By its Cover

By its Cover (2014) Donna Leon

At last, we reach the books I had not yet read.

The 23rd book finds Brunetti called to investigate the theft of both books and pages cut from old and rare books.

Old books had always filled Brunetti with nostalgia for centuries in which he had not lived.

…

‘You get any fingerprints from those books?’ he asked, not having had time to speak to Vianello before now.
Vianello took a sip of his wine and said, ‘I’ve never seen those two lab guys so close to tears, both of them.’
‘Why?’ Brunetti asked, and took a bite of his egg and tuna.
‘You ever think of how many people touch a book in a library?’ Vianello set his glass down and picked up a sandwich.
‘Oddio,’ Brunetti said.

This story, of course, gives us plenty of chances to see Brunetti (and Paola)’s love of books.

we started talking.’
‘About his book?’
‘No,’ she said adamantly. ‘I don’t read.’
Brunetti nodded in understanding, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
‘We talked about things. Real things.’
Take that, books, Brunetti thought.

As always, Brunetti says / thinks something that tugs at me.

Much as he chided himself for his unmanly behaviour, he could never overcome the continual fear that – in this most peaceful of cities – Paola was somehow in peril the instant she was out of his sight.

I liked this book, not just because it is about books, but because the mystery was good and the characters were so very real.
Rating: 8.5/10

Published by Atlantic Monthly Press

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