boss, Vice Questore Patta; faded opera star Santina, now living in cruel poverty; his lovely wife Paola, a daughter of Venice's aristocracy.  We come to know his family, and savor the delectable extended meals they share at mid-day.  But the most distinctive character is Venice.  As Brunetti prowls the canals, calles, piazzas, and cafes of his native town, we acquaint ourselves with this ancient and mysterious floating city.

Donna Leon has woven together a fascinating tale that's sure to please lovers of opera, Italian life, and detective fiction. This is the first novel of the Guido Brunetti mysteries; her most recent installment, About Face, is 18th in the series.  Throughout these novels, Commissario Brunetti exposes the seamier side of life in Venice, battling corruption as he brings the truth to light.