So Shall You Reap (Guido Brunetti Series #32)

by Donna Leon Narrated by David Colacci

Overview

Guido Brunetti is baffled by the apparent murder of a seemingly innocuous immigrant man, until a connection to his own youthful past resolves the story of the man's death and a decades-old disappearance
On a cold November evening, Guido Brunetti and Paola are up late when a call from his colleague Ispettore Vianello arrives, alerting the Commissario that a hand has been seen in one of Venice's canals. The body is soon found, and Brunetti is assigned to investigate the murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant.
Because no official record of the man's presence in Venice exists, Brunetti is forced to use the city's far richer sources of information: gossip and the memories of people who knew the victim. Curiously, he had been living in a small house on the grounds of a palazzo owned by a university professor, in which Brunetti
discovers books revealing the victim's interest in Buddhism, the revolutionary Tamil Tigers, and the last crop of Italian political terrorists, active in the 1980s.
As the investigation expands, Brunetti, Vianello, Commissario Griffoni, and Signora Elettra each assemble pieces of a puzzle-random information about real estate and land use, books, university friendships-that appear to have little in common.
Then, Brunetti stumbles over something that transports him back to his own student days, causing him to reflect on lost ideals and the errors of youth, on Italian politics and history, and on the accidents that sometimes lead to discovery.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

David Colacci narrates a thoughtful mystery overflowing with Venetian culture and history. Number 32 in the series featuring the illustrious Commissario Guido Brunetti focuses on the horrific murder of a Sri Lankan immigrant. Brunetti met the victim before his death, but there's no proof the dead man ever existed before that. Colacci imbues the story with patient gravitas. Every character benefits from a varied voicing with subtle touches that help them stand apart but remain distinctly Colacci. The diction is clear and precise, and the Italian accents are delightfully tasteful. The story ambles along as Brunetti investigates with compassion and heart, complemented by Colacci's wonderfully performed narration. This is a strong addition to the long-running series. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

01/02/2023

The torture murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant, whose body was dumped in a Venice canal, drives bestseller Leon’s enjoyable 32nd outing for Commissario Guido Brunetti (after 2022’s Give unto Others). The man had been living in a converted garden home behind a decaying palazzo, where Brunetti had met him the day before. Brunetti was inquiring whether the palazzo owned by a university professor was for sale. With no official record the man even existed, Brunetti taps into Venice’s gossip chain and the memories of longtime residents to investigate. He comes to suspect that the death may be related to Italy’s complicated history and politics. Along the way, Brunetti is reminded that Venice is basically a small town where “everyone... knows something about everyone.” Brunetti’s respect for his squad, coupled with his detectives’ regard for him, plays a major part in the crime solving, while the portrait of his strong marriage and solid relationship with his family serves to reinforce his beloved character. As usual, the rich backdrop of Venice complements the well-designed plot. Leon shows no signs of losing steam. Agent: Susanne Bauknecht, Diogenes Verlag (Switzerland). (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Praise for So Shall You Reap:

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

Named a Best Book of the Month by Amazon (Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense)

“A real-estate query leads to more troubled waters for Venice’s Commissario Guido Brunetti . . . The commissario’s company and sensibility keep a reader in thrall throughout this and every entry in Ms. Leon’s indispensable series.”—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

“Donna Leon provides another delectable slice of the thoughtful policeman’s life at work and at home—where his wife, Paola (an expert on Henry James), keeps him and their two children, Chiara and Raffi, on their toes. So Shall You Reap is as witty and wise as anything Leon has written. To read her is to restore the soul.”—Mark Sanderson, Times (UK)

“As always, Brunetti’s sensitivity to the human factor in his work—apparent in his sense of responsibility to the victims and his empathy with nearly all those he encounters—is what draws the reader to care for this character in a way that is very different from how we respond to most fictional sleuths. Add to that the richness of Brunetti’s domestic life—loving but never sentimental, defined more by a raised eyebrow than a rhetorical flourish—and you begin to see why this series occupies a very special place in the crime-fiction world. Over several decades, Leon has built an adoring band of readers who can’t get enough of Guido Brunetti and his family of colleagues and loved ones.”—Booklist (starred review)

“There is no better literary tour guide to Venice and the surrounding landscape than Leon, and each entry provides complex, memorable characters and storylines that touch the moral center of the human spirit . . . So Shall You Reap is authentic throughout and lives up to the lofty reputation that Donna Leon has rightly earned for this series, which never fails to enlighten with each new intriguing mystery.”—Book Reporter

