Book Description
In Death in a Strange Country Commissario Guido Brunetti confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young American is fished out of a fetid Venetian canal. Though all the signs point to a violent mugging, something incriminating turns up in the victim's apartment that suggests the existence of a high level conspiracy—and Brunetti becomes convinced that somebody is taking great pains to provide a ready-made solution to the crime. As dark and riveting as its predecessors, Death in a Strange Country will provide Leon's growing fan base with another chilling read.
Customer Reviews:
"You are a stubborn devil, aren't you?".......2007-09-23
Donna Leon definitely caught my attention with the first book in this series, and now she has made me a fan of her wonderful work. Leon's excellence is based on three main concepts: a complex main character, an enchanting environment, and of course a well-crafted mystery. Commissario Guido Brunetti is one of the most interesting detectives I have encountered in quite some time. His personality and family life make him a character with which we can relate fairly quickly, and his uncompromising attitude towards delivering justice for those that have been wronged is one to admire. Venice is the perfect setting for this character, and allows Leon to use its canals and rich history to add mystique to the plot. And then there is the murder case, which is complex without being contrived, and keeps us interested until we find out the truth.
This novel starts at full speed, catching our interest right away, with a body floating in a canal on a quiet morning. Brunetti is soon placed in charge of the investigation and finds out that the victim is an American and that the killer was either very skilled or very lucky, since death came after a perfect stroke with a blade. When the victim is identified as a Sergeant in an army post in Vicenza, the case becomes much more complicated and Brunetti has to deal with people trying to mislead him and cover up the truth. On top of this, there is a second case, involving a robbery, which adds variety to the story and allows for the introduction of some really colorful characters.
Last time, Leon's work incorporated many aspects related to the world of Opera and classical music, and this time the canals and the way in which their currents work take center stage. As happened in the first book of this series, we get to see a fair amount of what transpires in Brunetti's family life. Leon uses the food proficiently to convey how important meals are in the Italian culture, and how this family time results in captivating interactions. We also get to witness situations in which the culture plays an important role, like fights within the police department with the subsequent grudges, or higher-ups in the department sucking up to powerful people.
I believe that there is not much more to say. This novel is definitely a winner and I recommend it without reservations! I am already looking forward to reading the next Brunetti mystery.
Cynical Digging Pays Off.......2007-09-01
If you liked Death at La Fenice, the debut of this series, you'll probably like the first 80 percent of Death in a Strange Country even better. Seldom have I experienced the joy of seeing most of the second novel in a series far exceed the debut. Unfortunately, the last 20 percent isn't nearly as good as the ending of Death at La Fenice so you will conclude on a down note.
A body floats facedown in a Venetian canal, bumping against the steps of the embankment in front of the Basilica of SS. Giovanni e Paolo. No one notices the corpse until an early rising woman peeks out to see if her husband's boat needs to be bailed out. I'm sure you can feel the rich setting that Donna Leon has wonderfully described for the beginning of the investigation. When no one can be roused on the night shift, Commissario Guido Brunetti is called at home and grumpily heads to the scene. Finding American coins in the deceased's pockets, Brunetti immediately knows he has a hot potato on his hands. Vice-Questore Patta, his superior officer, makes that point even more obvious by poking his nose into the case soon after the beginning.
When the autopsy reveals someone with expert knife skills has dispatched the young man with the American coins in his pocket, Brunetti realizes that this may not be a simple murder. The dead man's teeth show American dental work, and the police begin calling hotels but find no one missing. By analyzing some papers in the corpse's pockets, it looks like the man has come from the American base in Vicenza, near Venice. Could terrorism be involved?
Contacting the base, the MPs don't seem very interested that one of their own might be dead. Eventually, they do find that Sergeant Michael Foster, the base's public health inspector, is missing and send his superior officer, Captain Terry Peters, a female pediatrician. Captain Peters identifies Foster and seems unusually upset and inquisitive. What does she know that she's not sharing?
Traveling to the American base, Brunetti is astonished to see the lengths that Americans go to in recreating their home country on foreign soil. He's even more certain that he's being frozen out of the investigation by the Americans. A surprise find at the dead man's apartment seals that impression and makes him wonder when the attractive Captain Peters will spill the beans to him.
