This book No. 33 in Commissioner Brunetti's series tells of the Nassiriya massacre and how it was connected to the theft of Iraqi artwork. Obviously it is a work of fiction, as is the Venice that is a victim of baby gangs, partly because I don't think enough kids can even be found to go to school in present-day Venice anymore, but I'm surely wrong. Anyway, Brunetti is always a sure read, and this time too I enjoyed reading a good detective story where there is actually no victim until the penultimate page.

Questo libro n. 33 nella serie del commissario Brunetti, racconta della strage di Nassiriya e di come fosse collegata al furto delle opere d'arte irachene. Ovviamente é un'opera di fantasia, cosí come la Venezia vittima delle baby gang, anche perché non credo che si trovino nemmeno piú sufficienti ragazzi per andare a scuola nell'attuale Venezia, ma sicuramente mi sbaglio. Comunque Brunetti é sempre una sicurezza e anche stavolta mi sono divertita a leggere un buon giallo dove in realtá non c'é una vittima fino alla penultima pagina.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

"In the thirty-third installment of Donna Leon's magnificent series, Commissario Guido Brunetti confronts a present-day Venetian menace and the ghosts of a heroism that never was.

Around one AM on an early spring morning, two teenage gangs are arrested after clashing violently in one of Venice's squares. Commissario Claudia Griffoni, on duty that night, perhaps ill-advisedly walks the last of the boys home because his father, Dario Monforte, failed to pick him up at the Questura. Coincidentally, Guido Brunetti is asked by a wealthy friend of Vice-Questore Patta to vet Monforte for a job, triggering Brunetti's memory that twenty years earlier Monforte had been publicly celebrated as the hero of a devastating bombing of the Italian military compound in Iraq. Yet Monforte had never been awarded a medal either by the Carabinieri, his service branch, or by the Italian government.

That seeming contradiction, and the brutal attack on one of Brunetti's colleagues, Enzo Bocchese, by a possible gang member, concentrate Brunetti's attentions. Surprisingly empowered by Patta, supported by Signorina Elettra's extraordinary research abilities and by his wife, Paola's, empathy, Brunetti, with Griffoni, gradually discovers the sordid hypocrisy surrounding Monforte's past, culminating in a fiery meeting of two gangs and a final opportunity for redemption.

A Refiner's Fire is Donna Leon at her very best: an elegant, sophisticated storyteller whose indelible characters become richer with each book, and who constantly explores the ambiguity between moral and legal justice."

My Mom sure knew how to pick good mysteries series. This was a favorite of hers.

Venice’s glow seems to be a bit tarnished, and a bit duller in this 33rd installment of the Commissario Guido Brunetti series as youth gangs, pickpockets and even an occasional mugger have become a bit more prevalent than in the past. Even Brunetti’s boss has been mugged, although in his case the results may be positive. Leon’s story revolves around the so-called baby gangs, and the 2003 truck bombing of an Italian Carabinieri headquarters in Nasiriyah, Iraq, killing 18 service members.. Leon weaves the two stories together in a way I’ve come to love, and as always, Brunetti’s reflections on the issues he faces are well written and sometimes thought provoking. The ending left me wanting a bit more, and the overall feeling of sadness added to that. I would still highly recommend the book to other readers who love the series, although it’s not one of my favorites. One can only hope Venice can find her way through the problems she’s facing, some that are unique to her, so the name La Serenissima continues to be appropriate.

This is a wonderful if slightly scary view of modern Venice. Fewer and fewer people populate the streets and houses and gangs are forming among the bored teens who remain. Knowing that Leon frequently uses real life headlines for her tales, makes me wonder if the Venetian tourist board will like her story--well, maybe they will since they seem to hope for fewer tourists . As always, her plotting and continual insights into the mind of Detective and his family kept me glued to the page. However, I did feel that this latest installment seemed a bit rushed at the end.
I was saddened to see one of the series stalwart side characters, Bocchese, will be leaving the series--well , the Questura at least. He is not moving out of town, so he might appear in another episode.
This is the 34th episode of the adventures of Inspector Brunetti, yet Leon makes it fresh. If you have never read any of the series and start with this one, you will not be lost, but I'm not sure this one will make you want to read the rest of the series--but let me say, you should. This is good, but others rise to the level of magnificent.
Giving this a 4 or 3.75 if I cold .

