Earthly remains—a cautionary tale!

A young girl has died in hospital. Antonio Ruggieri, aged Forty-two and a lawyer from an influential Venetian family, who gave the girl the pills, has come to the Questura for an interview. He’s slick, assured and speaks disrespectfully about the girl.
His assistant Pucetti is angered and makes a move he shouldn’t. Staging a heart attack to stop Pucetti brings about other problems that Brunetti hadn’t considered.
Brunetti takes time off and spends it out on the laguna at the end of Sant’Erasmo at a villa of Paola’s Aunt Costanza.
Caretaking the house is Davide Casati, a famous rower who rowed with Brunetti’s father. Casati takes Brunetti rowing and shows him his bees out beyond on the laguna. The bees are dying.
Not long after this Casati is found, in his boat dead presumably injured when caught in a storm
Brunetti investigates. Things are not as they seem, but where is the proof.
It seems to me Leon looks at the injustices perpetrated by the powerful and then continued by those who don’t look at the costs with this novel
A girl dies. Why?
Casati dies. Why?
Bees are dying. Why? This last very much defines the story as we look to the past, investigate the now and are fearful for the future!
A very different Brunetti tale. Brunetti is internalising things. He’s worn down and much given to philosophising about his beloved Vienna, the nature of man and consequences.
I found this Guido Brunetti story looks at the man Brunetti’s, and in doing so, we learn more bout our favourite Venetian commissario.

A Grove Atlantic ARC via NetGalley.

Another Donna Leon triumph! Set in and around the beautiful setting of Venice which the author describes so well you feel like you have been there! Once again Leon's character, Commissario Brunetti is in the thick of the action.
Having done something rash and had a health scare, Brunetti takes a leave of absence to recover and let the fuss die down. However it is not long before the caretaker of the house he is staying in disappears. Brunetti has become close to this man and feels compelled to investigate.
I found this a gripping read with lots of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. Highly recommended.

Great story by Donna Leon. Highly recommend to others, brilliant setting really sets this apart. Must read!

Another success for Donna Leon. When I read her books there is a comfort in seeing favourite characters. This one does not disappoint. I always end up at the library to find episodes that I haven't read!

I don't know that it would be possible for Donna Leon to write a bad book. The characters we have come to love, the charm of Venice, along with its less savory underbelly, make a visit there always welcome. However having said that, I do wish Leon would take a break from writing about pollution and other environmental crimes. While I enjoyed this outing, it does seem we are rather in a rut.

Another wonderful addition to the Commissario brunetti series.
I love the setting, writing and characters and honestly the crime elements take a bit of a side point for me in those books. So much so that i honestly can't say if i would recommend this purely for the plot itself since i would never recommend starting the series with this -the 26th!- book in the series. and i would also say that at this point most readers are in this series and the continues books for characters, writing and setting as much as i am. So what do i even need to say about the plot anyways?
Great addition and should be read if you love the series!

In Earthly Remains, we follow Brunetti to an island in the laguna as he takes time away from Venice and his family. Brunetti discovers that the caretaker is an old friend of his father's. As Brunetti had so little time with his father, this chance to reestablish acquaintances and to learn more about his father is important to him.



When the old man goes missing, Brunetti is compelled to investigate. But Sant'Erasmo is very different from Venice and the ties and relationships that Brunetti knows and relies on in his hometown are not helpful to him here. I enjoyed reading Earthly Remains in part because we learn more about Brunetti and his childhood but also because we're given the chance to observe his and his skills in a new place. Overall, Earthly Remains is a satisfying addition to a delightful series.

"Donna Leon’s bestselling mystery novels set in Venice have won a multitude of fans for their insider’s portrayal of La Serenissima. From family meals to coffee bars, and from vaporetti rides to the homes and apartments of Venetians, the details and rhythms of everyday life are an integral part of this beloved series. But so are the suffocating corruption, the never-ending influx of tourists, and crimes big and small. Through it all, Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti has been an enduring figure. A good man who loves his family and his city, Brunetti is relentless in his pursuit of truth and some measure of justice.

