Kathy N. (addicated-to-reading) reviewed The Waters of Eternal Youth (Guido Brunetti, Bk 25) on + 150 more book reviews
Love this series and this was another very well written entry. The characters continue to be developed, I especially liked the continuation of his mother-in-law. If you want to start reading this series begin with the first book and read them in order. Highly recommend.
LecClier K. (SierraK) -
I can't believe this is the 25th Guido Brunetti book! This one was a lovely read, with Commissario Brunetti investigating whether the near-drowning of a young girl was an accident or was actually a crime. The girl was rescued by an alcoholic but suffered some brain damage and ended up with the mental capacity of a child.
I really enjoyed the mixture of Venetian atmosphere with the crime investigation. I especially enjoyed the character of Claudia Griffoni, a young officer just transferred to Venice from Naples.
I really enjoyed the mixture of Venetian atmosphere with the crime investigation. I especially enjoyed the character of Claudia Griffoni, a young officer just transferred to Venice from Naples.
I had added this book to my paperbackswap.com wish list after seeing that it was on someone else's list of good books. When I received the book, I saw that it was book 25 of a series featuring "Commissario Guideo Brunetti." I never heard of this author or this series.
I've read several of Louise Penney's books set in Canada and whose main character is Inspector Gamache. This book had somewhat the same type of protagonist--a decent man, a sweet wife, a couple kids, interesting surroundings.
The plot seemed rather thin, the writing simplistic, and there seemed to be a lot of "filler" (conversations that added nothing to the storyline or atmosphere).
There were a couple of times where the police seemed to be careless. For example, after Guido discovered that Cavanis was dead, he called the police to have a CSI team to come. He then left Cavanis' apartment to wait outside for the CSI team. In another instance, he picked up a discarded item that Guido thought could possibly have fingerprints or DNA on it. He was on his way to the Contessa's house. Upon arrival, he called the police station to have someone pick it up there.
Guido then handed the item to the maid to leave inside the front door until the officer came. I'm not a police officer but have a two-year degree in law enforcement as well as additional training. Once a crime scene is discovered, it's secured until CSI is done processing it--it's not left unattended. Ditto with evidence--there's a chain of custody and an officer wouldn't hand evidence off to a maid. I told myself that the story is set in Italy so maybe the police there don't follow the same protocols.
Some of the Amazon reviews (1- and 2-star) for this book stated this book wasn't Leon's best work. Perhaps not but I'm not planning on reading any of her other books.
I've read several of Louise Penney's books set in Canada and whose main character is Inspector Gamache. This book had somewhat the same type of protagonist--a decent man, a sweet wife, a couple kids, interesting surroundings.
The plot seemed rather thin, the writing simplistic, and there seemed to be a lot of "filler" (conversations that added nothing to the storyline or atmosphere).
There were a couple of times where the police seemed to be careless. For example, after Guido discovered that Cavanis was dead, he called the police to have a CSI team to come. He then left Cavanis' apartment to wait outside for the CSI team. In another instance, he picked up a discarded item that Guido thought could possibly have fingerprints or DNA on it. He was on his way to the Contessa's house. Upon arrival, he called the police station to have someone pick it up there.
Guido then handed the item to the maid to leave inside the front door until the officer came. I'm not a police officer but have a two-year degree in law enforcement as well as additional training. Once a crime scene is discovered, it's secured until CSI is done processing it--it's not left unattended. Ditto with evidence--there's a chain of custody and an officer wouldn't hand evidence off to a maid. I told myself that the story is set in Italy so maybe the police there don't follow the same protocols.
Some of the Amazon reviews (1- and 2-star) for this book stated this book wasn't Leon's best work. Perhaps not but I'm not planning on reading any of her other books.
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed The Waters of Eternal Youth (Guido Brunetti, Bk 25) on + 1438 more book reviews
Fifteen years ago fifteen year old Manuella was rescued from a canal in Venice. Her near drowning was termed as a suicide attempt. Her brain, starved of oxygen, left her at the mental age of seven. Now Commissario Guido Brunetti has been asked to take a close look at the incident by her aging grandmother, a friend of his mother. She believers there is more to the story. Could he reopen the case?
The man who rescued her stated that he saw someone push her. A well known drunk, no one believed him. And, of course, Brunetti is not sure what can be learned so many years later but as he begins investigating, the case becomes more interesting and he finds he quite likes the young woman. Days go by, clues are few and whatever witnesses there might have been are gone. While it seems an impossible task, the murder of the rescuer proves the man's undoing.
Brunetti is not just a policeman but also a husband and father which helps the reader believe in him and his work. Several interesting characters enliven the tale including Paola, his lively and intelligent soulmate, and coworkers Signorina Elettra Vianello, Patta and Scarpa. Interchanges among them all add so much to the story. A clever tale, the author carefully leads the reader through the investigation. It's a good read!
The man who rescued her stated that he saw someone push her. A well known drunk, no one believed him. And, of course, Brunetti is not sure what can be learned so many years later but as he begins investigating, the case becomes more interesting and he finds he quite likes the young woman. Days go by, clues are few and whatever witnesses there might have been are gone. While it seems an impossible task, the murder of the rescuer proves the man's undoing.
Brunetti is not just a policeman but also a husband and father which helps the reader believe in him and his work. Several interesting characters enliven the tale including Paola, his lively and intelligent soulmate, and coworkers Signorina Elettra Vianello, Patta and Scarpa. Interchanges among them all add so much to the story. A clever tale, the author carefully leads the reader through the investigation. It's a good read!