With a long-running series like the Brunetti novels, it is difficult to find something new and original to say! Suffice it to say that La Serenissima comes across as a jewel, as always, Guido is on top form, the writing exemplary and the plot very interesting.

I have read and enjoyed all 32 previous books of this series. I didn't expect to find much new in this 33rd  instalment, it is a tried and true formula, so what could be different apart from the new murder, the new small strokes…?
Don't get me wrong I am not saying it as if walking known paths is a bad thing, the familiar is comforting, it makes us feel safe.

I keep coming back to the series because I love the world Donna Leon has created, Brunetti, and all his surrounding characters I want always more of, knowing that part of this desirability is born from keeping them unattainable… If we knew all the secrets behind signorina Elettra she would be a less powerful character, I believe.

We have all that in this book, all the familiar landscapes and people inhabiting them and the tone a bit sad that is characteristic of it, and of course, Venezia, but there are also changes that I found interesting. For instance, the book doesn't develop around a murder that happens in the beginning and it doesn't end with Guido and me as a reader with him feeling the sadness of knowing that nothing is really solved in the end, that we are losing at this game called life as a species, maybe this feeling accompanied me through the book more intrinsically than other times.
There are more plots this time, and maybe at some points it seems they lose some strength between the others or it seems so to me and yet in the end I kept feeling I read a Brunetti and I didn't feel disappointed at all even if at some points I felt Guido was less the lead character than other times.

Some well-known characters show us surprises we'll have to see grow in new books. And there is an American woman whose description reminded me of Donna Leon herself, but maybe I am overreaching here.

So, if it is your first book of the series (it could happen), I don't know what to say to you. If you are an old hand here, expect some kind of subtle difference, difficult for me to pinpoint and yet you can't fail to notice it is there. I enjoyed it. But let's be honest, after 33 books together, I am more than biased.

This book was kindly given to me for me to review but my opinions are my own and not weighted by the gift.

This is the 33rd installment in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series. "Baby" gangs are causing trouble in public places in Venice. When a group of the young teen marauders is brought to the police station Griffoni offers to take one boy, whose father can't be reached, home. The boy's father had been called a hero 20 years ago in Iraq. Brunetti is concerned about Bocchese, head of the forensic lab. who is acting out of character. The two plot point will eventually meet and end in a dramatic way.
This Brunetti was a bit underwhelming with several threads some of which are dropped along the way. Guido's family makes a token appearance and there are a couple of philosophical discussions about the nature of beauty. Not one Leon's best.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for the ARC

Baby gangs are causing chaos fighting each other.. Claudia Griffon, a law enforcement officer shows compassion for a baby gang member, Orlando. His father is a former carabinieri who is labeled a hero during an attack during the Iraqi war. Brunetti investigates the truth behind this claim. An interesting read. There are lots of details about the history of Italy.

As always, a wonderful and engaging read from Leon's Commissario Brunetti series. With all her well crafted descriptions of Venice and of the Inspector's inner monologue, we follow along as Guido investigates until the satisfying conclusion.

Another intriguing title from Dona Leon. I’m not of the camp that likes all of her titles. However, the multiple story lines in this one are well knitted together. Familiar characters are engagingly employed and the comments on today’s social situations are expertly woven into the storyline.

33rd installment of the series and the series is still captivating following Commissario Guido Brunetti's investigations and seeing Venice through his eyes. In this outing, Guido is asked to vet builder Dario Monforte for a job Of course nothing is straight forward. What Guido uncovers bring up more questions than answers about the man's past. Thank you netgalley for the reading copy.

There is a problem in Venice caused by "baby gangs:" young teens who are causing trouble. Griffoni tries to help one of the boys, Orlando, and her good deed does not go unpunished. Then one of their colleagues is attacked. In the course of the investigation, Brunetti and Griffoni learn of an event that happened years ago in Iraq involving Orlando's father and some stolen artifacts. Was he really a hero, as was proclaimed? Certainly, Venice doesn't sound like a pleasant tourist destination in this book, and I was disappointed at the number of loose plot threads that were left hanging. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Book thirty three, in a series I feel I’ve been reading forever. The first book, featuring Venice based senior policeman Guido Brunetti, was published more than thirty years ago. The stories are as much about Venice and it’s unique culture as it is about a crime that challenges Guido in each episode. In actual fact, it’s sometimes rather difficult to spot the crime. In the course of this series, readers will have gotten to know Brunetti’s family and his colleagues pretty well; here the focus falls significantly on Guido’s fellow Commissario, Claudia Griffoni.

