Uniform Justice (Penguin Mysteries (Paperback))

From Publishers Weekly

In this superb novel, Leon's latest in the Commissario Guido Brunetti series (A Noble Radiance, etc.), the Venetian police detective and family man is summoned to the exclusive San Martino Military Academy, where Cadet Ernesto Moro has been found dead, hanging in the lavatory. The other cadets and the academy brass give a chilly reception to any "civilians" who trespass into their midst, including the Venetian police. Believing Cadet Moro was the victim of homicide rather than suicide, Brunetti traces a sinister trail that leads to the dead boy's father, a doctor-turned-politician who once revealed then ducked the ramifications of a military procurement scandal. This is not the Venice of Thomas Mann or Henry James-the palazzos, gondoliers and Doges' monuments are all but overlooked. Leon's city is winter-cold and gray, with corruption rather than gilt glinting through the fog, and a culture in the grip of a Kafkaesque bureaucracy that runs on secrets and bribes. Humane and intelligent, a good man working in an impossible system, Brunetti displays an acerbic, economical wisdom. The plot flows along like the Adriatic tide through a narrow canal-swift, none-too-clean and inevitable. This is an outstanding book, deserving of the widest audience possible, a chance for American readers to again experience a master practitioner's art. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the

Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile

David Colacci's reading of this mystery is done with a slight Italian accent, which creates a feel of authenticity. His voice sounds thoughtful and strongly masculine, like that of Commissario Brunetti himself, who continues to have faith in humanity even though he is immersed in the politics and corruption that are rampant in this darkly portrayed city of Venice. Brunetti is called in on the case of the son of a reform-minded politician, who appears to have committed suicide at an exclusive military academy. The evil that Brunetti sees in the world is offset by his wife's philosophical and kind outlook, which Colacci portrays effectively with a softer voice. D.T.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the

Audio CD edition.