Although I am making this sound like this novel is all about the investigation, that's a false impression. Interspaced with the investigation, Brunetti tends to his family, and we learn a lot about their relationships and family culture. I think you'll be charmed by the Brunettis, especially the parents. They get along well and make room for one another. As with Death at La Fenice, Brunetti also has a social evening with his patrician in-laws. You'll have fun watching how Brunetti has a hard time enjoying himself in a casino.
The case seems at a dead end with key witnesses become unavailable. But a surprise resurrects the opportunity. Brunetti rapidly makes progress. The faster he unravels the mystery, the stronger the forces are that he arouses to put pressure on him to stop investigating.
The first 80 percent of the book has everything you might like in a mystery: a troubling case, unclear motives, a lack of suspects, slender clues, an amusing detective, good character development involving the detective and his family, and a delightful setting to contemplate . . . Venice.
If you don't expect much from the book's conclusion, you won't be as disappointed as I was. The quality of the first 80 percent and the excellent ending of death at La Fenice had led me to expect something brilliant. Instead, I found a cynical ending.
Donna Leon.......2007-08-31
Donna Leon has written over a dozen Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries, all set in the lovely city of Venice which she knows better than most guidebook writers. Brunetti is a warmhearted detctive, in love with his wife and family, his city and justice. Once started in a Donna Leon mystery one has to go on to the next and the next and so as one becomes immersed in her world. I have read ten so far, started m eleventh, and worry that I have only the twelth in reserve. Her books are addictive, fascinating in their depiction of the Venetian state of mine and its many layers io corruption. Her characters are fully realized, her plots intricate, her writing silken.
Fast, Fun Mystery.......2007-07-03
Another mystery in the Comissario Brunetti mystery series! Comissario Brunetti is called in on the case of a murdered John Doe found in a Venice canal, who turns out to be on the public health staff at the local American military base in Vicenza. As he's working on the case, his supervisor pulls him off of it to work on a local robbery of a well to do Milanese who has just finished renovating a palazzo in Venice. As more people are found "murdered" Brunetti gets deeper and deeper into both cases - will he be able to solve the case before someone else is found murdered?
Donna Leon's strength is her impeccable description of Venice, the city itself and the lifestyle of it's citizens. Any lover of Venice will certainly enjoy these mysteries. The Venice setting is what keeps me coming back for more as I find the mysteries themselves to be lacking somewhat. Overall not a book that I would recommend as a "must read" but an enjoyable fast read for those who love Venice.
Interesting in Venice.......2007-01-16
I am finding these books very interesting especially since I was in Venice in May 2005. It is very easy to visulaize the setting she uses in the book so that you can easily move along in the story. The subject of the story was also very interesting and different. I plan to read more in the series.
Customer Reviews:
Cynical Digging Pays Off.......2007-09-01
If you liked Death at La Fenice, the debut of this series, you'll probably like the first 80 percent of Death in a Strange Country even better. Seldom have I experienced the joy of seeing most of the second novel in a series far exceed the debut. Unfortunately, the last 20 percent isn't nearly as good as the ending of Death at La Fenice so you will conclude on a down note.
A body floats facedown in a Venetian canal, bumping against the steps of the embankment in front of the Basilica of SS. Giovanni e Paolo. No one notices the corpse until an early rising woman peeks out to see if her husband's boat needs to be bailed out. I'm sure you can feel the rich setting that Donna Leon has wonderfully described for the beginning of the investigation. When no one can be roused on the night shift, Commissario Guido Brunetti is called at home and grumpily heads to the scene. Finding American coins in the deceased's pockets, Brunetti immediately knows he has a hot potato on his hands. Vice-Questore Patta, his superior officer, makes that point even more obvious by poking his nose into the case soon after the beginning.
When the autopsy reveals someone with expert knife skills has dispatched the young man with the American coins in his pocket, Brunetti realizes that this may not be a simple murder. The dead man's teeth show American dental work, and the police begin calling hotels but find no one missing. By analyzing some papers in the corpse's pockets, it looks like the man has come from the American base in Vicenza, near Venice. Could terrorism be involved?
Contacting the base, the MPs don't seem very interested that one of their own might be dead. Eventually, they do find that Sergeant Michael Foster, the base's public health inspector, is missing and send his superior officer, Captain Terry Peters, a female pediatrician. Captain Peters identifies Foster and seems unusually upset and inquisitive. What does she know that she's not sharing?
Traveling to the American base, Brunetti is astonished to see the lengths that Americans go to in recreating their home country on foreign soil. He's even more certain that he's being frozen out of the investigation by the Americans. A surprise find at the dead man's apartment seals that impression and makes him wonder when the attractive Captain Peters will spill the beans to him.
