Death at La Fenice Audiobook By Donna Leon cover art

Death at La Fenice

Commissario Brunetti Mysteries, Book 1

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Death at La Fenice

By: Donna Leon
Narrated by: David Colacci
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About this listen

A conductor succumbs to cyanide at the famed Venice opera house, in the first mystery in the New York Times-bestselling, award-winning series.

During intermission at the famed La Fenice opera house in Venice, Italy, a notoriously difficult and widely disliked German conductor is poisoned—and suspects abound. Guido Brunetti, a native Venetian, sets out to unravel the mystery behind the high-profile murder. To do so, he calls on his knowledge of Venice, its culture, and its dirty politics. Along the way, he finds the crime may have roots going back decades—and that revenge, corruption, and even Italian cuisine may play a role.

“One of the most exquisite and subtle detective series ever.”—The Washington Post

“A brilliant writer . . . an immensely likable police detective who takes every murder to heart.”—The New York Times Book Review

©2022 Donna Leon (P)2022 Recorded Books
Crime Fiction Fiction International Mystery & Crime Mystery Police Procedural Italy Opera Detective Heartfelt
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What listeners say about Death at La Fenice

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Narration is slow and labored.

Story is ok, not particularly interesting.

Narration is ponderous, uninteresting.

I don’t get why this audio got such good reviews.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book. Bad narration.

This was a good story and the narrator 's normal voice was good but the very bad accents ruined the book for me.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Death at La Fenice

This was a fun Donna Leon book. I'm glad that I got it and enjoyed listening to it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Superlative Performance

My first book by Donna Leon. The narrative was excellent - now a fan. Ottima Scrittura!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Okay but not great police procedural set in Venice

This book follows Venice police detective Guido Brunetti as he investigates and solves the mystery surrounding the poisoning death of a famous opera conductor. I found it very difficult to care very much about what was going on until the very end when we finally got to know some of the characters somewhat. The problem is that we are dropped into he investigation right at the beginning but the author doesn’t do much to introduce the characters to us. Accordingly, I found that I didn’t really care what was going on. Towards the end, the reader has gotten to know Brunetti somewhat and the mystery begins to take shape and it’s gets a bit interesting. I’m not sure if I will continue this series. I may give the second book a chance to see if Brunetti gets fleshed out some more. Overall though, I think there are better and more enjoyable police mysteries out there.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Curiously extended series

Good narrator. Reasonable plot, but tangential subplots introduced with the apparent intent to insert homiletics; I doubt many read or listen to mystery novels for the preaching, whether laic or spiritual.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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An Immersion Into Italian Culture

Loved that this narrator and story gives you a feel for Italian culture and for Venice scenery. The main character is very likeable. I look forward to reading more of this series that I am late to reading!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story, insight into Venice and …

And great characters. Plus it’s free on Audible. I highly recommend it. Much better writing that’s the typical blockbuster mystery or thriller.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Incredibly Sad Mystery

The mystery was interesting and the performance was well done. However every part of the story was based on various kinds of sexual deviancy. Each instance and the corresponding result was heartbreakingly sad. I did not find it entertaining to listen to or think about.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Guido Brunetti #1

It took me a while to finally find the audio edition of Death at La Fenice / Donna Léon. I have now listened to all 31 currently available, with #32 due March 14th!

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