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About Face (Hardcover)

by Donna Leon (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; First Edition; 1st printing. edition (2 April 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0434019437
  • ISBN-13: 978-0434019434
  • Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.4 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 17,903 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #8 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > L > Leon, Donna

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Does the idea of a trip to Italy appeal to you? Do you want something a little less anodyne than strolling in the Mediterranean sun and consuming too much pasta and vino? Do you hanker, perhaps, to experience a touch of the corruption that most Italians wryly admit is endemic to much to their country’s superstructure? The American crime writer Donna Leon, then, is the perfect travel agent for you. She has given readers metaphorical passports to her adopted country for quite some time now, and her Commissario Brunetti novels are one of the glories of the current crime fiction scene. In her new book, About Face, a police associate of Brunetti, Guarino, leads the Commissario into a dangerous imbroglio: Mafia influence over businesses in the Marghera district is growing ever stronger, and when the MD of a trucking firm is killed in his offices, Brunetti's colleague concludes that the murder is tied into to the clandestine transportation of refuse. But things are complicated when Brunetti observes that Guarino is behaving in a very strange, atypical fashion – and the resourceful copper has multiple mysteries on his hands.

In the Brunetti universe, insidious double-dealing spreads its tendrils into every aspect of Italian society, but there is always a glimmer of hope, usually represented by Donna Leon’s intelligent and tenacious copper. Commissario Guido Brunetti is the man to root out the evils of his often benighted society. About Face is not, perhaps, Leon at her considerable best – the customary voltage is more muted -- but there’s more then enough Brunetti magic here to keep admirers happy and sated. --Barry Forshaw



Review

`The very first sentences of ABOUT FACE showcase Donna Leon's elegant, effortless style ... another great Brunetti outing. [Leon] 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 depth to Leon's stories and are what makes her characters so believable and, in turn, her books so readable.' --Independent
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Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Donna Leon - About Face, 1 April 2009
By RachelWalker "RachelW" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)   
Great stuff. About Face has everything you'd want from a Donna Leon novel: enchanting descriptions and ruminations of and on the city of Venice, a morally shady picture of policework and politics, and the beautiful respite of the happy family life of Brunetti. As ever, the writing is sly and subtle, and funny. And the most amusing scenes to be found are, as ever, those which feature the cunning interactions between Brunetti, his superiors and his subordinates. This time Brunetti is asked by the military arm of the police, the carabinieri, to help locate a possible suspect in a nearby robbery and murder, in which the owner of a trucking company was killed, who seems to have connections with the city. At first Brunetti takes against his Carabineri contact, but latterly warms to him as the two open up to each other. The man hints that the killing may have something to do with the transportation and disposal of illegal waste (hospital, pharmaceutical, chemical, etc), and suggests a possible mafia connection. Brunetti reluctantly agrees to make enquiries. But, of course, before too long things take a far more sinister turn as a much fresher body turns up.

About Face is a superb entry in Leon's wonderful series. I enjoyed every page of it and the ease with which she writes. Existing fans will love it, as should fans of intelligent but not overly taxing mysteries. Everything here is of a very fine standard indeed, but they read very easily. It is, I think, even one of her absolute best, and the ending should even satisfy those among her reader's who dislike her tendency to ambiguous, messy endings, as here you get the impression that, while it ends unclearly, everything important is revealed at the same time. This series is one of the yearly joys of mdoern crime fiction.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb return to form, 15 April 2009
I hadn't enjoyed the last two novels in Donna Leon's Brunetti series as much as others however am delighted that About Face conjures up all the elements of the best of her other writings. After meeeting a charming aristocratic Venetian lady who shares his loves of classical writing, Brunetti becomes involved in an investigation into the illegal dumping of chemicals. Leon draws the two strands of her plot together brilliantly leading to a climax that is exciting and well-developed.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Brunetti novel without the superb cast. His long-suffering wife, obsessed by Henry James, and cooking up delicious sounding meals; his aristocratic in-laws; his vain boss, Patta, who Brunetti delights in manipulating; the colourful efficient Signorina Elettra and of course Vianello, his trusty sidekick. Once you have read a number of the novels, you look forward to the reappearance of each of these figures.
Yet this novel, like many of the others, makes a serious social point, exploring Leon's concern about the damage to the environment caused by illegal dumping of hazardous waste and corruption. Her knowledge and understadning of the machinations of the society she is exploring give the novel an authenticity that underpins the beautifully constructed characterisation.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Just as good as the last one, 6 April 2009
By Damaskcat (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
Donna Leon's Brunetti books are so well written I always approach a new one with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Will it live up to her own high standards? This latest instalment does not disappoint. Brunetti as ever has to balance his own private ethics against the reality of the corrupt society which is Venice.

In this story Donna Leon attacks the disposal of toxic waste. This is always going to be a problem in a city built on water but here we get glimpses of how this problem affects the rest of the country. As ever Brunetti's wife - Paola - plays a substantial part behind the scenes making her husband question his principles. The usual characters are here - Signorina Elettra with her knowledge of the back way in to all computer systems; Vice Questore Patta - who is almost more concerned with his own position than the detection of crime and there are all Brunetti's usual police colleagues as well as a member of the Carabineiri who needs Brunetti's help.

Donna Leon's writing is subtle and understated and often it is only after you have read a paragraph that you realise there are many nuances. The books are carefully crafted so that every tiny incident fits into the whole and serves to illuminate every facet of the story. Above all there is Venice - as much a character in the story as any human being. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who prefers their crime stories without excessive violence and with more depth than the average.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as compulsive as previous work
I have, as a DL fan, read all the Brunetti series which I like a lot especially as my family comes from Venice. Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. Williams

1.0 out of 5 stars About Face
How very disappointing this book is. For those fans of the earlier stories, this one bears no comparison. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jules C

5.0 out of 5 stars Donna, has not failed me yet.
By now I have read all Donna Leon books and Inspector Brunetti, is for me the ideal policeman who without a lot of noise solves complex crimes. Read more
Published 5 months ago by W. Klaasenbos

4.0 out of 5 stars What a very good writer
This is the 18th novel by Donna Leon in 18 years, each featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti and all based in Venice (I think). Read more
Published 5 months ago by OEJ

4.0 out of 5 stars Good reading
Once again Donna Leon has created an enjoyable story about my favourite Italian, sorry Venetian, detective and dealt with a subject of topical interest at the same time... Read more
Published 5 months ago by A. Cane

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing read
A very disappointing book from Donna Leon. Some of her previous novels are excellent and other suffer from the same weaknesses as this one - perhaps she relies too much on her... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Shirley Wright

2.0 out of 5 stars the latest Donna Leon is disappointing
This was bought for my husband's birthday, so my review is second hand. However, he found "About Face" not as satisfying as earlier books in the series. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. V. O. Hanlon

5.0 out of 5 stars about face
As usual for Donna Leone, this book is just SO UP TO DATE AND FANTASTIC !!!!
Published 6 months ago by A. Lanteala-Brown

5.0 out of 5 stars R1
Bought as a gift for my Mum! She loves the book, but says that if you've been to Venice for real, you'll have a better sense and view of the setting for the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mr. J. R. Prendergast

4.0 out of 5 stars About Face
A new excellent Brunetti novel! Leon - again - portrays Venice as a living and flawed city.
Published 6 months ago by Mogens Guldager Petersen

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