About the Book
"Leon . . . is so generous with the humanizing details that make this series special. There are long walks in Brunetti's warm company and lively talks with his clever wife and even more engaging father-in-law, who can see the appetites of a modern consumer reflected in a 17th-century portrait. As detective work goes, it's a tiny masterpiece of analysis."--Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
Donna Leon's eighteen novels have won her countless fans, heaps of critical acclaim, and a place among the top ranks of international crime writers. Through the warm-hearted, perceptive, and principled Commissario Guido Brunetti, Leon's best-selling books have explored Venice in all its aspects: history and tourism, high culture and the changing seasons, food and family, but also violent crime and political corruption.
In About Face, her latest mystery, Leon returns to one of her signature subjects: the environment, which has reached a crisis in Italy in recent years. Incinerators across the south of Italy are at full capacity, burning who-knows-what and releasing unacceptable levels of dangerous air pollutants, while in Naples, enormous garbage piles grow in the streets. In Venice, with the polluted waters of the canals and a major chemical complex across the lagoon, the issue is never far from the fore.
Environmental concerns become significant in Brunetti's work when an investigator from the Carabiniere, looking into the illegal hauling of garbage, asks for a favor. But the investigator is not the only one with a special request. His father-in-law needs help and a mysterious woman comes into the picture. Brunetti soon finds himself in the middle of an investigation into murder and corruption more dangerous than anything he's seen before.
Donna Leon's readership has significantly expanded with her recent books, including 2008's The Girl of His Dreams, her most successful hardcover yet. Coupled with a major marketing campaign for new trade paperback editions of key backlist titles from Penguin and audiobooks from BBC America Audio, About Face, an exceptional addition to the series, is sure to take her sales to new heights.
About the Author :
Donna Leon is the author of the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Donna Leon lived in Venice for many years and now divides her time between Venice and Switzerland.
Review :
Praise for Donna Leon and the Commissario Guido Brunetti Series:
"The eighteenth novel starring Guido Brunetti, from . . . the undisputed crime fiction queen . . . [whose] ability to capture the city's social scene and internal politics is first-rate." --Sarah Weinman, The Baltimore Sun
"With her 18th stellar entry in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series, Leon continues to live up to the increasingly high standards set by each novel. . . . Leon not only offers superb plotting and engaging dialog, but also captures the atmosphere of Venetian daily life. Thus, Brunetti enjoys frequent, leisurely meals with his wife and children. Leon's evocation of these meals is so delectable that readers feel as though they are participating in the repasts. . . . Highly recommended." --Lynne F. Maxwell, Library Journal (starred review)
"The stench of corruption that always hangs over Venice grows disconcertingly literal when Commissario Guido Brunetti gets a case involving the illegal disposal of toxic waste. [In About Face] there are the usual sharp scenes of Brunetti at work and at home, and a surprisingly warm relationship develops between Brunetti and his hitherto remote father-in-law." --Kirkus Reviews
"Leon flawlessly melds the two plot threads as she parallels her characters' vulnerability with that of Venice." --Publishers Weekly
"Donna Leon imbues her Inspector Brunetti novels with the pungent flavors of her beloved Venice." --Sarah Weinman
"It is no mean feat to sustain a mystery series at this high a level for 17 novels. Of course, that is just what Donna Leon has accomplished and more (this is the 18th Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery). . . . Once again the reader is treated to the sights and sounds of Venice as well as Brunetti's love of classical literature and the delightful observances of his wife. Written with subtlety and insight into the characters, the novel, as its predecessors, is a pleasure to read." --Theodore Feit, The Midwest Book Review
"It's testament to Leon's skill as a storyteller that disparate elements blend into yet another great Brunetti outing. She combines the minutiae of daily life in Venice with pitch-perfect descriptions of police procedure, the now-familiar rhythms of Brunetti's home life with a ferocious knowledge of literature, delivered--how else?--with a sure, yet light, touch. . . . The details of home-cooked meals and family arguments, alongside a never-ending flow of crime, add a depth to Leon's stories and are what makers her characters so believable and, in turn, her books so readable." --Rebecca Armstrong, The Independent
