Fatal Remedies[return]Donna Leon[return][return]8th in the Commisario Brunetti series, set in Venice, Italy.[return][return]An early morning phone call from the Questura summons Brunetti to complete the arrest, for vandalism, of--Paola, his wife. She s thrown a rock through the window of a travel agency, protesting its knowing complicity in sex tourism to third world countries, where children are prostituted to pederasts. While in sympathy with her rage, Paola has broken the law and put Brunetti in a lose-lose situation; not only is he in a massive argument with Paula, he is put on administrative leave by Vice-Questore Patta because he refuses to either deceive his wife or make deals for her, insisting the she and she alone has to decide whether and how to settle. The whole thing becomes a media circus, a nightmare for the family.[return][return]Then the owner of the travel agency is murdered, and Patta conveniently forgets that he has suspended Brunetti, giving him the case. [return][return]This is one of the best in the series. Leon has taken yet another social issue--sex tourism in third world countries--and has woven an incredible discussion of the different views of the morality of action by means of the very real argument between Brunetti and Paola. There is absolutely nothing forced or preachy or phony about it, and it works like a charm, not only to illuminate the issue but to give incredible depth and intensity to the story. The plot itself is one of her best; there is an unusual amount of action in it, since Leon prefers to write character-driven, real-life stories in a small Italian city that is relatively crime-free. But the action is there, and it s a page-turner. The denouement is very well done, and is a surprise, a satisfying one.[return][return]By this time, if you re a fan of Leon s books, you know what to expect in terms of her solid recurring characters, the authenticity of the ambience of Venice, and the way she weaves her plots. [return][return]One of the strongest in the series--highly recommended.
I thought this was going to be a favorite. It starts out with Brunetti's wife Paola committing a crime--breaking the front window of a travel agency in the middle of the night and then waiting for the police to come. Of course it's awkward for her policeman husband. She says she did it because the travel agency was booking "sex tours" of exotic cities for pedophiles. When the man who owns the shop is murdered and there's a note about stopping the sex tours, both husband and wife get more publicity than is comfortable. But eventually the murder is related to a different crime (selling expired and fake medicines to third world countries) and we don't hear another word about the sex tours (the firm was very careful to stay within Italian law in their advertising). The murderer is eventually caught, presumably with evidence likely to convict and that's a change since so many of Leon's murderers get killed themselves before brought to justice or there's some other sort of poetic justice. There's not even poetic justice for the purveyors of sex tours and the fake pharmaceuticals. Leon's novels take a sophisticated POV on crime. Brunetti, the detective and even more his wife, have a solid sense of right and wrong, but the law doesn't really. It's like having it both ways which part of me disapproves of. I like mystery novels that restore goodness and righteousness at the end.
What do You think about Fatal Remedies (2000)?
Synopsis: Brunetti's career is under threat when his professional and personal lives unexpectedly intersect. In the chill of the Venetian dawn, a sudden act of vandalism shatters the quiet of the deserted city, and Brunetti is shocked to find that the culprit waiting to be apprehended at the scene is a member of his own family. Meanwhile, he is also under pressure from his superiors to solve a daring robbery with connections to a suspicious accidental death. Could the two crimes be connected? And will Brunetti be able to prove his family's innocence before it's too late?Fatal Remedies, the 8th novel in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti Series takes you back to Venice, so richly described – the canals, the vaporettos, the food, the sad and crumbling buildings, cafes, the campos and the interesting Venetian locals – a total sensory experience, [image error]
—Alex is The Romance Fox
A sudden act of vandalism had just been committed, a rock thrown in anger through the window of a building. Commissario Brunetti finds out that the culprit apprehended at the scene is none other than his wife Paola Brunetti. When a daring robbery with Mafia connections is linked to the suspicious death of the owner of the same building, Brunetti finds himself in a conflict of interest. Torn between the crisis at home and the pressure at work, will Brunetti be able to prove Paola's innocence?Donna Leon's never is one to dodge social and contemporary issues, in this novel Brunetti is once again forced to confront moral and legal dilemmas."Fatal Remedies" does not miss a beat this one faces issues on sex-tourism and the exportation of medicines long past their expiry dates. As always, the author's view of Italian life and Brunetti's family values are central to the fabric of this book. Although I found this book is good it is not Leon's best work, nevertheless it stands above others of the same genre.
—Toni Osborne
Excellent. As usual, I am reading a crime series randomly. This is the 8th Commissario Brunetti story; I have course not read numbers 1 though 7. The actual crime story is well done and fairly intricate, the involvement of Brunetti’s wife is an added twist, and the whole ambience of Venice adds charm to the background. Add in the description of what seem like frequent dinners / lunches and many visits to coffee bars, and you have a recipe for a very enjoyable book. The casual way that the characters hop on and off gondolas makes the setting as romantic as you might expect.The story begins with Brunetti’s wife Paolo being arrested for vandalism, and continues with the owner of the vandalized business being murdered. Was it Paolo, or some organization with the same aims? (to eliminate sex tourism). Again we meet Brunetti’s boss, all too ready to be swayed by the rich and famous, his colleagues, some on his side, some not and the resourceful assistant, Signorina Elettra, who seems to have been a computer whiz before that genre was popular.A great series. More will be read…
—Stuart
