Transient Desires: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery
By Donna Leon
(272 pages, mystery, 2021)
Two young American women are badly injured and left on the loading dock of a hospital in Venice. Luckily, a hospital worker finds them fairly quickly. But one of them is seriously injured and in a coma. The women had been joyriding on a fast boat with two young Italian fellows, men that they met that night. What happened to the girls, and why were they just dropped off? Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleague Claudia Griffoni look into the case. As they investigate Guido learns more about Claudia and her background. From another source, Guido learns that there is something sinister going on with transport boats at night in the Laguna. And one of the young men works for his uncle, who owns the transport boats. Guido calls some old friends and gets more information in his own distinctive way. He is faced with a particularly monstrous crime, one that will take all of his skill, and the cooperation of others, to thwart. In this mystery we get to see more of Guido’s family, his wife and two teenagers and their daily life. As always, Venice plays an important part in this story.
This is the latest (number 30!) in a long series. But you can read it as a standalone. If you want a compassionate, learned, multi-faceted detective, complemented by intriguing characters, a complex puzzle to unravel, and the exotic setting of Venice, you’ll enjoy these mysteries.
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Robbin Bailey
