Donna Leon - Death and Judgment a.k.a. A Venetian Reckoning (Commissario Brunetti 4)

Praise for Donna Leon's CommissarioBrunetti Mysteries

"In this stunning novel, thefourteenth to feature the dogged, intuitive Venetian police detective GuidoBrunetti, Leon combines an engrossing, complex plot with an indictment of thecorruption endemic to Italian society.... Many of Leon's favorite charactersappear.... They balance this dark, cynical tale of widespread secrecy, violenceand corruption."

Publishers Weekly (starredreview)

"Commissario Guido Brunetti'sfourteenth case may be his best yetnot that he'd see it that way himself.... Leon's most adroit balance of teasing mystery, Brunetti's droll battles withhis coworkers and higher-ups, and intimations of something far deeper anddarker behind the curtain."

Kirkus Reviews (starredreview)

"The appeal of Guido Brunetti,the hero of Donna Leon's long-running Venetian crime series, comes not from hisshrewdness, though he is plenty shrewd, nor from his quick wit. It comes,instead, from his role as an everyman ... Not so different from our own days at the office or nights around the dinnertable. Crime fiction for those willing to grapple with, rather than escape, theuncertainties of daily life."

Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)

"The evocative Venetian settingand the warmth and humanity of the Brunetti family add considerable pleasure tothis nu-anced, intelligent mystery; another winner from the Venice-based Leon.Highly recommended."

Michele Laber, LibraryJournal (starred review)

"Another of her fabulous Italianmysteries... She has her finger on the pulse." Bookseller

"Gives the reader a feel forlife in Venice.... The story is filled
with the average citizen's cynicism, knowledge of corruption,
and deep distrust and fear of government and police. Characters are brilliantlyportrayed. Even bit players become real and
individual and Brunetti and his family are multifaceted and
layered." Sally Fellows, MysteryNews

"In her classy, literate,atmospheric Commissario Guido
Brunetti series, Donna Leon takes readers ... to a Venice that
tourists rarely see." BookPage

"Brunetti ... is the most humane sleuth since Georges
Simenon's Inspector Maigret. ... Heis a decent man [who
achieves] a quiet heroism." PhiladelphiaInquirer

"If you're heading to Venice,take along a few of [Leon's] books to use for both entertainment and travel directions."

Tlte Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A beautifully cadenced mystery ... no one is more graceful
and accomplished than Leon." TheWashington Post

"Smuggling, sexual betrayal,high-class fakery and, of course, Mafia money make for a rich brew.... Exacdythe right cop for the right city. Long may he walk, or wade, through it"

Sarah Dunant, author of TheBirth of Venus

"Leon's books shimmer in thegrace of their setting and are warmed by the charm of their characters."

The New York Times Book Review

"Superb ... An outstanding book, deserving of the widest audiencepossible, a chance for American readers to again experience a masterpractitioner's art."

Publishers Weekly (starredreview)

"Richly atmospheric, Leonintroduces you to the Venice insid
ers know." Ellen Hale, USA Today

"A new Donna Leon book about. .. Brunetti is ready for our immediatepleasure. She uses the relatively small and crime-free canvas of Venice forriffs about Italian life, sexual styles, and best of allthe kind of ingrownbusiness and political corruption that seem to lurk just below thesurface."

Dick Adler, ChicagoTribune

"Uniform Justice isa neat balancing act. Its silken prose and considerable charm almost concealits underlying anger; it is an
unlovely story set in the loveliest of cities Donna Leon is in
deed sophisticated." Patrick Anderson, TheWashington Post

"There's atmosphere aplenty in UniformJustice. ... Brunetti is a compelling character, a good man trying to stay on the honestpath in a devious and twisted world." TheBaltimore Sun

"Venice provides a beautifullyrendered backdrop for this oper
atic story of fathers and sons, and Leon's writing trembles with
true feeling." TheStar-Tribune (Minneapolis)

"One of the best internationalcrime writers is Donna Leon, and her Commissario Guido Brunetti tales set inVenice are at the apex of continental thrillers.... The author has written apitch-perfect tale where all the characters are three-dimensional, breathingentities, and the lives they live, while by turns sweet and horrific, arealways believable. Let Leon be your travel agent and tour guide to Venice. It'san unforgettable trip."

Rocky Mountain News

"Events are powered by Leon'scompelling portraits."

The Oregonian (Portland)

"The plot is silky and complex,and the main appeal is the pro
tagonist, Brunetti." The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Leon, a wonderfully literatewriter, sets forth her plot clearly
and succinctly. ... The ending of UniformJustice is not a neat
wrap-up of the case with justice prevailing. It is rather the end
ing that one would expect in real life. Leon says that 'the murder mystery is acraft, not an art,' but I say that murder mystery
in her hands is an art." The RoanokeTimes

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Leon, who was born in NewJersey, has lived in Venice for many years and previously lived in Switzerland,Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China, where she worked as a teacher. Her othermysteries featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti include ANoble Radiance, Uniform Justice, Acqua Alto,.Death in a Strange Country, Blood froma Stone, and Dressedfor Death, all available from Penguin.

DONNA LEON

DEATH AND JUDGMENT

A PENGUIN GROVE PRESS BOOK

penguin books

Published by the Penguin GroupPenguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. U.S.A.Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario. CanadaM4P 2Y3 (a division of Penon Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Boob Ltd, 80 Strand,London WC2R ORL, England Penguin Ireland. 25 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2.Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd) Penguin Group (AustraSa), 250Camberwdl Road, CambcrweU, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of PearsonAustralia Group Pty Ltd) Penguin Book India Pvt Ltd, 11 Community Centre.Panchsheel Park. New Delhi - 110 017. India Penguin Group (NZ), Airborne andRosedale Roads, Albany, Auckland 1310, New Zealand (a division of Pearson NewZealand Ltd) Penguin Boob (South Africa) (Pty) Ltd, 24 Sturdee Avenue,Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Book Ltd, Registered Offices:80 Strand, London WC2R ORL. England

First published in the United Sum of America by HarperCollins Publishers 1995Reprinted by arrangement with GroveAtlantic. Inc. Published in Penguin Boob2006

13579 8642

Copyright Donna Leon. 1995 AO rights reserved

ISBN 0 14 30.3582 7 CIPdata available

publisher's note

This is a work of fiction. Names,characters, places, and incidents either arc the product of the author'simagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirelycoincidental

Printed in the United States ofAmerica

Except in the United States ofAmerica, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by wayof trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulatedwithout the publisher's prior consent m any form of binding or cover other thanthat in which it is published and without a similar condition including thiscondition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

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