So called <i>baby gangs</i>, groups of youths in their early teens, have been clashing in the city. In effect, rival gangs have been communicating online with a view to meeting for a mass punch-up. Nobody has gotten seriously injured – yet – but it’s tying up police resource and drawing criticism from all sources. Then, one night after the arrest of a group of youths, Claudia offers to escort the last remaining boy home, the others having been already collected from the police station by their parents. Though this task is completed without drama, it is to draw retrospective criticism and a degree of threat for Griffoni.

Another of Brunetti’s colleagues is also having his problems: Enzo Bocchese, the quiet, almost reclusive, head technician at the questura (police station). It seems he’s being bullied a young man who lives in an apartment in the same building as Enzo. There are a number of other issues occupying Guido’s mind too, but none of any real consequence. This gives him plenty of time to slip home early for a meal with his wife and family, or to simply put his feet up and read. There’s always time to stop for a coffee too. Well, it’d be rude not to. Then, after a meal at his father-in-law’s palazzo, he’s able stroll through the city with his wife and admire the beauty and tranquillity of this glorious place they call home.

The various threads here, some of which seem relatively benign, do eventually come together in what is actually an explosive ending. As always with this series I was sad to finish my latest visit to this city, and bring to my visit to what I would now call my friends to an end. I miss these people and this place for eleven months each year, but I look forward to being reunited with them again – hopefully next year.

Thirty three volumes in, and Guido Brunetti hasn’t lost his appeal. This is one of my favorite series. The stories are not flashy, but they are consistently good. The key is the characters. Guido, his family, his colleagues and the civilians caught up in their investigations. I’m the type of reader who enjoys non-stop action, so I can’t explain why I adore these low-key novels. It may be that they are a love letter to Venice, and the characters breathe and seem like old friends. This one is about the violence that pervades younger generations, the meaning of heroism and how bad people can do good things. It is about misguided youth, the beauty of things and a dark secret from another place and time. All the dialogues are gold, and Brunetti has been evolving and changing, while being the same ambiguous Commisario who never fails to see the difference between justice and retribution. Very well written and a joy to read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Grove Atlantic | Atlantic Monthly Press.

I rate this book an easy 4 stars. Donna Leon writes mysteries that are easy and pleasant to read. Her Commissario Guido Brunetti is a kind, compassionate Policeman who has learned how to navigate the police bureaucracy over the years. He knows when to listen and not say what he thinks when talking to a superior. This book is number 33 in the series and I have only read 4 books in the series. They can be read as stand alones. This book has Brunetti working with Claudia Griffoni and others to confront two problems: a confrontation between two rival gangs of teenagers and a decades old coverup of theft of Iraqi artifacts.
Brunetti does resolve both cases with a satisfactory ending. Readers who want mysteries with no foul language, graphic sex or violence, will enjoy this series.
Thank You Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. #ARefinersFire #NetGalley.

It’s Spring in Venice, and Commissario Guido Brunetti and his colleagues are alarmed by increasing activity of what they call “Baby Gangs”… groups of teenage boys trying to prove their manhood by vandalizing local shops and beating up on each other. One of these boys becomes the focus of Leon’s latest Brunetti book, as his family threatens police who have detained him after one of these gang skirmishes.
The real pleasure for me in Donna Leon’s Brunetti books is not the crime to be solved, it is in the characters who solve the crimes. No car chases or explosions, just police work done by characters I have come to know over my many years of enjoying this series. And if you are an audiobook fan, the audios are wonderfully read by David Colacci.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

A REFINER'S FIRE is the newest addition to the Commissario Brunetti mystery series, written by Donna Leon. Two gangs of boys are taken into custody in Piazza San Marco. Commissario Claudia Griffoni tells Guido Brunetti she is thankful that the 22 testosterone-laden boys did not grow violent during the encounter. Griffoni befriends one of the boys, and the mystery begins. I read on to see what happens.

