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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!!

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Further delights in the compelling series staring Comissario Guido Brunetti (this is #29). When a dying woman summons the police to her bedside, Guido Brunetti listens to her gasped words, phrases barely intelligible. But they haunt him, and he decides to begin a cursory investigation. Soon, he digs in in earnest, unravelling a complex, long in place scheme that endangers an entire area of Italy.
Brunetti is no one-dimensional cop. His family is lively and challenging, his coworkers all lead lives that break into the life of the Questura, and of course Venice as an entity is alive and threatened to be overrun by increasing hordes of tourists. The quotidian moments are a good part of the charm of these books. While they can be read as stand-alones, don't deprive yourself of the pleasure of bingeing on the entire series..

law-enforcement, murder-investigation, Venice, eco-awareness, international-crime-and-mystery, family

Comissario Brunetti is more introspective than some, and that is what drives him to investigate an apparent fatal vehicle accident at the request of a young woman as she lay dying in hospice. Brunetti works in Venice where the traffic is as crazy as any big city with busses, police transport, multinational tourists, and pickpockets despite being at sea level and depending upon the canals. It's summer and the heat is abominable between the thermometer and the sunshine reflecting off the water, but the dress code must be maintained. I'm purposely not recapping the story and trying to avoid spoilers, but I sat up too late reading it, so that should tell a thing or two. The story is as convoluted and timely as reading Euronews or any major newspaper and, like the news, leaves some personal issues unfinished (just like the only other one I had the chance to read). Excellent!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

This latest Donna Leon novel follows the beloved Commissario Guido Brunetti as he is called to a woman's deathbed. She speaks of "bad money" that her dead husband received. Her husband's death looked like an accident but further investigation takes Brunetti to question the water pollutant inspections that had been conducted. It seems strange that a meticulous water inspector would be tied to bad money, but as Brunetti looks further he begins to see the extent of the danger and the corruption.

Trace Elements combines the best of Donna Leon's books. Brunetti has a real crime and mystery to solve. The investigation takes Brunetti outside of his area of expertise but his investigative skills and his ability to connect with those he interviews brings us to a satisfying conclusion. Brunetti's family, their camaraderie and their fantastic meals add another layer to this beloved series.