In Earthly Remains, the twenty-sixth novel in this series, Brunetti’s endurance is tested more than ever before. During an interrogation of an entitled, arrogant man suspected of giving drugs to a young girl who then died, Brunetti acts rashly, doing something he will quickly come to regret. In the fallout, he realizes that he needs a break, needs to get away from the stifling problems of his work.

When Brunetti is granted leave from the Questura, his wife, Paola, suggests he stay at the villa of a relative on Sant’Erasmo, one of the largest islands in the laguna. There he intends to pass his days rowing, and his nights reading Pliny’s Natural History. The recuperative stay goes according to plan until Davide Casati, the caretaker of the house on Sant’Erasmo, goes missing following a sudden storm. Now, Brunetti feels compelled to investigate, to set aside his leave of absence and understand what happened to the man who had become his friend.

Earthly Remains is quintessential Donna Leon, a powerful addition to this celebrated series."

For my mom, who loves this series.

This book is very different from others in the series, it's less of a mystery and more of a musing on the environment, aging, loss, and grief. There are some beautiful pieces of writing here, especially in the descriptions of rowing and nature. The pace of the book is slow and the mystery unravels gently but ends on a rather enigmatic note.

Commissario Brunetti has taken a leave of absence from work due to stress; he has retreated to a small Venetian island in the lagoon to read and row in the sun. Then Donna Leon plunges him into the mystery of the Earthly Remains of a labourer found drowned with his boat in the lagoon. Worse the beekeeper was a new friend. How did he die? As usual Brunetti threads Venetian corruption, legalities and family relationships in this excellent mystery

Another glimpse into the life and career of Guido Brunetti is always a pleasure to be savored. The sensitive, sometimes quirky Venetian policeman is back with another deep dive into the murky waters of Italian business and politics. One senses that Brunetti (and perhaps his author?) is preparing himself for retirement. I only hope that Guido and Paula have more adventures to come, even if they are not based in the Venetian Questore!

I have read every one of the 26 books in this series and I enjoyed every one of them. Yes, I enjoyed this one, too, but it wasn't what I expected. I missed the City of Venice with her color and life. I missed Guido's family and co-workers and all of the people who cross his path in coffee houses, etc. This could almost be a stand alone. The pace is very, very languid, very Italian. It is a different world for Guido, one he needs to recharge his soul. But, for me, it may have been a bit too languid for my current reading mood. But, in the end, it was good to spend time with Guido, to learn about bees and rowing and to revel in the word pictures painted by Donna Leon. Because, no matter what the mystery is, no matter the setting, her passion for Venice is always there.

Earthly Remains the 26th novel in Donna Leon’s celebrated Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Series, begins when a young girl is given drugs at a party and later dies, and the man accused is one like we all know who refuses to take the blame and is arrogant enough to know that he won’t actually have to pay for his crime due to his social status. Brunetti has had it, and almost has a breakdown and it is decided that he needs a vacation. His wife, Paola, arranges for him to stay at the villa of one of her relatives. While on his “vacation,” Brunetti relaxes, gets into rowing, and then gets involved in what is most likely a murder.

Although this novel is well-written, as is typical for Leon, the story doesn’t grab and flow like some of the previous novels in the series. The story line isn’t as fascinating as some of those in Leon’s other books, and some of the characters aren’t as developed as would be expected. However, even though Earthly Remains isn’t the best in the series, it is much better than some in the same genre written by other less accomplished authors, and is, of course, worth reading by everyone who enjoys Commissario Guido Brunetti and the Venetian setting. Reading Leon’s books makes readers feel like they are in Venice. Leon has a way of familiarizing readers with Venice in all of her books, so that readers feel that they have actually visited Venice and can picture it in their minds.

