Cover Image: Trace Elements

Trace Elements

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

"When Dottoressa Donato calls the Questura to report that a dying patient at the hospice Fatebenefratelli wants to speak to the police, Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, waste no time in responding.

"They killed him. It was bad money. I told him no," Benedetta Toso gasps the words about her recently-deceased husband, Vittorio Fadalto. Even though he is not sure she can hear him Brunetti softly promises he and Griffoni will look into what initially appears to be a private family tragedy. They discover that Fadalto worked in the field collecting samples of contamination for a company that measures the cleanliness of Venice's water supply and that he had died in a mysterious motorcycle accident. Distracted briefly by Vice Questore Patta's obsession with youth crime in Venice, Brunetti is bolstered once more by the remarkable research skills of Patta's secretary, Signora Elettra Zorzi. Piecing together the tangled threads, in time Brunetti comes to realize the perilous meaning in the woman's accusation and the threat it reveals to the health of the entire region. But justice in this case proves to be ambiguous, as Brunetti is reminded it can be when, seeking solace, he reads Aeschylus's classic play The Eumenides.

As she has done so often through her memorable characters and storytelling skill, Donna Leon once again engages our sensibilities as to the differences between guilt and responsibility."

Here's to Donna Leon! One my mom's favorite authors and the headliner of the Wisconsin Book Festival THIS WEEK!

Was this review helpful?

It was so hot in Venice that ice cream wouldn’t scoop, cubes wouldn’t ice. The Commissario likens the heat to a concentration camp death march. Sooo, the big takeaway is that IT IS HOT IN VENICE IN THE SUMMER! And the repetition of that thought was a complete distraction.

What happens when a permissible level of pollution is exceeded? There is too much sidetracking before the very important issue of trace elements and criminal behavior is explored and the notion of environmental crimes mentioned. The lead-in was convoluted and did not serve the story.

As in other novels written by Leon I found the ending lacking, but this ending was also very troubling. The rhetoric swirling in the Comissario’s mind looked to validate the age old means/ends, snake swallowing its tail circle. How to decide “which crime to punish, which to ignore, do you choose the greater criminal or go for the better odds, who to punish and to what degree”?!

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a copy.

Was this review helpful?

Trace Elements is the twenty-ninth book in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series that Donna Leon writes so well. Taking place in Venice, Italy, her books are rich with venetian life and the challenges that Venice faces.

In this latest book, Commissario Brunetti becomes involved in a case after a dying woman tells him “They killed him. It was bad money”, referring to husband’s recent death which was ruled a suicide. With her last words ringing in his ears. Brunetti begins an investigation that will lead him into a tangled mystery involving corruption and a very real threat to the health of the citizens of Venice.

Trace Elements is a story of greed, malfeasance, and corruption. While many of Leon’s books have had an element of social conscious and issues, this book is much more of a statement about the issues our society is facing. The story has a darker, more pessimistic tone that reflects the concerns and challenges we all will have to deal with. As always, it is well-written and well-plotted, with outstanding characters and a setting that is unique and intriguing.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Was this review helpful?

Love this series the author always weaves an original story Set in Venice the mystery location atmosphere makes for another intriguing read.#netgalley#groveatlantic.

Was this review helpful?

When a dying woman asks for a police officer to visit her in hospice, Inspector Brunetti and his colleague Claudia Griffoni comply. Her cryptic comments about her husband, recently killed in a motor cycle accident, and his being involved with ‘bad money’ start them on a path to uncover the truth about his death. Brunetti’s promise to the woman as she dies to investigate leads him to the company responsible for the safety of Venice’s drinking water.
The newest installment of a series I love is a bit slower than some, but still has the wonderful depictions of Brunetti’s beloved city, his relationship with his wife, food, and cafe life. As he struggles with the heat and crowds he also struggles with justice.
Please do take the time to read this series from the beginning and in order to fully enjoy and understand the characters and their relationships as they grow, it truly enhances the reading experience.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this Digital Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for my honest review, and for a chance to experience my favorite city again, vicariously, through Guido.

Was this review helpful?

Inspecter Brunetti and his group uncover a plot to make money while also destroying the water supply to Venice. Great read. This is one of the best detective series. You should read them all.

Was this review helpful?

Another leisurely, reflective meander through Venice, capturing the essence of life there with all its beauty and flaws. I love the characters and the writing. Another superb book from this author.

Was this review helpful?

I was not familiar with this author but do enjoy detective books. Unfortunately, this one fell flat to me. I could not warm up to any of the characters and the writing was fairly pedestrian. Maybe if I had read the previous books in order, that would have helped me to understand the main character and what the author is trying to convey.

Thank you NetGalley Atlantic Monthly Press for an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.

Was this review helpful?

I’ve read many of the Brunetti series, but generally out of order. I like Brunetti. He’s a reader and a thinker. He loves Venice, but isn’t fond of the heat and the tourists. He’s doesn’t approve of the corruption but realizes that to some extent it’s what makes Venice run.

