Uniform Justice (Hardcover)

As ever, all the usual ingredients which make the series so special are here: the excellent Brunetti (it's very hard to express how refreshing a detective he is among the the slew of cliched loners; he is remarkable); the sensuous yet slightly grimy portrait of Venice; Bruentti's heart-warming family; Leon's ability to create excellent character sketches in a limited number of pages; and Brunetti's children, who drift in the background with invigorating youth, like joyful spirits. It's all so comfortable and warming.

What else is excellent? The plot, for one. The mystery. Leon's examination of a rather frightening military culture. I like these books in part because the social opinions Leon expounds, the messages she gives, are so incredibly sensible. Many people indeed could benefit from reading these novels - and not just Venetians. One thing symbolised so excellently is the ability of the little man, the serf, almost, to get one-up on those higher than him, despite corruptionm, which is an ability which seems rife in Venetian society. The scenes in which Brunetti is able to so easily manipulate his boss are a supreme joy to read, and very funny as well.

But what, therefore, makes this one the best? The ending does. Leon is a very curious writer in that crime-fiction is just a hobby, to finance her first love - opera. You'd think that she might take, therefore, a slightly cavalier attitude toward it, but not at all. Moreso than many other exponents of this type of novel who take the form more seriously, she refuses to be bound by convention. She is, oddly, an innovator. She takes chances and turns things on their head and doesn't like to adhere to "rules", even if it means breaking some of the most strict guidlines of crime fiction (as she did in her first novel). The miracle is that she is able to break these guildlines incredibly sucessfully, and her mysteries are still satisfying. No other mystery writer breaks the rules as sucessfully, or as enjoyably. The ending to this book is superb, I thought. Obviously, it won't suit people who must have their criminals brought to justice, but for those who are impressed by a realistic portrait of justice (and a display of where it cannot reach), one could do no better than reach for the novels of Donna Leon.

For all intents and purposes, the death of a young cadet at an exclusive Venetian military school certainly must be a suicide. However, with the intellect, cunning, skill, and savvy of Leon and Brunetti, what begins with a “simple” death soon works its way into an ugly, complicated, and frightening murder in Leon’s latest “Uniform Justice.”

The young teenager is the son of a prominent doctor and politician, termed “honest” by any standard. The father’s honesty serves as a fault, however, and soon causes him to resign from parliament, particularly following his investigation of corruption in military procurement. The “web of deceit” in such cases seems to spread just about everywhere. His “anti-military” stance does not go over well, especially at his son’s military school. Thus begins a series of cover-ups, lies,
and deception--the ranks of the involved quickly close. Not for the first time does Brunetti face the “old school” of Venice. His task is formidable, but with the help of his wife Paola, his secretary Signorina Elettra, and a few members of the department, Brunetti methodically and brilliantly brings the case to its conclusion.

Leon, for all the love she bears for Venice, where she’s lived for a number of years, continues to champion the cause of the just, the honest, the uncorrupt, the innocent, all descriptives of just about any place but Venice. Still, politics and social injustices aside, Leon continues to hold firmly her legion of fans with her inimitable style, plot designs, superb
characterizations, and general “good literature.” “Uniform Justice” is not easily laid aside until it
is finished.

One of Leon’s strong suits is that she does not pretend that, when the final pages are read,the world is then tied up nicely in a pretty bow and everything is okay. Romanticism in literature is not Donna Leon; realism is alive and well and these themes permeate her twelve Brunetti novels. Perhaps this is another reason she is so popular.

A young cadet at an exclusive Venetian military prep school has been found hanged in his dormitory. The school quickly has it proclaimed a suicide, but Brunetti knows otherwise. He and his team of loyal members of Venice's police department quickly begin
their investigation--an investigation that, once more, leads us into the power structures of "the Pearl of the Adriatic."

Leon is never slow to touch up socially significant issues and she plows into this one at gale force. "Corruption in Things Italian" seems to be her middle name and she pulls no punches. One would imagine that the Italian military and even some of its other "sacred" institutions will not view this book (nor her others!) in pleased frames of mind. Still, Leon is one of the most popular American novelists read abroad today (in fact, even her recent hard-bound copies are NOT published in the US for some really strange reason!).

Again,"Uniform Justice" is Leon at her best and Brunetti doing what he does best--solving murders. An excellent read!