Something different for Commissario Brunnetti and his team to unravel.

Commissario Guido Brunnetti is surprised when a friend from his youth contacts him. She wants his help to discover whether her daughter and her husband are in danger. It will need to be an unofficial investigation, but he still manages to get his Questura colleagues involved.

An interesting storyline which moves as a slow pace, but never boring. Their task: to unravel a charity set up in a foreign country.

I love Donna Leon’s writing. The storylines are interesting and Brunnetti’s colleagues fascinating. Venice is such a perfect setting for the novels.

Rony
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review from NetGalley.

…as you would they should do onto you

My first Inspector Brunetti in years, and a pleasure to rediscover the detective, his family, his colleagues and his sympathetic yet methodical approach to solving crimes. But is there a crime here? In a doleful post Lockdown Venice, he is sought out by a lady of his own age, an acquaintance from his childhood, who asks a personal favour: she suspects, on the flimsiest of evidence, that her daughter’s husband is involved in dangerous criminal activity. Will Brunetti, for the sake of old friendship, investigate?

Of course, there is crime, and more than one, but the worst of all is a crime which carries no penalty, the toxicity of family relationships.

It seems this reviewer has been negligent in missing the works of Donna Leon and the adventures of Commissario Brunetti as he uses his particular skills to tackle crime in Venice. First impressions were that this might just represent the happy combination of Montalbano and Zen; perhaps that did set an unreasonably high bar, as I think this charming story could not quite be said to reflect that happy combination.of fictional Italian detectives. However, it’s fair to say that Brunetti’s eccentricities and idiosyncratic approach to crime does invite comparisons that are far from unfavourable.
The writing has a meandering style, which suits the Venetian location, whilst the plot has a series of false leads and a level of unpredictability that is pleasing. The sense of being in Venice is well conveyed and adds to the enjoyment, although - as with most locations - it helps if the reader has some familiarity with the setting.
So, as you have probably gathered this is inot by any means an adrenaline packed shoot ‘em up cop story where Italian detectives tackle ‘the mob’. It is, instead, a story about human frailties with a twist of investigatory detective work thrown in, all set in the labyrinthine workings of the Italian public sector services. Although this may possibly appear a downbeat summary this reviewer enjoyed the book, wanted to see ho2 the strands would be resolved by the author and was satisfied with the denouement. Recommended..

Inspector Brunetti is back with another mystery to solve in beautiful, atmospheric Venice. Set in and around the pandemic this story is small in scale but sweeping in its depicton of Venice slowly coming back to life. What I love about Donna Leon's writing are the small domestic details and the humanity of her writing.

Beautifully written, we not only have the pleasure of working through a mystery of complexity and elegance, but also gain an insight into the effect of the Covid pandemic on one of the most famous cities in the world, and the people that keep it alive. Police detective Brunetti finds himself on uncertain ground, investigating a potential crime at the behest of an old friend - but what is her true motive, and how far must Brunetti drift into murky waters before he can solve the puzzle. This gentle-paced story, with many twists and turns, reveals the myriad facets of human nature - both the parts we reveal and those we hide - showing that nothing is ever quite as it seems. A good read.

Donna Leon has given us another dose of what we have come to love - Guido Brunetti solving crimes, taking us through real streets and immersing us in the side of Venice that tourists never get to see. I first discovered Donna Leon's books whilst in Venice and fell in love with the way she wrote, the level of detail and realism and this is no exception. Set mid-pandemic, Give Unto Others has Guido helping a friend with an 'off the books' situation in a world that is markedly changed from the one he's always known. Donna Leon has a way of drawing us so completely in to Guido's life that we feel and see everything with him, and her characters are like our family, so the emotional impact of some of the more sensitive topics is weighty. Whilst this is part of a long running series, the story stands up well if this is your first foray into Guido Brunetti's world - but it's not the most exciting of his investigations and I feel as though this alone would not ignite a passion for her books.

I have never read a bad Donna Leon book and this one does not fail to appeal. Her writing style is in keeping with the tone and setting of the book and keeps you interested from start to finish. Love the way I'm never sure what is going to happen!

Another book in a great series. Having been to Venice I feel that I am back there with the dialogue. Another case For Brunetti and he gets some friends involved. Following the covid pandemic and the dramas that ensued, shops closing and people not mixing life is getting back to some sort of normal. The case he has asked to deal with is a problem in that Brunetti has not much information but he is asked to help a friend’s mother. She has a son in law that she is concerned about and Brunetti starts to investigate. There are gangs causing issues which takes some time to deal with and looking into the son in law is another strand to deal with. A charity has been set up – is it legal or not. Interesting theories. It is good to get back into these book and being with some many “old friends”. The book goes along as only Donna Leon’s books can and everything was tied up in a pretty bow at the end of the book, no loose ends. Very enjoyable being back in Brunetti world

This was a quite a slow burn and I wasn't sure where the book was going. I enjoyed it but I wasn't driven to read it in one go as I needed to know immediately what happened.

I liked the characters but felt at times the pace could have been picked up - or perhaps that was the point which wasn't my thing!