“The torture murder of an undocumented Sri Lankan immigrant, whose body was dumped in a Venice canal, drives bestseller Leon’s enjoyable 32nd outing for Commissario Guido Brunetti . . . Brunetti’s respect for his squad, coupled with his detectives’ regard for him, plays a major part in the crime solving, while the portrait of his strong marriage and solid relationship with his family serves to reinforce his beloved character. As usual, the rich backdrop of Venice complements the well-designed plot. Leon shows no signs of losing steam.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for Donna Leon’s Commissario Guido Brunetti Mysteries:

“This endlessly enjoyable series, with its deep thoughts about justice and vengeance and charming classical allusions, can’t help making you smile.”—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review

“[Leon] has never become perfunctory, never failed to give us vivid portraits of people and of Venice, never lost her fine, disillusioned indignation.”—Ursula K. LeGuin, New York Times

“You become so wrapped up in these compelling characters . . . Each one is better than the last.”—Louise Erdrich, PBS NewsHour

“Few detective writers create so vivid, inclusive, and convincing a narrative as Donna Leon . . . One of the most exquisite and subtle detective series ever.”—Washington Post

“The sophisticated but still moral Brunetti, with his love of food and his loving family, proves a worthy custodian of timeless values and verities.”—Wall Street Journal

“[Leon] uses the relatively small and crime-free canvas of Venice for rips about Italian life, sexual styles and—best of all—the kind of ingrown business and political corruption that seems to lurk just below the surface.”—Chicago Tribune

“Hers is an unusually potent cocktail of atmosphere and event.”—New Yorker

“For those who know Venice, or want to, Brunetti is a well-versed escort to the nooks, crannies, moods, and idiosyncrasies of what residents call La Serenissima, the Serene One . . . Richly atmospheric, [Leon] introduces you to the Venice insiders know.”—USA Today

“Donna Leon is the undisputed crime fiction queen . . . Leon’s ability to capture the social scene and internal politics [of Venice] is first-rate.”—Baltimore Sun

“Terrific at providing, through its weary but engaging protagonist, a strong sense of the moral quandaries inherent in Italian society and culture.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Brunetti is one of the most attractive policemen in crime fiction today.”—Philadelphia Inquirer

“As always, Brunetti is highly attuned to (and sympathetic toward) the failings of the humans around him.”—Seattle Times

“Leon’s writing trembles with true feeling.”—Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Leon started out with offhand, elegant excellence, and has simply kept it up.”—Guardian

“Compassionate yet incorruptible, Brunetti knows that true justice doesn’t always end in an arrest or a trial.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Brunetti] is a superb police detective—calm, deliberate, and insightful as he investigates with a reflective thoroughness.”—Library Journal

“The appeal of Guido Brunetti, the hero of Donna Leon's long-running Venetian crime series, comes not from his shrewdness, though he is plenty shrewd, nor from his quick wit. It comes, instead, from his role as an Everyman . . . [his life is] not so different from our own days at the office or nights around the dinner table. Crime fiction for those willing to grapple with, rather than escape, the uncertainties of daily life.”—Booklist

“It’s difficult to describe the work of Donna Leon other than in superlatives . . . An annual blessing, a fine series—one of the finest (see what I mean) in the mystery (or any) genre . . . There are few reading joys that equal cracking the binding of a new Leon novel . . . If you have not experienced this world, so exotic and yet so familiar, you can pick up literally any volume in the series and begin a comfortable entry into Brunetti’s Venice.”—BookReporter

“One of the most popular crime series worldwide . . . While the Brunetti books, with their abundance of local color and gastronomic treats, appeal to the fans of the traditional mystery, Leon has something darker and deeper in mind.”—Life Sentence

“No author has delved into Venetian society quite like Leon, whose insider’s view shows how crime seeps throughout the city, touching all strata of society.”—Mystery Scene

APRIL 2023 - AudioFile

David Colacci narrates a thoughtful mystery overflowing with Venetian culture and history. Number 32 in the series featuring the illustrious Commissario Guido Brunetti focuses on the horrific murder of a Sri Lankan immigrant. Brunetti met the victim before his death, but there's no proof the dead man ever existed before that. Colacci imbues the story with patient gravitas. Every character benefits from a varied voicing with subtle touches that help them stand apart but remain distinctly Colacci. The diction is clear and precise, and the Italian accents are delightfully tasteful. The story ambles along as Brunetti investigates with compassion and heart, complemented by Colacci's wonderfully performed narration. This is a strong addition to the long-running series. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176733792
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	03/14/2023
Series:	Guido Brunetti Series , #32
Edition description:	Unabridged

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