Although I am making this sound like this novel is all about the investigation, that's a false impression. Interspaced with the investigation, Brunetti tends to his family, and we learn a lot about their relationships and family culture. I think you'll be charmed by the Brunettis, especially the parents. They get along well and make room for one another. As with Death at La Fenice, Brunetti also has a social evening with his patrician in-laws. You'll have fun watching how Brunetti has a hard time enjoying himself in a casino.
The case seems at a dead end with key witnesses become unavailable. But a surprise resurrects the opportunity. Brunetti rapidly makes progress. The faster he unravels the mystery, the stronger the forces are that he arouses to put pressure on him to stop investigating.
The first 80 percent of the book has everything you might like in a mystery: a troubling case, unclear motives, a lack of suspects, slender clues, an amusing detective, good character development involving the detective and his family, and a delightful setting to contemplate . . . Venice.
If you don't expect much from the book's conclusion, you won't be as disappointed as I was. The quality of the first 80 percent and the excellent ending of death at La Fenice had led me to expect something brilliant. Instead, I found a cynical ending.
Average customer rating:
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Death in a Strange Country
Manufacturer: Pan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HQHBPY |
Product Description
From Kirkus Reviews
Something different for Venetian Commissario Guido Brunetti, whose first case (Death at La Fenice, 1992) so expertly resurrected the closed-circle whodunit. This time, the murder of Sgt. Michael Foster, public health inspector at the American military hospital at Vicenza, produces such a pronounced lack of reaction--Brunetti's officious boss Patti insists it be written off as a mugging; somebody plants cocaine in Foster's quarters in the hope of heading off further questions; even Foster's lover and commanding officer insists she has no idea why he's been killed--that the fix is clearly in with either the American military or the Italian police. Patti pulls Brunetti off the case to work a burglary from a Grand Canal palazzo, but that--and more sinister high-level skullduggery--are predictably tied in too. No whodunit, but a measured, thoughtful conspiracy investigation that goes a long way toward extending Leon's range. This is definitely an author to watch.
-- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Average customer rating:
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Strange Death of British Birdsong (Landmark Countryside Collection)
Michael Waterhouse
Manufacturer: Landmark Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Birdwatching
| Outdoors & Nature
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| Excursion Guides
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| General
Nature Writing
| Outdoors & Nature
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Ornithology
| Zoology
| Biological Sciences
| Science
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ASIN: 1843061260 |
Average customer rating:
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Death in a Strange Country
Manufacturer: Pan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HQD6AI |
Average customer rating:
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Death in a Strange Country
Manufacturer: Penguin USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000HEE8KW |
Book Description
MORTAL DILEMMA
An ancient evil was seeping forth from the Sea of Dreams: the Old Ones were rising from the depths to challenge both Heaven and Hell. Their assault boded ill for Earth, and worse for the magical land of Husaquahr, where magic was played by the Book. Under the Rules, only the Great McGuffin could stop that looming menace.
But the McGuffin was lost, somewhere in Hell....
Master wizard Throckmorton P. Ruddygore once again summoned a handful of heroes to stave off disaster. But Joe, the truck-driver-barbarian-turned-wood-nymph, was busy with his--or her?--own problems, so Ruddygore had to assign Marge, the changeling nymph, to shepherd an untried youngster on his first quest. Her new protégé was none other than Irving, Joe's human son: estranged, bitter--and irresistibly attractive!
Marge wanted to turn down the mission, but too much depended on it! Once in the dark realm, though, her good intentions began to erode. Could any nymph just say "no" to a son of Joe?
Customer Reviews:
The storyline was one of the best I ever read!.......1997-06-06
I loved the plot, about a great hero who is stuck in the body of a luscious immortal wood nymph. And his son,Irwin, was very cool. I wish he had more magic, though! And we didn't hear much of Ruddigore, either. Why does he only show up at the beginning and end of every story to lick wounds and solve problems? And the Old Ones! I was all 'hyped' up for a confrontation, but they don't even find the real McGoo (or whatever), let alone a confrontation with evil. The whole Joe/immortal thing was too much like the second Well World saga. I still liked the book, though
Average customer rating:
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Atlantis Alive: Love Letters from a Primal Commune
Jenny James
Manufacturer: Caliban Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
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General
| Alternative Medicine
| Health, Mind & Body
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Marriage & Family
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
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Socialism
| Political Doctrines
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
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ASIN: 0904573303 |
Average customer rating:
- Great Book Filled With Unanswered Questions
- Amazingly accurate!!!