It's a pleasure to return to Guido Brunetti's Venice and read about him, his co-workers, his wife, and his children. Each book in the series may deal with a different mystery but the basic cast of wonderful characters remains the same. There are times while reading Donna Leon's books when I have to stop and think about life. Since her writing is so skillful, I easily return to the story. I appreciate the powerful ending of this novel. I look forward to reading future books in the series. Thank you, Grove Atlantic and NetGalley, for giving me the chance to read and review an advance reader copy of A REFINER'S FIRE.

A Refiners Fire Donna Leon
4 stars

Brunetti never fails to impress

I have read all of the Guido Brunetti books and have always enjoyed them although some more than others. In this book I found the storyline not as interesting as usual. It revolves around a supposed hero, Dario Monforte, who had performed a heroic act many years ago but surprisingly had never received a medal. He is brought to Brunetti’s attention when his son, Orlando, is caught up in a group of youngsters causing trouble at night. Commisario Claudia Griffoni decides to take Orlando home in the early hours and is then reported for potential sexual assault by Monforte. This brings the man to Brunetti’s attention and he begins to investigate the so-called heroic actions attributed to him during the Iraqi war.

I was not particularly interested in the storyline in this book but, as always the insight into Italy and in particular Venice is always fascinating as is the daily domestic life of Guido and his wife and children. I always enjoy the insight into their lives and in particular their wonderful meals but this was not as frequent as usual which I missed. Some of the other delightful characters that we have come to know are also expanded on especially Brunetti’s boss, Vice Questore Patta who seems a changed man in this book, hopefully this will continue. But, as always, the city of Venice takes centre stage and we gain a real insight into the real Venice and not the tourist city. Long may Ms Leon continue her stories they are always worth reading. .

Karen Deborah
Net Galley

In her 33rd installment of the series, Donna Leon once again transports us to the enchanting city of Venice, guiding us through the labyrinthine streets alongside Commissario Brunetti. While I may have missed a few of the series' novels, my fondness for them remains steadfast, a testament to Leon's captivating world.

This time, the story starts with Commissario Claudia Griffoni.  Venice became a playground for teenager gangs, so-called "baby gangs," and Griffoni finds herself slightly torn between her role as a law enforcer and a compassionate woman.  A young Orlando could have been her son, and she feels she should at least listen to him: he seems to be a gentle boy with a rather strict father, a former Carabinieri who received the Medal of Valour after he heroically saved other soldiers. The story gets complicated, and soon, Commissario Brunetti tries to solve the jigsaw puzzle of false assumptions and human tragedies. He compassionately investigates the case of those who suffered while maintaining his integrity. There is less of Brunetti, a family man, and more of him working. Yes, he treasures his time with his wife and children, but we can see that soon Paula and Guido will become empty nesters.

 As in Donna Leon's other mysteries, this is not simply a "whodunit" but a novel that gives a reader a glimpse into Italian history, the present, and the people of Venice. Sure, there are cute cafes with brioche and espresso and pizzerias where Guido and Paula dine, but the view is often not something that tourists want to see, and the mood becomes darker than on a sunny postcard.

3.5 stars, rounded down
After 33 books, I’m so impressed that Leon has found a novel plot thesis for this book. The story begins with two young gangs, “baby gangs” as they’re called, meeting up on a piazza in the early morning hours. It's a case of juvenile testosterone acting up. Think the Sharks and the Jets. All are arrested and parents called to come pick them up. All but one boy is collected and Commissario Griffoni, on call that night, walks that last boy home. It turns out that the boy's father was a hero in Iraq. Leon even uses a real life incident in Nasiriyah, Iraq, which killed 18 Italian soldiers as the basis for this plot line. But why, if he was a hero, was he never awarded a medal? Thus begins Brunetti and Griffoni’s search into the truth of the story.
Meanwhile, there’s been a sea change in Vice-Questore Patta. He’s lost weight and changed his hair style. But it’s his attitude that’s the biggest change. It’ll be interesting to see if this change is lasting.
I will admit that I found this story to be more convoluted than typical. There are subplots concerning one of the youths attacking a coworker of Brunetti and possible blackmail against Griffoni. The story seemed a bit discombobulated and I would have liked more resolution to some of the storylines.
As always, I came away feeling I had a true grasp on life in Venice. I adore Brunetti and am also enjoying getting to know more about Griffoni. Guido’s family barely makes an appearance, which was a shame.
This was an interesting addition to the series, but not one of the stronger stories.
My thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for an advance copy of this book.