Fans of the Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Series, which most likely includes anyone who has read Leon’s novels, will want to pick this one up.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This was not my favorite Donna Leon mostly because it did not take place on Venice. Brunetti spends time alone on the island of San'Erasmo hoping to relax after a brutal case. But rather than peace and quiet, he again finds death. A find writer, Leon evokes places nicely, but I would like to remain in Venice.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

I have read many of the books in the Commissario Brunetti series and this one did not quite meet the standards set by the others. This book did not keep the reader guessing as in most of her other books...the conclusion seemed fairly obvious. Ms. Leon often decries the pollution and corruption that spoil her beautiful city of Venice, but in this book, she carries it to an extreme. I do not feel that the new characters were drawn particularly well.

I won't be posting reviews online or on any platforms. Please see notes to publisher above.

It’s book No. 26 in Donna Leon’s mesmerizing Guido Brunetti series. And, hot off the presses, our Ms Leon continues to hold us hostage to one of the best police procedural on the market. Ms Leon always presents a fresh look, a new angle, and continuing depth of character in her series. In addition to openly criticizing the Italian governing bodies for their corruption and ineptitude, especially in Venice, where her books are set, she always addresses at least one socially relevant issue in each book, as she does here.

4 stars
This is book 26 in the Guido Brunetti series. Brunetti is a Commissario Police officer in Venice, Italy. He takes a medical leave of absence after faking a heart attack in order to stop a subordinate from attacking a suspect during an interview. His wife arranges for him to spend two weeks at a villa owned by one of her wealthy relatives. He becomes friends with Davide Casati, the caretaker of the villa. Casati and Brunetti's father were rowing partners many years ago and he and Brunetti start rowing every day in the canals around Venice.
But then Casati goes missing and his daughter asks Brunetti for help. Brunetti does find his body and starts an informal investigation. What he finds leads him to a long ago explosion at a chemical plant and some buried secrets. I found the ending to be somewhat unsatisfactory, but perhaps realistic, given a certain amount of corruption in Italy. Brunetti is an honest, dedicated police officer, experienced in the ways of navigating through bureaucracy and being told to stop investigating sensitive matters.
Some quotes:
"Brunetti, urban to his marrow, was incapable of distinguishing the scent of one flower from another, but the scent pleased him."
"After a long time, he went back into the house to prepare his solitary dinner, well, solitary save for the company of Gaius Plinius Secundus, dead for nearly two thousand millennia but very much present to Brunetti."
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book.

I have enjoyed reading all of Donna Leon's books over the years. She almost always takes a very timely topic and weaves a tale of mystery and of her knowledge of Italy, and Italian politics in particular, around it. Some of her later books were not as much to my liking but the writing is always good. For someone like Ms. Leon, it is easy to give a pass while awaiting the next mystery.

Beastly Things, in my opinion, makes up for any boredom I experienced.. It is beautifully written and slowly unwinds as Ispettatore Brunetti takes a much needed period of relaxation on the island of Sant'Erasmo. He had suffered a black out that could have been a heart attack and was willing to go away. On the island, he meets an old friend of his father's. The two were part of a winning rowing team many, many years before. So Brunetti starts rowing with his father's old friend, Davide Casati. Every day, they visit parts of the lagoon that Sant'Erasmo is located in.
Casati takes care of bees as well as other duties. The bees are dying. Neither man talks much and after Casati is found dead, presumably by his own hand, Brunetti realizes he knows very little about him.

And thus the story slowly ambulates. Just like a boat slowly rowing it's way around the Lagoon, this story, mostly dialogue, moves through questions looking for answers and mysteries and more mysteries. The timely theme took me by surprise but it shouldn't have. And, like so many of Ms. Leon's books, once the mystery is solved, there is actually nothing Brunetti can do.

Ms. Leon understands Italy and Italian politics so well and her knowledge is an integral part of every book. It is one of the pleasures of reading her books--learning so much about this intriguing country. We have also watched Brunetti's marriage mature and his children grow up. I haven't been to Venice since I was in my very early 20s but I do feel like I'm returning to visit old friends each time a new book comes out.

Donna Leon continues to be a strong favorite. This book is more internal than many other Brunetti outings, adding new layers of intrigue. The island setting makes for increased interest, and the plot surrounding the death of bees is timely and mysterious.
A special "knot" of a mystery.