- Letters From Atlantis
- Wonderful Book
- I'm 18 and I still like this book
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Letter from Atlantis Set
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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Silverberg, Robert
| ( S )
| Authors, A-Z
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
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ASIN: 0786115823 |
Customer Reviews:
Great Book Filled With Unanswered Questions.......2006-02-27
Everything about this book was good. The time travelers exist in the conscious of the host bodies and write letters to each other. The Prince of Atlantis prepares to be made King. I loved the details of Atlantis and the origin of the people. The idea was interesting, but this could have been longer... Silverberg writes much longer novels about themes that aren't as good as this, so why not flesh this story out a bit?
Ouestions SPOILER ALERT:
1) The letters are forbidden, and they will get in trouble for doing it once they get back. Why? The reason they go back in time is to report what they saw. If they both keep their mouths shut about the letters, and if the letters are destroyed, who will know?
2) What happens when he gets back? Will his girlfriend be there? As much as he builds up to the end, why finish it on the last page with a few quick sentences?
3) Is there a sequel to this, or more along the same lines? I would love to know.
I wish this had been longer. Perhaps Silverberg should take this and the similar but more satisfying "Thebes..." novella and "Up the Line" and whichever other time travel shorts he has written and put them in a collection that threads them together into the future world where the time travelers come from. It would be a good companion to his "Roma Eterna" book.
Amazingly accurate!!!.......2002-03-25
As an Atlantean expert, I found that "Letters from Atlantis" tallies with the information given in Bruce Coville's "The Search for Snout", Disney's "A:TLE", and many other resources. It was also a terrific read, though the end was a bit less than I had expected. Anyone looking for more information on Atlantis, Atlantica, Athilan, Romany Star, or time travel should definately read this!
Julia "Atlantima" Butler
Master in "The City of Atlantis" ~ Neopets.com
The Lost Empire Poet ~ FanFiction.net
Diehard A:TLE fan ~ AIM
Devoted follower of St. Milo
Letters From Atlantis.......2000-10-11
I would recomend people who are interested in fantasy, Atlantis, or time travel to read this. This book was very interesting to me because I'm really into fantasy and Atlantis. This is an extremely interesting theory of the destruction of Atlantis and it could very well be true. Another reason this is a good book is because of the conversations that Prince Ram and Roy have after Roy confesses he is in the Prince's mind. I thought that those were the best parts of the book.
Wonderful Book.......2000-04-13
This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is about a man, Roy, who travels back in time to Atlantis in a Prince's brain, and you won't believe what he discover's
I'm 18 and I still like this book.......2000-01-06
The first time I read this book I was somewhere around 10 or so. I was enthralled the moment I opened it, and I found the reading really easy. It tells the story of a guy named Roy whose mind (along with that of his love's) goes into the past. He inhibits Prince Ram of Atlantis while his love inhibits the mind of a neanderthal king or something like that. Anyway, the story is told through letters which are directed to her from Roy. It is a very interesting way of story telling. Anyway, now I am 18 and I still like it. I think it's one of the coolest books written. Another book I recommend is Thebes of the Hundred Gates by the same author.
Average customer rating:
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Letters from Atlantis: Library Edition
Robert Silverberg
Manufacturer: Blackstone Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: MP3 CD
Silverberg, Robert
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General
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Science Fiction & Fantasy
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ASIN: 078619622X |
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Atlantis, revista de la Asociación Espanola de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2004. The length of the article is 434 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Bodas de plata de Atlantis.(Letter to the Editor)
Author: Catalina Montes Mozo
Publication:
Atlantis, revista de la Asociación Espanola de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26
Issue: 2
Page: 16(1)
Article Type: Letter to the Editor
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
This digital document is an article from Atlantis, revista de la Asociación Espanola de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos, published by Thomson Gale on December 1, 2004. The length of the article is 5307 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.
Citation Details
Title: Flannery O'Connor's written correspondence: an inside glimpse at the forging of art and persona.
Author: Gretchen Dobrott Bernard
Publication:
Atlantis, revista de la Asociación Espanola de Estudios Anglo-Norteamericanos (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2004
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 26
Issue: 2
Page: 25(9)
Distributed by Thomson Gale
Book Description
No other cookware quite captures the spirit of American homestyle cooking. Durable and timeless, cast iron has been handed down from generation to generation. Today, there are cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens, casseroles, woks, and grill pans. The original non-stick cookware, it's perfect for cooking with less fat or oils-and readily adapts to a wide range of ethnic cuisine.
