Death in a Strange Country - Donna Leon

When the body of an American soldier is found in a canal, the police initially presume that he was part of a robbery gone wrong. Commissario Brunetti, however, is not convinced. When he meets the soldier's boss, the attractive Doctor Peters, he realises that there is more than meets the eye; this realisation is strengthened when Doctor Peters herself is found dead. However, an investigation seems to lead to a dead end, so Brunetti busies himself on another case; the burglary of some famous paintings, which again, seems more complicated than the average crime. With his important contacts, can Brunetti get to the bottom of both puzzles? Or is corruption in Venetian society ...  Read the complete review

Commissario Guido Brunetti is woken early one morning and summoned to the scene of a mysterious death; the body of a young man has been found floating in a canal, apparently dead from a severe stab wound. The victim is soon identified as an American public health inspector based at a military base in Vicenza but Brunetti's boss is reluctant to let the Commissario travel to the base to make enquiries; he would rather ascribe the death to a drugs related crime because he fears that to do otherwise might have implications for the tourist industry in Venice. Principled Brunetti, however, isn't willing to accept that and sets off to Vicenza to make some enquiries. ...  Read the complete review