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Book Review of Death and Judgment (Guido Brunetti, Bk 4)

Death and Judgment (Guido Brunetti, Bk 4)
jjares avatar reviewed on + 3413 more book reviews


This is a dark story about corruption and greed with an international angle. The story opens with a winter accident in which a truck veers off an icy road, causing the death of several young woman; these women have absolutely no identifying marks on their clothes or any id.

Guido Brunetti and his family act as counterbalance to the corruption swirling around the streets of Italy. This story would be too dark and depressing without hearing the minutiae of normal Italian family life. In conversation between the spouses, Guido agrees that he is trying to keep a crumbling dam operational but someone must try.

As a reader, I have to admire a man who loves his family, loves his job as a policeman and loves the city he calls home. However, Guido has no illusions about the Italian predators that prey on the weak and vulnerable. They tend to be powerful and wealthy; Guido still feels they must be answerable to the law. In this case, Brunetti is shocked by how far up the food chain these predators are.

Guido Brunetti
1. Death at La Fenice (1992)
2. Death in a Strange Country (1993)
3. The Anonymous Venetian (1994) aka Dressed for Death
4. A Venetian Reckoning (1995) aka Death and Judgment