Dear Great Book Guru, One of my favorites places in the world is Venice and I have visited it many, many times over the years. Alas, this year I’m not able to make the journey.  Do you have books that might help me experience Venice while in Sea Cliff?                                        Lover of All Thing Venetian

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!