Dear Great Book Guru, With Spring, always comes the publication of one of my favorite authors’ latest book. I have been reading Donna Leon for over twenty-five years and she never disappoints, and I am looking forward to reading her latest Brunetti tale.  Have you read yet and -if so- is it as wonderful as usual? Fan of Leon

Dear Fan of Leon, Donna Leon’s GIVE UNTO OTHERS came out a few weeks ago and was a joy to read.  As usual the crime is difficult to unravel and the resolution is never simple. The beauty of her novels lies in the complex moral dilemmas her erudite, ever compassionate protagonist faces. Approached by a childhood acquaintance whose mother had shown his mother kindnesses in difficult times, Brunetti agrees to do her a favor by checking out some threatening conversations she has overheard.  When he begins to check out a hospital foundation the woman’s family has created in Belize, he soon realizes there is corruption and malice afoot, but not necessarily a crime. When the woman’s daughter finds her veterinary hospital destroyed and her pets tortured, Brunetti is forced to confront the criminals behind this bizarre plot.  Throughout, we are in the mind of Brunetti as he sees the damage the pandemic has done to his beloved Venice and its citizens. Despite his belief in the innate goodness of most of humanity, by the novel’s end, he is convinced that evil is not always a crime and more assuredly…. a crime is not always evil.  Highly recommended!