About this title: Venetian cop, Commissario Guido Brunetti, wonders whom he knows to bring pressure on a local government department, to investigate the lack of official building approval on his apartment. But when that same official phones him at work, clearly scared by some information he plans to give Brunetti, and is later found dead after a fall from ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Good. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Arrow Books
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099269328ISBN:0099269325
Description: Grade: C. Catalog: Mystery Crime Synopsis: 337 pages. When Commissario Guido Brunetti is visited by a young bureaucrat invesigating the lack of official approval for the building of his apartme... read more
Description: Very Good. 0099269325 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780143114147ISBN:014311414X
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Very slight cover wear only. A nice copy. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 326 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Very Good. 0099269325 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Description: New. Orders placed after Dec. 7 cannot be guaranteed delivery before Christmas. GREAT BUY. Brand New From US Distributor. WE ARE A 5 STAR SELLER with OVER 3, 500, 000 BOOKS SOLD. read more
Description: Very Good. 014311414X A VERY GOOD LOOKING mass market paperback book! ! Some obvious creasing of the spine & minor signs of wear from reading--nothing major. SMOKE FREE HOME! Do not settle for worn, torn, throwaways. Pay a few pennies more for a VERY NICE copy! read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2008-08-26
ISBN-13:9780143114147ISBN:014311414X
Description: Very Good. Exact item shown. EXCELLENT condition with gentle use. If not for light spine creases, would list as LIKE NEW. Cover shows the mildest of shelf wear. Clean, lovely pages; NO writing, folds or tears. Binding solid despite creases mentioned. A lovely book! read more
Edition: First edition.
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780143114147ISBN:014311414X
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 326 p. Audience: General/trade. Book is in excellent condition. Cover and pages are clean, binding is tight. We ship daily, Satisfaction Guaranteed. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Arrow, London
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780099269328ISBN:0099269325
Description: Fine. No dust jacket as issued. FINE CONDITON-CLEAN AND TIGHT BOOK-SHIPS QUICKLY. 337 p.; 18 cm. FINE CONDITON-CLEAN AND TIGHT BOOK-SHIPS QUICKLY. Leon, Donna, Arrow paperback, 2001. Brunetti, Guido (Fictitious character); Fiction; General; Italy; Mystery & Detective; Venice; Venice (Italy) read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780143114147ISBN:014311414X
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
"This is more of a review of Donna Leon the writer than of this book in particular (even though I thought it was great).
At the moment, Leon is my top choice for (winter-time?) "beach - book" lit.
Leon is a consistent writer, as I like my trashy murder-mystery novelists to be, but she doesn't lapse into predictability. Her plot style can occasionally err on the side of the conspiracy- theorist (the government and the Mafia frequently ending up at the center of what originally seems to be a personal crime), but as it's not usually the focus of the plot in an overbearing or obvious way, it's strangely satisfying.
One (excruciatingly minor) pet peeve of mine in her books: way too many "family vignettes" incorporated into each narrative. Call me old- fashioned, but I like my escapist lit like I like my escapist lit.... emotional or plot-related twists and turns are great, but mostly when they relate to the plot (à la Sherlock Holmes). Let's not try to be Shakespeare here. Developing this "subplot" thing is trying to turn this lit into something it just plain isn't.
Minor rant aside, if you're in the market for this kind of novel, I totally recommend."
"Sometimes it only takes small things to derail a plan. Brunetti receives the visit of a city building employee about the "non existence" of their apartment. Venice's building code is a nightmare in the best of times creating opportunities for corrupted officials alike. But the sand castle can be swept away by one small employee with a conscience. Friends in High Places is about pride in all its disguises. The plot is not difficult to follow and in the usual Leon manners not everyone gets what's coming to them in the expected way."
"Susan Clark recommended this to me as, I'm paraphrasing here, a good mystery, a bit formulaic, but set in Venice where they have a spritz in the afternoon. I completely agree with this assessment and very much enjoyed the read."
"I picked this book up in the bargain bin at Borders and thought it would be a good vacation read, and possibly a new series I could get in to. It was OK, but I didn't love it, and probably won't go out of my way to read any of the other books in the series."
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