Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places (1999) Donna Leon

The ninth Commissario Brunetti book finds the Brunetti family possibly in danger of losing their apartment.

‘I’m afraid there is some doubt as to the official status of your apartment.’
“‘Official status”?’ Brunetti repeated, looking off to the left of Rossi, to the solid wall and then up to the equally solid ceiling. ‘I’m not sure I understand what you mean.’
‘There’s some doubt about the apartment,’ Rossi said with a smile that Brunetti thought looked a bit nervous. Before Brunetti could again ask for clarification, Rossi went on, ‘That is, there are no papers in the Ufficio Catasto to show that building permits were ever granted for this entire floor, or that they were approved when it was built or,’ and here he smiled again, ‘that, in fact, it was ever built.’

‘I’d like to know what all this means, Signor Rossi. Is there some dispute about our ownership of this apartment?’ Rossi gave his nervous smile again. ‘I’m afraid it’s a bit more complicated than that, Signor Brunetti.’ Brunetti had no idea what could be more serious than that. ‘What is it, then?’ ‘I’m afraid this apartment doesn’t exist.’

The insanity of this both makes me giggle and horrifies me, because that is precisely how bureaucracy works.

I also adore this exchange between Guido and Paola.

‘Guido, you’ve read Xenophon at least twice since we’ve been married. If you don’t know whether or not they got back, then you weren’t paying attentiontion, or you’ve got the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s.’
‘I’m pretending I don’t know what happens so I’ll enjoy it more,’

I love that so very much.

We also see that Patta’s son is in trouble, and that Patta has to actually ask Brunetti for a favor. Of course, it’s Patta, so it’s not like he’ll remember it.

But of course, this is a murder mystery, so there is grief and horror.

No, Signora, your Marco will never have any trouble again, but all that you will have now, and for the rest of your lives, is loss and pain and the terrible sense that you somehow how failed this boy. And no matter how deep your knowledge that you were not responsible for it, your certainty that you were will always be deeper and more absolute.

But, there is also Signorina Elettra.

Instead of bothering himself with considering the correct bureaucratic process by which a request for information could be made, he dialled Signorina Elettra and asked her if she could get into their files.
‘Ah, the Guardia di Finanza,’ she breathed, making no attempt to disguise the rapture with which she greeted this request, ‘I’ve longed to be asked to do this.’
‘You wouldn’t do it on your own, Signorina?’ he asked.
‘Why no, sir,’ she answered, surprised that he would ask. ‘That would be, well, that would be poaching, wouldn’t it?’
‘And this, if I ask you to do it?’
‘Big game hunting, sir,’ she sighed and was gone.

I quite enjoyed re-reading this–and pretending I didn’t know what happened.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Grove Press

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