Cooking in Cast Iron will acquaint home cooks with the benefits, history, care, and use of this rugged and romantic cookware. Plus, more than 150 recipes-from main dishes and side dishes to breads and desserts-demonstrate the versatility of cast iron in today's kitchens. This culinary celebration of cast iron includes:
* Pan-Fried Catfish
* Best-Ever Boneless Fried Chicken with Bourbon Gravy
* Shrimp Gumbo with Filé
* Thai-style "Paella"
* Mexican Rice with Annatto and Avocado
* Indian Basmati Pilau
* Red Pepper Gorgonzola Bread Pudding
* Bananas Foster
Customer Reviews:
NOT a cast iron cookbook.......2007-09-08
This is a very nice cookbook with very nice recipes, in which the author? the editor? has arbitrarily added the words "cast iron" before some cooking utensil in each recipe. My fave was the one recipe where they forgot, and the "6 quart cast iron dutch oven" became a regular skillet in the next paragraph.
The cookbook makes NO recommendations (in the recipes)about the different methods needed for cooking in cast iron. There is a fairly obligatory section on cleaning and seasoning cast iron at the beginning. But, that's it.
It really looks like the author had written a very nice cookbook, but her publisher said "Cookbooks are a dime a dozen. We need a HOOK. How about Cast Iron? That's all trendy now..."
Take every recipe. Remove the words "Cast Iron" from the instructions, and you'll have a perfectly nice recipe. Oh, except for the Corn Sticks. I think that must have been the recipe that gave the publisher the idea. The author actually includes a nice recipe for corn sticks, with a discussion about corn stick pans.
This book gets 2 stars, because the recipes are very nice. They just have absolutely NOTHING to do with Cast Iron. If you're lookiing for good recipes that utilize the great qualities of Cast Iron, this is NOT the book to buy.
Looks good!.......2007-04-05
I can't wait to start trying recipes from this book! All look really good even though there are a few recipes that are a little too gourmet for my liking, but overall this is a must have.
*back to add;
This week I made the "Sloppy Joes with Tri-Colored Bell Peppers", pg 30, and the "Cuban Chicken with Pineapple-Rum Sauce", pg 64.
Both were fantastic and the sloppy joes were better than any I have ever had. The recipes look good reading through them and so far taste even better. Can't wait to try more.
Excellent Cookbook!.......2003-12-30
I love this cookbook. There is a great mix of traditional with a twist and new recipes. It is great if you want to expand on your cast iron cooking. Most cookbooks offer just the basics that most people who have any cooking experience already know how to fix. If you are looking for standard recipes for fried chicken, corn bread or biscuits and gravy only, you might not appreciate the span of this book.
Useful, not exceptional.......2003-01-21
I absolutely adore cast iron and I have purchased a few books on the subject as well as experimenting on my own. I found most of the recipes in this book to be just fine but a little "out there" for your average chef with a big black pan and a pile of burning wood. "Souffleed Bittersweet Chocolate Omelet with Hot Fudge Sauce" and "Sauce Remoulade" are great and all, but where's the "Biscuits and Sausage Gravy?" In all fairness, there is a recipe for biscuits which I haven't tried yet. Overall there seems to be a plethora of recipes which are cute and interesting but likely won't be used very often and a there is a dearth of down-home cookin'. I liked "Cast Iron Cooking: from Johnnycakes to Blackened Redfish by A.D. Livingston" much better.
Good Intro, Good recipes, clearly written.......2002-06-08
As a fan of cast iron and dutch oven cooking, I enjoyed the history and the "color" she gave in the beginning of the book.
The recipes range from the simple "monte cristo" to more complex historical fare. This book will be used over and over as more exotic cookbooks simply decorate you kitchen.
Books:
- Death in the Long Grass
- Death of a Cad (Hamish Macbeth Mysteries)
- Diagnosis Murder #6: The Dead Letter (Diagnosis Murder)
- Drop Shot (Myron Bolitar Mysteries)
- Every Dead Thing
- Everywhere That Mary Went
- Eyes of Prey
- Faceless Killers
- Grifter's Game (Hard Case Crime)
- Guardian of the Horizon (Amelia Peabody Mysteries)
Books Index
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