In Trace Elements, Brunetti and Claudia Griffoni are called to the bedside of a dying woman. She tells them that her husband was killed because of the “bad money,” but dies before she can tell them more. With no real evidence of a crime, Brunetti and Griffoni start investigating, feeling they owe it to the dead woman. Their clues take them to a water testing lab where perhaps not everything is handled as it should be.

The plot was just complicated enough. Of course, we know that it was a murder, it always is in these books, and we know that with Brunetti’s perseverance and intuition, he and Griffoni will find the solution. But even when they know what happened, true justice is a bit trickier.

My favorite part of Trace Elements, like the rest of the series, is the characters. Brunetti and his wife, Paolo, have a wonderful relationship and I like the scenes of them at home resting or eating or talking. Signora Elettra is as awesome as always, clever and self-indulgent in a good way. Griffoni is relatively new to the series, but I like her so far.

I didn’t love the ending of Trace Elements, though. It was just too abrupt. Interestingly enough, I said the end of Beastly Things, #21, “left me a bit discombobulated.” And when talking about Through a Glass, Darkly, #15, I said “the end wasn’t resolved enough for me. I was left with a “that’s it?” feeling.” In the Girl of His Dreams, #17, the mysteries are “solved even if the resolutions aren’t entirely satisfying.” Maybe I just don’t like how she ends her books.

Was this review helpful?

Brunetti continues as one of my favorite detectives, a sympathetic, thoughtful family man and policeman, whose personality is clearly shown in Donna Leon's wonderful books.

Brunetti and Griffoni go to a hospice to see a dying woman who wishes to talk with the police. Her husband Fadalto recently died in a motorcycle accident, and she says something about bad money and "they killed him". She has recently come to the hospice from a nursing home costing a lot. Although Brunetti and Griffoni make another trip to the hospice, the woman dies before they can get much information from her. With a great deal of help from the clever Signora Elettra, and some help from Viano, Griffoni and Brunetti continue to investigate. They find that Fadalto worked in the field for a company testing water samples, and he was desperate to get more money for his wife's care.

Brunetti has great compassion when interviewing possible suspects, and soon realizes that the dead husband deals with important chemical measurements in the water going to homes of people in Venice. The woman's comments about bad money imply that the money he received was a bribe. Brunetti and Griffoni go back to the water company and re-interview the people working in the lab. Brunetti learns about pollution, payouts, the ambiguity of crime and justice, and who killed Fadalto.

Was this review helpful?

Comissario Brunetti investigates another one of his cases. As usual, it comes to him almost by accident but gets in his bones until he unravels the mystery. This time, a dying woman gives him a clue about the death of her husband, which was ruled an accident but could have been murder. This is not a flashy crime and the motive is not that strange. Brunetti only solves his cases because he won’t let go and this is what happens in Trace Elements. I am a big fan of the series and enjoy every single paragraph. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but longtime readers will know and love all the characters. As always, the women in Guido’s life get to shine. But it’s Venice that really pops this time since she is also a victim of one of the crimes. A city in the middle of a heatwave, where you can feel the sweat pouring out of every pore (which is a big feat, considering I read it in 28 F weather!). I wonder what a newbie will think of this novel but fans of the series will love it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Grove Atlantic!

Was this review helpful?

Oh this was not my favorite of her books. There was but much family life but plenty of global warming and pollution. Not as escapist as I like. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!!

Was this review helpful?

This is wonderful ; Brunetti's Venetian world is always refreshing and the crimes he investigates are important ones .. a mother of two little girls whose husband dies in supposed accident months before she dies. She whispers 'murder' to Brunetti ..as technical investigators of Venice's drinking water, something was going on .. the familiar and always intriguing people of his world are here too .. the insufferable boss Patta's here, and his excellent innovative (unscrupulous in pursuit of internet source) secretary who probably runs the police station. I always wait with bated breath for a new one. This is, perhaps more serious..and slower, but that's ok.

Was this review helpful?

Brunetti receives an unusual request: a woman in hospice requests a visit from the police. He and Claudia Griffoni meet with the young woman, who is not only dying but also has just lost her husband. They investigate the circumstances surrounding his death, and as in may of Leon's other novels, we learn of corruption in Venice. It is wonderful to "visit" with these favorite characters again, even if it does get depressing to hear about all of the corruption in Brunetti's beautiful city.

Was this review helpful?

Donna Leon is amazing. Many authors, after writing a series as long as the Brunetti series has gone, run out of ideas and start a new series or write stand alone books. Not Ms Leon. The nature of Italian politics is endlessly fascinating to her and we benefit. There were a few books that, in my opinion, were not as good as her earlier ones but the last four books are up to her standard of excellence.

