Donna Leon, born in New Jersey in 1942, has worked as a travel guide in Rome and as a copywriter in London. She taught literature in universities in Iran, China, and Saudi Arabia. Commissario Brunetti made her books world-famous. Donna Leon lived in Italy for many years, and although she now lives in Switzerland, she often visits Venice.
Praise for Give unto Others: **An Instant New York Times
Bestseller**Named a Best Crime Book of the Year by the GuardianAn
Amazon Best Book of the Month (Mystery, Thriller, and
Suspense)"Meddling from above is aggravating but not surprising to
Brunetti. Throughout Ms. Leon's long-running series, he's had to
deal with all sorts of ambitious and untrustworthy types, chief of
which is the "ever-helpful" Lt. Scarpa . . . No matter. Brunetti
goes door to door, seeking valuable information on behalf of his
old neighbor. The cultivated Commissario, seeking the truth behind
this strange imbroglio, reads the heart all the way back to Greek
tragedy's bitter truths."--Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal"The book
is steeped in a gray, murky atmosphere as Leon describes the
pandemic-related devastation of Venice's tourist-dependent
economy--a devastation that mirrors Brunetti's inner turmoil as he
tries to determine where his loyalty lies in the increasingly
disturbing--and puzzling--investigation."--Karen MacPherson,
Washington Post"Leon's thirty-first novel in the Brunetti series is
about human weakness of all kinds: drugs, dementia and dietrologia
or, to put it another way, the need to know. Isn't that why we read
mystery novels? There has always been another reason to read Leon:
the sheer elegance and wit of her prose. Virtually every page
contains a sentence that demands to be quoted . . . Acknowledges
the horrors that lurk in daily life."--Times (UK), "Book of the
Month""Donna Leon doesn't write thrillers -- quite the opposite.
Guilt or innocence, just what kind of crime has been committed, if
any, depends so much on a character's own sense of ethics and
integrity and, indeed, on the reader's. Yes, Give unto Others is a
whodunit, and a whydunit, and a howdunit, but it's quite unlike any
other mystery writer's view of the world. Find a comfortable chair,
pour a goblet of Italian wine, maintain social distancing at all
times and settle back for several hours of living inside Guido
Brunetti's head."--Nick Martin, Winnipeg Free Press"Unarguably one
of the most humane--and absorbing--of the series . . . The dilemmas
demand the best of Brunetti, which is what he delivers."--Toronto
Star "The true victim of the crime at the center of this book is
trust--in those we love and in ourselves as well . . . Even as an
entry in such an idiosyncratic (and appealing) series, this case is
one of the most personal our protagonist - a thoughtful,
compassionate man - has faced. Fraud, and the lax Italian laws that
accommodate it, may be at the center of this narrative, but the
issues at its heart are human rather than legal: loss, aging, and
the ways in which time plays on our character, for good or
ill."--Arts Fuse"Donna Leon's Commissario Guido Brunetti novels are
an absolute treasure . . . When reading a Brunetti novel, you
expect to get more than just the story with which to immerse
yourself. There are the sights, sounds and foods of Venice and the
surrounding area . . . Of course, Brunetti and his team will wrap
up everything but not without some big surprises and revelations
that were never meant to see the light of day."--Book Reporter"Once
again, Brunetti's remarkable empathy with people takes him into
shark-infested waters, forced to confront how 'revenge, that
deformed child of justice, fed itself with blind desire.' Another
moving meditation on the vagaries of human relationships posing as
a mystery novel. There is no ambiguity about the unalloyed
affection millions of readers feel toward Guido Brunetti, one of
crime fiction's most popular protagonists."--Booklist (starred
review)
"This book is classic Leon: Brunetti is less focused on any actual
crime than on figuring out whether some other unknown crime has
been committed, whether he himself is doing something wrong by
using official resources on an unofficial investigation, whether
the ends of finding information he needs justifies Signorina
Elletra's shadowy means of procuring it . . . Still the next best
thing to moving to Venice."--Kirkus Reviews"As is the case with
most of the other 30 Brunetti novels that precede it, Give unto
Others is a largely character- and milieu-driven novel. There is a
central mystery, to be sure, but the characters and their evolving
relationships are the driving force of the series as it explores
Venice, its history, its culture and, of course, its
crime."--BookPage"Established fans will enjoy spending time with
the charming Brunetti."--Publishers WeeklyPraise for Donna Leon's
Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries: "This endlessly enjoyable
series, with its deep thoughts about justice and vengeance and
charming classical allusions, can't help making you smile."
--Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review "[Leon] has never
become perfunctory, never failed to give us vivid portraits of
people and of Venice, never lost her fine, disillusioned
indignation." --Ursula K. LeGuin, New York Times "You become so
wrapped up in these compelling characters . . . Each one is better
than the last." --Louise Erdrich, PBS NewsHour "Few detective
writers create so vivid, inclusive, and convincing a narrative as
Donna Leon . . . One of the most exquisite and subtle detective
series ever." --Washington Post "The sophisticated but still moral
Brunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a
worthy custodian of timeless values and verities." --Wall Street
Journal "[Leon] uses the relatively small and crime-free canvas of
Venice for rips about Italian life, sexual styles and--best of
all--the kind of ingrown business and political corruption that
seems to lurk just below the surface." --Chicago Tribune "Hers is
an unusually potent cocktail of atmosphere and event." --New Yorker
"For those who know Venice, or want to, Brunetti is a well-versed
escort to the nooks, crannies, moods, and idiosyncrasies of what
residents call La Serenissima, the Serene One . . . Richly
atmospheric, [Leon] introduces you to the Venice insiders know."
--USA Today "Donna Leon is the undisputed crime fiction queen . . .
Leon's ability to capture the social scene and internal politics
[of Venice] is first-rate." --Baltimore Sun "Terrific at providing,
through its weary but engaging protagonist, a strong sense of the
moral quandaries inherent in Italian society and culture." --San
Francisco Chronicle "Brunetti is one of the most attractive
policemen in crime fiction today." --Philadelphia Inquirer "As
always, Brunetti is highly attuned to (and sympathetic toward) the
failings of the humans around him." --Seattle Times "Leon's writing
trembles with true feeling." --Minneapolis Star Tribune "Leon
started out with offhand, elegant excellence, and has simply kept
it up." --Guardian "Compassionate yet incorruptible, Brunetti knows
that true justice doesn't always end in an arrest or a trial."
--Publishers Weekly "[Brunetti] is a superb police detective--calm,
deliberate, and insightful as he investigates with a reflective
thoroughness." --Library Journal "The appeal of Guido Brunetti, the
hero of Donna Leon's long-running Venetian crime series, comes not
from his shrewdness, though he is plenty shrewd, nor from his quick
wit. It comes, instead, from his role as an Everyman . . . [his
life is] not so different from our own days at the office or nights
around the dinner table. Crime fiction for those willing to grapple
with, rather than escape, the uncertainties of daily life."
--Booklist "It's difficult to describe the work of Donna Leon other
than in superlatives . . . An annual blessing, a fine series--one
of the finest (see what I mean) in the mystery (or any) genre . . .
There are few reading joys that equal cracking the binding of a new
Leon novel . . . If you have not experienced this world, so exotic
and yet so familiar, you can pick up literally any volume in the
series and begin a comfortable entry into Brunetti's Venice."
--BookReporter "One of the most popular crime series worldwide . .
. While the Brunetti books, with their abundance of local color and
gastronomic treats, appeal to the fans of the traditional mystery,
Leon has something darker and deeper in mind." --Life Sentence "No
author has delved into Venetian society quite like Leon, whose
insider's view shows how crime seeps throughout the city, touching
all strata of society." --Mystery Scene
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