Dear Lover
of All Things Venetian, I too am a huge fan of Venice and often tell my friends
that Sea Cliff and Venice are so very much alike. I do admit they usually look
puzzled at this comparison! But I have a
perfect solution to your malaise – Donna Leon’s newest literary mystery: A
REFINER’S FIRE. This is the thirty-third book in her Commissario Brunetti
series. Brunetti is a seasoned lawyer, police commissioner, and Roman scholar.
His wife, a Henry James expert, teaches at the university. This
book opens in early spring 2024 and Venice is dealing with the problem of “baby
gangs” - young boys all under fourteen - thus too young to be prosecuted. They stage wild meetups just to appear on
social media. When these rival gangs are picked up by the police, parents are
called to retrieve them. One of the boys is left and a kindly policewoman walks
him home. This good deed opens up an
amazing tale of deceit, corruption and violence going back to 2002 with its
aftermath coloring the lives of high-powered government officials and low level
mobsters. Throughout this, we see the unique beauty of Venice’s plazas,
churches, canals, and byzantine streets.
As always, the crime is secondary to the story - and the story is always
Venice - highly recommended!