"While the Commissario never seems to age or change, Italy does. That's always the subtext of Donna Leon's brilliantly conceived works. Brunetti does his job while the world around him seems always swirling out of control. There isn't a weak book in this series, and About Face is definitely one of the best of the lot." --Margaret Cannon, Globe & Mail
"Few aspects of Venetian life have escaped the scrutiny of Donna Leon's highly entertaining series featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti. About Face, the 18th installment, continues those high standards. . . . Brunetti, one of crime fiction's most beloved police inspectors, knows he can never defeat Italian corruption, but he will never give up trying." --Oline H. Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
"Smooth and sophisticated." --Tom and Enid Schantz, The Denver Post
"One of contemporary crime literature's most engaging cops." --Bob Hoover, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"Fine and atmospheric . . . Leon excels at depicting Brunetti's warm and complex domestic life, and in classic Brunetti style this outing starts with a dinner party. . . . In About Face she ratchets up the tension further, expanding on both the intimate and social complexities that make her books so rich." --Clea Simon, Boston Globe
"About Face continues Donna Leon's deeply satisfying series about Venetian cop Guido Brunetti. . . . Brunetti is canny, reflective and adept at maneuvering through trick situations. Here, he tackles environmental crimes, an enigmatic and aristocratic woman, and, of course, murder." --Adam Woog, The Seattle Times
"Overflowing with atmosphere . . . About Face is another winner from Donna Leon." --Tim Davis, BookLoons.com
"Beyond the detective plotting, the occasional moments of physical danger, the return of favored characters from the Questura and Brunetti's own family, what holds [Leon's] books together and what brings to Venice to such vivid life is Brunetti's unique way of seeing." --Matthew Hoffman, The Independent (UK)
"Leon's books have many pleasures, including the traditional ones of intricate crimes artfully solved. But the deepest satisfaction comes from following Brunetti on his daily routine. The commissario's life is organized around eating lunch and dinner at home . . . Nothing makes him happier than sitting on the terrace drinking a grappa with Paola while their two teenage kids wash the dishes. I can't think of another family in literature whose members enjoy one another's company so much. . . . It goes without saying that everyone is fiddling their taxes and renovating their apartments without permits. But what concerns the deeply ethical Brunetti are the systematic abuses of power. He always solves the crime, yet that doesn't necessarily mean there's anything he can do about it." --Laurie Muchnick, Bloomberg News
"With an intricate style and credible characters, what more could a reader ask? Good writing, and Leon is a master prose stylist. . . .Leon hits only true notes in this gracefully composed and unsettling installment in her distinguished series." --Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Donna Leon's eighteenth novel starring the warm hearted, perceptive, erudite Guido Brunetti. . . . About Face excels as a mystery, a delightful exploration of Venice: its history, culture, food and family life, and also an exploration of political corruption and greed. . . . Highly recommended!" --Alice S. Cassidy, I Love A Mystery
"Leon's carved out edgy new territory with familiar tools and it's brilliant." --Irma Heldman, Open Letters Monthly
"Over the past two decades Donna Leon has done for Venice what Colin Dexter did for Oxford and Sara Paretsky for Chicago. Through as series of crime novels in which her home town plays as great a part as any of her human protagonists, she has made hundreds of thousands of fans into Venetian know-it-alls. . . . She is in a long and distinguished line of expat Venetian writers that includes Byron, Ruskin, Henry James and latterly Salley Vickers and the late Michael Dibdin." --Tim Heald, The Telegraph
"While About Face is the 18th of Leon's Brunetti novels, it can be read without reference to what has gone before. Jump on here, by all means, but leave time to catch up. You will want to read every word of every Brunetti book." --Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter.com