Thank you to Netgalley for making this available to me. When I see Donna Leon's name, I run to a bookstore or library to get her latest book. After all this time, she is still prolific and we are the beneficiaries of her marvellous work. What makes Leon's work different is that her stories are more than mystery stories although there is always some mystery that needs to be solved by Commissario Brunetti and his colleagues at the Police Dept in Venice, Italy. Since the first book, we have been privy to the growing up of Brunetti's family, we know much about Brunetti's in-laws and therefore the class system in Venice. We have laughed at the goings on within the police department and admired the computer skills of Signora Elettra Zorzi., Patta's secretary.

This book involves the last words of a dying woman when she asked to talk to the police. Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, try to sort out the meaning by reviewing the life of the woman's husband and his work testing the water in Venice. They come up against all the usual corruption in Venice and though they solve their questions, in the end, not much changes. We, the readers, learn so much about Venice, its inhabitants, its politics, and often how the few honest policemen have to accept the solving of a 'crime' and accept that the solution often stays with them alone.

As seems to be the case in almost all her books, dialogue is crisp and fundamental. And fun. Her books are not lengthy and always an enjoyable and educational read.
I highly recommend this book

Was this review helpful?

I read an advance reader copy via NetGalley in return for an unbiased review. I’ve loved the Brunetti books, so jumped at the chance to read the latest one early. Many of the things fans love, are back again. I agree with others in that it takes a while to even discover if a crime has been committed. And there’s maybe a little too much time dwelling on the hot weather and tourists - labouring the point somewhat. But it’s otherwise a decent instalment in a long running series.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48332326-trace-elements

Was this review helpful?

If one draws a line between genre fiction and literary fiction, Donna Leon has a foot firmly planted in both camps. Her Venetian series starring Commissario (police superintendent) Guido Brunetti are always entertaining mysteries, but they are always far more, with outstanding characterization and (disturbing) insights into Italian and Venetian politics as they affect police investigations. One can read these novels as standalones, but much more pleasure will be derived by starting nearer the beginning of the series and gradually getting to know Brunetti (how can you not be fascinated by a detective who reads Aeschylus for pleasure?), his family, his fellow police officers, and the city itself. “Trace Elements” is concerned with pollution of Venetian waters. I highly recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

Venice police officers Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleague, Claudia Griffoni, are called to the hospice bedside of Benedetta Toso. Benedetta’s husband was recently killed in an accident that has been ruled a suicide. Before she passes, Benedetta utters a few cryptic sentences that lead Brunetti and Griffoni to suspect her husband Vittorio may have been a victim of murder. Their investigation leads them to details about Vittorio’s life as well as bringing up questions about the inspection process that ensures the cleanliness of Venice’s water supply.

There are several previous books in this series but this is only the second one I have read. I really enjoy the vivid descriptions of Venice that really give the reader a picture of the city. The author also includes just enough of the local language to make the setting even more authentic without being confusing to those who don’t speak Italian.

The scenes with Brunetti at home with his own family are wonderful. A little more is revealed about newcomer Griffoni’s personal life and I look forward to getting to know her better in future books. Secretary and research wizard Signora Elettra Zorzi is also a delight, but somewhat of an enigma so I hope we get to see more of her outside the office as well.

I enjoy how well Brunetti and Griffoni work together to solve the case. The story of Benedetta is heartbreaking, so I like the compassion the pair shows for her and her family. The issue of water contamination is interesting, although the details included sometimes slow the pace of the story as a whole. The way the case wraps up is surprising and somewhat of a letdown. As hinted in the book’s description, justice can be ambiguous and I understand why Brunetti made the decision he made, but it’s not entirely satisfying. Overall, I really enjoyed this well-written book. The characters are unique, the setting is beautiful, and the plot is intelligent and entertaining, so I recommend this book.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Atlantic Monthly Press. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

If I didn't know better from earlier reads, I'd be hard pressed to find the compassion in Guido Brunetti.
He complains bitterly of the heat in his beloved Venice but even more than that are the over riding swarms of tourists invading his space, especially those that arrive on cruise ships.
Donna Leon has been making her feelings known for quite some time how she feels on the 'tourisation' in her beloved Venice and the deplorable conditions left by the numerous visitors.
Understanding this and wanting to hear angry rebuttals and snide remarks on it are two different things.
My favourite part of Leon's books have always been Brunetti's family time with his ever so patient and oh so wise Paola. Her words are wise and comforting.

Was this review helpful?

A dying woman uses her last words to tell the police that her husband’s death in an apparent motorcycle accident was murder. Commissario Guido Brunetti promises her that he will investigate, and from there he finds himself immersed in intrigue among the people charged with protecting the purity of Venice’s water supply. Donna Leon’s excellent sense of place and well-defined characters make this latest installment in the Brunetti series a pleasure to read, as always, with the usual terrific vignettes of Italian family life throughout. The higher-than-usual stakes represented by possible water contamination move this story along with some urgency despite Leon's typical leisurely pace.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

Was this review helpful?