Synopses & Reviews
Donna Leons critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling Commissario Guido Brunetti series has attracted readers the world over with the beauty of its setting, the humanity of its characters, and its fearlessness in exploring politics, morality, and contemporary Italian culture. In the pages of Leons novels, the beloved conversations of the Brunetti family have drawn on topics of art and literature, but books are at the heart of this novel in a way they never have been before.
One afternoon, Commissario Guido Brunetti gets a frantic call from the director of a prestigious Venetian library. Someone has stolen pages out of several rare books. After a round of questioning, the case seems clear: the culprit must be the man who requested the volumes, an American professor from a Kansas university. The only problemthe man fled the library earlier that day, and after checking his credentials, the American professor doesnt exist.
As the investigation proceeds, the suspects multiply. And when a seemingly harmless theologian, who had spent years reading at the library turns up brutally murdered, Brunetti must question his expectations about what makes a man innocent, or guilty.
Review
Think of Leons latest Guido Brunetti novel as a love letter to her fans. . . . This will likely be one of his most-loved adventures.”—
Booklist (starred review)
Review
Think of Leons latest Guido Brunetti novel as a love letter to her fans. . . . This will likely be one of his most-loved adventures.”
Booklist (starred review)
This character-driven novel looks at the ravages of rare book theft on libraries, and, more broadly, the destructive effects of contemporary greed . . . on cultural heritage. [A] skillful evocation of the citys charms, culture, and history.”—Publishers Weekly
Review
A Seattle Times Best Mystery and Crime Novel of the YearWith its loudly reverberating echoes of the recent real-life thefts from the Girolamini Library in Naples, By its Cover will both delight and strike fear into bibliophiles hearts. . . . Leon offers a finely drawn tale that encompasses theft, blackmail, emotional violence, and murder, as well as a rich array of characters . . . [and] compellingly combines their workaday crime-solving with a detailed picture of a vanishing Venice.”Boston Globe
Fans will rejoice that staples of the Brunetti canonincluding conversations with his smart wife and frequent breaks for food and coffeeare very much in evidence.”Seattle Times
Donna Leons books . . . are routinely some of the finest mystery novels to come out of Europe (or anywhere else, for that matter). Her latest, By its Cover, will do nothing but burnish that reputation.”BookPage
One of her best in a long line of super efforts. . . . Brunettis wry internal observations and musings about everything from his superiors to his family are reason enough to come to the feast.”Bookreporter
Think of Leons latest Guido Brunetti novel as a love letter to her fans. . . . This will likely be one of his most-loved adventures.”Booklist (starred review)
This character-driven novel looks at the ravages of rare book theft on libraries, and, more broadly, the destructive effects of contemporary greed . . . on cultural heritage. [A] skillful evocation of the citys charms, culture, and history.”Publishers Weekly
Brunetti and Venice and bookstheres a totally delectable combination! . . . Truly a must-read for Brunetti fans.”I Love a Mystery
Donna Leon is one of the more unusual and satisfying writers of crime fiction in the current pantheon. . . . Brunetti is exceptional among detectives. . . . . Not since Simenons Maigret have we seen a detective so devoted to the reality and complexity of everyday life.”Sydney Morning Herald
About the Author
Donna Leon is the author of the internationally bestselling Commissario Guido Brunetti series. The winner of the CWA Macallan Silver Dagger for Fiction, among other awards, Leon was born in New Jersey and has lived in Venice for thirty years.