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  • Death at La Fenice

  • Commissario Brunetti Mysteries, Book 1
  • By: Donna Leon
  • Narrated by: David Colacci
  • Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (672 ratings)

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Death at La Fenice

By: Donna Leon
Narrated by: David Colacci
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Publisher's summary

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

What listeners say about Death at La Fenice

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    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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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    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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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyed this Story

I enjoyed this book. I am sure I will listen to more by the author. I thought the narrator was very good.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Briliantly read, and a subtle and wonderfully thoughtful novel

A friend told me about the author, Donna Leon, and so I downkoaded this, her first novel in the Guido Brunetti series. I was blown away by the careful, subtle, and wonderfully thoughtful style of her writing as she unfold the story. Amazing descriptions as she's builds the narrative. And the reader was truly wonderful and did justice to the story. Great narration. He really brings these characters to life.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another stunning addition to de Leon’s series

I have enjoyed at least six of Dr Leon’s Venetian police procedurals. This may be my favorite. The large cast of characters, both central and minor, are beautifully crafted, as as are the minute steps taken to the humane solution taken by her always thoughtful and intelligent central character, Commissario Guido Brunettiti.

Set in the rarified world of high opera, the apparent murder by cyanide poisoning of the greatest living conductor of opera draws us into the life of a man whom is both worshipped by opera fans and, we gradually learn, worthy of the hatred of many who knew his darkest secrets, past and present. The list of suspects grows as we learn his hidden past—going back as far as his Nazi involvement before and during WWII, his treatment of sopranos and other females over five decades, his attitudes towards homosexuals and lesbians, and his life with his three wives and families.

Brunetti’s methods of questioning suspects and tangentially connected individuals uncovers the truth at the end and, as shocking as it is, it is also fascinating and inevitable.

Another story that reveals as much about Brunetti’s character as it does about the mystery. A true pleasure and another excellent reading by a gifted narrator. Most highly recommended.

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

Ponderous

An interesting story with backstage scenes at the opera. But the writing is ponderous and needs editing. This probably contributes to the poor performance.

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

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
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    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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