Donna Leon's series has been so highly recommended by so many people for so long that I finally downloaded this book. I found the first half to be ver..Show More »y slow-moving, as Leon carefully seeded her plot with clues, red herrings and domestic details. The villains were almost immediately identified, and painted with a very broad brush; the murder "twist" was quickly obvious; the observations on Venetian life only moderately interesting. Then the second half just kind of stumbled to a conclusion. Leon seems very impressed with the decency of her decent characters, which gives the book an odd air of self-satisfaction.

But perhaps it's the narration I found the most off-putting. The narrator is American, so the descriptive bits feel quite transparent to this listener. But, if every single one of your characters is Italian, why adopt an Italian accent in the dialogue? It's not as if we need to distinguish among nationalities (as we did in Neal Stephenson's "Reamde", for instance, or Jess Walter's "Beautiful Ruins"). It puts an unnecessary distance between the listener and the characters, as if they are "colorful characters" rather than people.

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Love the narration of this book, you can see the streets of Venice and Padua as the story is read. The book itself was well done, I was immersed in th..Show More »e story from the start. There is murder, human trafficking and stolen innocence. Step into the pages of Northern Italy for a short while.

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This is not one of my absolute favorites in the series but Leon is always good .
Colacci makes Guido come Alice. I love his reading and even if th..Show More »e story may not be as good he makes it better..

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Have always liked her stories of Comissario Brunetti and descriptions of one of my favorite cities, Venice. I think Donna Leon is perfecting her craf..Show More »t with each book, and Friends in High Places absolutely finds her at the top of her game. David Colacci is one of the best narrators working today.
The story itself was fast moving, had enough characters to make it interesting but not confusing, and kept my interest throughout.
Am looking forward to her next and next and next!! Keep them coming, Miss Leon!!


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I would not compare the audio edition to a print one.

This story includes most of my favorite characters from the Brunetti series but places them in a completely new environment - a military school. Whil..Show More »e Guido always fights red tape and needless delay, here they are his primary opponents. I do not feel you get as much Venetian ambiance in this edition as it is primarily focused on the society and culture of the military and the school. David Colacci, as always, does a fine job narrating but did not pull me into the story as much in Uniform Justice as he does with other books in the series.

If you are new to Inspector Brunetti, I would not recommend starting with this book. Try the first in the series, Acqua Alta (unfortunately not available at Audible) or one of the fine later installments: The Girl of His Dreams, Through a Glass Darkly or Drawing Conclusions. Be sure to pick one narrated by Colacci - he is by far the best for this series.



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This author is my favorite mystery writer. I feel like I know his detective his wife and kids. They don't get any better than this. The plot in thi..Show More »s book is excellent, great characters, lots of questions to answer, all tied up by the end. Don't miss this one (or any other by Donna Leon.)

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At times this was the sterotypical contemporary detective story with corny novel/audiobook devices like Italian accented English (to make us belie..Show More »ve we are following "authentic" Venetians in the storyline) and Italian phrases and cuisine thrown in to make us further feel an "exotic" setting -- BUT, overall, it was superior to most in that genre. Superior, that is, if you are looking for a mystery/ detective listen with a reasonable storyline and no graphic sex or violence, as I do. What raises this to a four star listen is 1. the excellent narration and 2. the presentation of a social justice issue (conflict diamonds), well addressed in the guise of fiction without being pedantic.

These are a novel and author I would never have downloaded had it not been for the free first chapter to capture my interest. I will download more of Leon now, especially since a couple of her well-rated listens are so well-priced.

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I have tried to "read" this series of books in sort of chronological order but have discovered it doesn't matter too much. The plot lines ar..Show More »e stellar, the reader SO convincing, and the humanity of the characters encouraging and uplifting -- and in this book, like the others, the "bad guy" is not the cutout black and white character of so many detective novels. Once again, humanity abounds. Bravo, Donna Leon.

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Though slow to start, if you give this novel a chance, you will be drawn in very deeply. The characterizations are strong, the characters fascinating ..Show More »in an intellectually satisfying sense. These are not cardboard people walking around a famous city. They are warm, wry and wonderful. If you like psychological mysteries and can live without action in every paragraph, you will love this. Haunting and memorable. My first Brunetti mystery, not my last.

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I liked this book, but take note that it doesn't move quickly and it's not just a detective mystery. Leon's detective Guido __ solves the case but alo..Show More »ng the way one is treated to a view of Italian life, specifically Venice. A good deal of time is spent on Guido's family with sharp dialogue with his wife, who is a gem, kids and in-laws. The narrator is top notch and his performance makes it a delight to listen to.

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I'm a huge fan of both Donna Leon and David Colacci. This audiobook is one of his best narrated versions. There are two parallel stories, and as usual..Show More », there is no clear resolution, but the end is breathtaking. The narrator perfectly captures the tenor of life in heat-ridden Venice. The avvocato's robes, hanging from his arm as he leans toward the window, trying to get air at the end of a court case, the interior of the restaurant selling those deliciously described tramezzini (sandwiches), and most importantly, a bird-cage filled, wine-racked storage cupboard in the courtyard of Venetian palazzo, will always stay with me.

Listening to this book is like taking a real, highly evocative trip to Venice. Even better than a real trip, you get a feel for every day life of the local. And at a huge discount ;)

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a somewhat disappointing entry into this excellent series. Well-narrated as ever by David Colacci, and filled with the familiar characters and local ..Show More »color, I found that the plot didn't gel on this one. A retired teacher is found dead in her apartment and in the course of the investigation it is revealed that she worked with two service agencies: a home for the elderly and a group which provides abused women refuge and a new start. Although interesting dirt is discovered in both camps, the mystery tailed off without real resolution and leaving a number of loose ends. Brunetti seems a bit tired.

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I have been fan of Leon for years and this book didn't disappoint! It is a solid Brunetti book. If you haven't read any of Leon's books I suggest you ..Show More »start with book one since it is a series where the characters (especially Signorina Elettra and Vianello) developing over time. If you have read Brunetti before and disliked his ending I will tell you that this one is more satisfying than usual.

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I didn't fully appreciate how much I have come to equate David Collaci with Brunetti until listening to the new narrator for this addition to the seri..Show More »es. It just didn't seem "right." The story is interesting, includes some fun twists, and the various musings are as enjoyable as ever.

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Unfortunately I have not read the print version. This will very soon be rectified when my post arrives.

I'm a big fan of Brunetti and Donna Leon, but this book did not seem to me to be at all inspired. The first of Leon's Venetian mysteries was set at L..Show More »a Fenice opera house, and this one is a return of both the location and one of the main characters of that book.

Unfortunately, that is about the only appeal of "Falling in Love." Venice, usually the star of this series, seems a bit tired and not nearly as 'present' as in previous volumes. Brunetti and his family and work colleagues also lack the vitality and wit we're used to.

The plot is slow to develop and not all that interesting. In short, "Falling in Love" is a pale, weakened addition to this series, and I, at least, hope Donna Leon will either find her Venetian muse again or move on to a new, fresher series.

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I haven't read the print version for this book. I find that movies, and audible performances can change the author's intention. Some are better than..Show More » the written book. Others I cannot abide the narrator and would much prefer the book. And then some video productions outshine the book. But, it always starts with the author.

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