Donna Leon - Through a Glass, Darkly (Commissario Brunetti 15)

Praise for Donna Leon's

Internationally Bestselling

COMMISSARIO GUIDO BRUNETTI

Mysteries

"The appeal of Guido Brunetti, thehero 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 atthe office or nights around the dinner table. Crime fiction for those willingto grapple with, rather than escape, the uncertainties of daily life." Bill Ott, Booklist (starred review)

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

Michele Laber, Library Journal (starredreview)

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

"Gives the reader a feel for life inVenice.... The story is filled with the average citizen's cynicism,knowledge of corruption, and deep distrust and fear of government and police.Characters are brilliantly portrayed. Even bit players become real andindividual and Brunetti and his family are multifaceted and layered." Sally Fellows, Mystery News

"The sophisticated but still moralBrunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a worthycustodian of timeless values and verities." The Wall Street Journal

"In her classy, literate, atmosphericCommissario Guido Brunetti series, Donna Leon takes readers ... to a Venicethat tourists rarely see." Bookpage

"Brunetti ... is the most humanesleuth since Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret... he is a decent man [whoachieves] a quiet heroism." The PhiladelphiaInquirer

"If you're heading to Venice, takealong a few of [Leon's] books to use for both entertainment and traveldirections."

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"[Brunetti's] humane police work isdisarming, and his ambles through the city are a delight."

Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times BookReview

"A beautifullycadenced mystery ... no one is more graceful and accomplished thanLeon." The Washington Post

"Smuggling, sexual betrayal,high-class fakery and, of course, Mafia money make for a rich brew.... Exactlythe right cop for the right city. Long may he walk, or wade, throughit." Sarah Dunant, author of The Birth ofVenus

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

The New York Times Book Review

"Superb ... An outstanding book,deserving of the widest audience possible, a chance for American readers toagain experience a master practitioner's art."

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Richly atmospheric, Leon introducesyou to the Venice insiders know." Ellen Hale, USA Today

"A newDonna Leon book about... Brunetti is ready for our immediate pleasure. She usesthe relatively small and crime-free canvas of Venice for riffs about Italianlife, sexual styles, and best of allthe kind of ingrownbusiness and political corruption that seems to lurk just below the surface." Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune

"Uniform Justice is a neat balancing act. Its silken prose and considerable charmalmost conceal its underlying anger; it is an unlovely story set in theloveliest of cities.... Donna Leon is indeed sophisticated."

Patrick Anderson, The Washington Post

"There's atmosphere aplenty in UniformJustice.... Brunetti is a compelling character, a good man trying to stayon the honest path in a devious and twisted world."

The Baltimore Sun

"Venice provides a beautifullyrendered backdrop for this operatic story of fathers and sons, and Leon'swriting trembles with true feeling." TheMinneapolis Star-Tribune

"One of the best international crimewriters is Donna Leon, and her Commissario Guido Brunetti tales set in Veniceare 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 Nexvs

"Events are powered by Leon'scompelling portraits."

The Oregonian (Portland)

"The plot is silky and complex, andthe main appeal is the protagonist, Brunetti." TheCleveland Plain Dealer

"Leon, a wonderfully literate writer,sets forth her plot clearly and succinctly.... The ending of UniformJustice is not a neat wrap-up of the case with justice prevailing. It israther the ending that one would expect in real life. Leon says that 'themurder mystery is a craft, not an art,' but I say that murder mystery in herhands is an art."

The Roanoke Times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Leon, who was born in New Jersey, haslived in Venice for many years and previously lived in Switzerland, SaudiArabia, Iran, and China, where she worked as a teacher. Her other mysteriesfeaturing Commissario Guido Brunetti include A Noble Radiance, Uniform Justice, Acqua Alta, Deathin a Strange Country, Blood from a Stone, Dressed for Death, and Death andJudgment, all available from Penguin.

Donna Leon

Through a Glass,Darkly

A PenguinGrove Press Book

PENGUIN BOOKS

Published by thePenguin Group

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Penguin Books Ltd,Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published inGreat Britain by William Heinemann, The Random House Group

Limited 2006

First published inthe United States of America by Atlantic Monthly Press, an imprint of

GroveAtlantic,Inc. 2006

Reprinted byarrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc.

Published inPenguin Books 2007

13579 10 8642

Copyright Donna Leon and Diogenes Verlag AG Zurich,2006 All rights reserved

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work offiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of theauthor's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actualpersons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales isentirely coincidental.

THE LIBRARY OFCONGRESS HAS CATALOGED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS FOLLOWS;

Leon, Donna.

Through a glass,darkly Donna Leon.

p. cm.

ISBN 0-87113-937-5(he.)

ISBN978-0-14-303806-1 (pbk.)

1. Brunetti, Guido(Fictitious character) Fiction. 2. PoliceItalyVeniceFiction.

3. Murano (Italy) Fiction. 4. WatchmenCrimes againstFiction.

5. Businessmen Fiction. 6. EnvironmentalistsFiction. 7. WaterPollution

Italy Venice, Lagoon ofFiction. I. Title.

PS3562.E534T49 2006

813'.54 dc22 2005058859

Printed in theUnited States of America

Except in theUnited States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that itshall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, orotherwise circulated without the publisher's prior consent in any form ofbinding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similarcondition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.