I have read one or two in this series before and so had some vague knowledge of the characters, however, you don’t really need to have read any of this series before there’s enough character info included to get the picture.. unfortunately, I know why after reading this book that I haven’t read more of this series. It lacked any real pace and felt like a very sluggish read, almost like I’m wading through every page. I didn’t enjoy the fact that the whole book is peppered with Italian sentences and not always with a translation- so either the reader is left to wonder (and maybe look up the words) or is expected to know Italian or Venetian. There seems to be two different dialects but it’s not clear within the book.
The whole ‘mystery’ itself lacked any excitement and was obvious and extremely drawn out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have read most, if not all, of Leon’s Brunetti books and they had started to feel a little sparse lately, but this one is a return to form. I feel great affection for Brunetti, his colleagues and his family and really love how the city is a character in the book. The details of daily life, which vaporetto Brunetti will take, what he eats, his commentary on what people wear all add to these carefully crafted crime novels. Brunetti’s love of Classics also makes me smile. As always these are as much a social commentary on modern day Italy as they are crime novels.

Leon’s handling of a city in the grip of a pandemic and the way in which each character’s juggling of what is, and isn’t ‘safe’ any more is deftly handled, with small details such as Vianello about to lick his finger to turn a page and then stopping himself, which will resonate with us all..

I've read several of the Inspector Brunetti novels by Donna Leon and have enjoyed seeing Brunetti and his family members, evolving as time passes by. The descriptions of modern day Venice and the character of the Venetians are fascinating. I have enjoyed all the Brunetti stories. Give Unto Others initially interested me because it was set just after the Covid pandemic and this made it feel very real and relatable. I liked the way Brunetti used his knowledge of human nature to fathom out the motivation of the crime. My only caveat was that the story appeared to end a little too abruptly.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily.
This is the first book I have read in this series so I am unable to compare it to others, but it seems possible to read it as a standalone novel as characters are introduced with a little background. It clearly demonstrates it is set as Covid restrictions are being reduced as there are such frequent references to facemasks, opening windows, distancing, lockdown and lack of touching others that I became irritated by the detail. There are many Italian words peppered through the narrative, not always with an explanation / translation but descriptions of buildings set the scene very well. I found the narrative style laboriously slow, so that by 15% there had only been 1 conversation about the case although the character reporting it admitted it sounded vague!
I did not find this engaged me, and if it is typical of the series I won't be reading any more.

The latest in the Detective Brunetti series. These novels have no big action and yet are totally engrossing. I love the characters, the main feature of course is the city of Venice.
I also enjoy the observations Leon makes about the nuances of the language, it's so interesting without being overlong and distracting.
An absorbing read.

Having been an avid fan of Donna Leon‘s Brunetti capers since the very first one in 1992, I am now thoroughly disappointed how low she has stooped in the last few boring books. It took me seven weeks to slog through To Give Unto Others. Set in pandemic-shaken Venice, there is all the more opportunity for endless descriptions of deserted streets, shut shops and their window displays, what number vaporetto Brunetti is taking to which destination, how many minutes the trip takes, where when on foot he turns left/right at the corner of campo X into calle Y, what he and his colleagues at the questura are wearing at any given day, the ancestry and mannerisms of each and any human mentioned, and of course at least one ‚vocabolo’ per page in italics - to name but a few totally irrelevant annoying pagefillers. Sorry, I‘ll definitely not read any more books by Donna Leon. Through netgalley and publisher Random House UK, Corner Stone I was given an ARC innreturn for my honest opinion.

Enjoyable read…. The gifted Venetian detective returns in his 31st case - this time, investigating the Janus-faced nature of yet another Italian institution. Brunetti will have to once again face the blurred line that runs between the criminal and the non-criminal, bending police rules, and his own character, to help an acquaintance in danger.

What happens when someone you knew long ago asks for help and that help ends up blurring the line between family obligation and criminal investigation?

The slow, gentle pace of this story almost hides the fact that there is some very clever story telling going on. Complicated matters are explained in ways that are easy to understand. In addition it’s always nice to come across a policeman who successfully combines work life and a happy home life.

The lines between loyalty and duty become blurred in this 31st instalment of the Venetian adventures of Commissario Guido Brunetti.
A long-time acquaintance, Elisabetta Foscarini, approaches him with a problem which she’d like to him probe unofficially. Her son in law, Enrico Fenzo, an accountant, has warned Elisabetta’s daughter that the family might be in danger because of his business dealings. Brunetti feels little warmth for Elisabetta but agrees to look into the matter out of loyalty to her mother who was kind to him when he was a boy.
Soon Brunetti gets tangled up in the machinations of a hospital charity set up by for the needy in far-flung Belize. Brunetti calls on some of his colleagues to help him in the private investigation which ratchets up when Elisabetta’s daughter’s veterinary practice is vandalised. A mystery woman, exotic holidays and the increasing dementia of a local admiral who’s involved in the charity add to the perplexing nature of the case.
Leon can be relied upon to serve up a fascinating exploration of the hazy lines between good and bad, with the canals of Venice the conduit along which the action unfolds. The reader finds comfort in the gentle domestic bliss of the Brunetti household, which acts as a foil to the murky business that lurks beyond. A satisfying page-turner.
Sandy Cook

Give unto Others is a wonderful, gentle book which is completely unflashy but totally absorbing. Venice is still the lead character but the pandemic has made the writing even more notable. I love the way that Brunetti unlike so many fictional detectives has a happy home life.
Thanks to the author and to the publishers and Netgalley for the opportunity to access an ARC.

A master storyteller at work. It's a while since I read a Donna Leon book and I had forgotten how good she is. The characters and storyline are both believable. Unlike so many modern authors, there are no tricks or padding - no telling the story from different characters points of views and jumping timelines. A joy to read.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.