Blood from a Stone

A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery

By: Donna Leon

Narrated by: David Colacci

“Commissario Guido Brunetti’s fourteenth case may be his best yet.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

On a cold Venetian night shortly before Christmas, a street vendor is killed in a scuffle in Campo San Stefano. The closest witnesses to the event are the tourists who had been browsing the fake designer handbags that the man was selling. The dead man is one of the many African immigrants purveying goods outside normal shop hours and trading without a work permit. Like everybody involved, Commissario Brunetti wonders why anyone would kill an illegal immigrant. But once Brunetti begins to investigate this unfamiliar Venetian underworld, he discovers that matters of great value are at stake within the secretive society. Warned by Patta, his superior, to resist further involvement in the case, Brunetti only becomes more determined to unearth the truth behind this mysterious killing. Reluctant as he is to let this event be smugly relegated to the category of “not worth dealing with,” how far will Brunetti be able to penetrate the murky subculture in this illegal community? Blood from a Stone is an exquisite and irresistible mystery offering an unexpected take on life in contemporary Venice.

Blood from a Stone

One of Donna Leon’s best! Thoroughly enjoyable! And perfect narrator (per usual) !! After waiting for three years, I’m now re-reading the entire series. Wish she was still writing new Guido books! No sex, no bad language, little violence—difficult to find her quality of writing in the world in which we live today. Sad!

Too Much Pandering

I have enjoyed most of the books in this series, yet this one had too much pandering for me.

KM