Customer Reviews

Beastly Things: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

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"Beastly Things" is, I believe, the 21st novel in Donna Leon's long-running Commissario Guido Brunetti series set in contemporary Venice. In this installment, the body of a man is pulled from an out-of-the-way canal, but he is found to have been stabbed to death, not drowned by accident. There is no clue as to his identity except that he seems to have a strange bodily malformation, a very swollen chest and neck. This fact leads Brunetti to the man's identity; he was a veterinarian who also worked as an inspector at a slaughterhouse, inspecting the live animals to be certain that they're healthy and then inspecting samples of the resulting meat to make sure it's not contaminated. All is not as it seems at the abbatoir, however, and soon Brunetti finds himself questioning the very food he eats.... As always, it is a delight to enter Leon's Venice - having never been there, I have no idea if it's an accurate representation, but I love the way Brunetti and his colleagues and family go about their lives in this enchanted place that is so very familiar to them. And Brunetti remains one of the most thoughtful, philosophical even, detectives in all of modern detective literature; he, and the other main characters, are so finely drawn and such real, complex human beings that one hopes to visit Venice one day and have a prosecco with them all. I am sad that I received this book yesterday (as I write this) and finished it today, even though I tried very hard to draw out the reading experience; it means another year or so before a new novel in the series arrives to delight me all over again. Reading this book just may make the reader consider becoming a vegetarian (which I am not - at present), be warned that there are some graphic scenes of the work inside an abbatoir. Aside from that squeamishness, this book is highly, highly recommended.

"So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain;
It takes away the life of its owners." -- Proverbs 1:19 (NKJV)

Unlike many mystery writers, Donna Leon seems to be getting better and better in this series. Her glimpses behind the tourist sites into the venality of Venice reach a new height in Beastly Things. Do be prepared for ugliness of the sort that even crime novels don't often reach . . . that may upset you, her purpose, I'm sure.

Commissario Guido Brunetti leads a murder investigation into a dead man with an unusual disease who is found in the canals. It takes awhile to establish his identity, and the plot picks up steam from there. The ugliness connects to how human weakness leads to evil doing, even by the police as Brunetti and Vianello grow ever too comfortable with Signorina Elletra's illegal electronic ways. Perhaps no Brunetti novel better captures the moral message of what sin does to the perpetrators . . . and to those who come into contact with them.

What I liked best was the way Ms. Leon captured the venality of what crime often amounts to, a greedy desire to have more regardless of the consequences. If you have a queasy stomach, be prepared for a powerfully written description of what happens in some slaughterhouses. You may find yourself eating more vegetables.

Brava!

Excellent book. Worth reading. I really like this series.

If you are a sensitive person just be advised that there is a scene describing how farm animals are slaughtered but you can skipped that scene and not worry about missing anything.

First Sentence: A man lay still, as still as a piece of meat on a slab, as still as death itself.

It starts with a body found in a canal; stabbed to death, no wallet and wearing only one shoe. His physical structure should make him fairly easy to identify, and does. A man who loves animals and is separated from his wife who seems not to particularly care that her husband is dead. But it is the man's secondary profession which raises questions, not only about the murder, but about the politics and ethics of being Italian.

Let's start with the fact that I love the map on the inside covers. Maps are wonderful things. They accentuate the sense of place and allow you to 'walk' with the characters.

Now let's talk about Leon and how wonderful is her style and voice. 'If a man who always lies tells someone he is a liar, is he telling the truth? If no one is alive in a room, is the room empty?' it is not only Leon's narrative that is compelling, but her dialogue, which has a natural flow and intelligence particularly, in this book between Brunetti and Signorina Elettra, one of the most intriguing character currently being written. Brunetti is a true Venetian. He loves his city, his family and his food. He doesn't understand how people can stand living where they need cars. He recognizes the pervasive dishonesty in the ways things are done, even in himself.

Usually, the descriptions of food usually leave the reader hungry. However, in this book rather than compelling you to the kitchen, it could forever change what you eat. There is an extensive scene which may leave readers extremely uncomfortable, however, it is factual and shows how easily greed can dominate ethics.

The story is, as always, extremely well written. Because of the focus on social issues, which were interesting and important, I did feel the plot taking an occasional second seat.

'Beastly Things' is not my favorite of Leon's books, but saying it was very good, is comparable to lesser authors being excellent. I did appreciate that, in this book, justice is served.

BEASTLY THINGS (Pol. Proc-Comm. Guido Brunetti-Venice, Italy-Contemp) ' VG
Leon, Donna ' 21st in series
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2012

Beastly Things, to my mind, is one of Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti's best, most thoughtful outings. It describes human fallibility with compassion, as it continues to develop its well-defined base of characters. The final, funeral scene was especially fine.

Book 21 in the Commissario Brunetti series

The appeal in this series has been the leisurely approach Commissiario Brunnetti has in solving crimes, it was refreshing to see him pick up the pace and exert himself with a lot more hands on action this time. The structure has not change a whole lot, we still experience Venice through the eyes of Brunetti and of course his wonderful family and their customs always play an important part in the staging of the mystery. This novel explores the dark side of Italy’s meat industry and covers the widespread corruption that drives it.

The mystery opens when a body of a man is discovered in a canal without any usual source of identification on him. It is his distinct medical condition that enables Brunetti and his team to eventually identify him. He is a veterinarian, separated from his wife and known to moonlight at times at a slaughterhouse. With the help of the devious Signorina Elettra, a hardened hacker, the team finds themselves slowly infiltrating the world of veterinarians and abattoirs. They soon realize there is an organised criminal side driven by human greed that may have something to do with the murder.

After reading this novel you may think twice about the food you eat and may even turn you into a vegetarian. As a counterbalance, the author adds her usual colour to the story by describing Brunetti’s leisurely lunches prepared for him by his lovely wife, pastries and pasta seems to be an Italian favourite. Ms. Leon’s characters are well developed and very believable and her plot doesn't shy away from dealing with social issues. The story is atmospheric and develops into a complex intertwining of relationships, betrayal and corrupt practices. I enjoyed the guesswork including the gruesome descriptions that came across in some of the chapters.

This is another captivating tale with Italy as a backdrop, the author’s speciality.