Friends in High Places

Friends in High Places (2000) Donna Leon

Apparently, Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti books are not being published in the US following European copyright dates. Friends in High Places has a European copyright of 2000, but was published in the US only recently. Not that this particularly matters in the grand scheme of things, as the Brunetti books can be read out of order, it’s mildly annoying. Of course it also means maybe one of two other earlier books will be republished in the US.

As the book begins, Brunetti is interrupted from his relaxation by a man from the Ufficio Catasto–apparently no plas were ever filed for Brunetti’s apartment, and as far as the city is concerned this means the apartment does not exist. This annoying and frustrating encounter leads Brunetti to a confusing web of deceit–and because this is a mystery series, murder.

It’s interesting to see the chain of events unfold, and to see how only accidental circumstances lead Brunetti to investigate this murder.

What is also interesting is that several other mysteries and deaths appear along the way, and Brunetti must decide which deaths relate to his cases and which do not. I also found the resolution of the story very interesting. As with Donna Leon’s other books, the resolution is not what you would expect in an American murder mystery, and justice is never quite the way you expect it.
Rating: 7/10

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