"Donna Leon is one of the most fascinating and absorbing writer of today's police procedural. Her Guido Brunetti series, set in Venice, is filled with landscape and
atmosphere of the modern Italian city known as the Pearl of the Adriatic. Leon, in this immensely popular series, has created a set of characters headed by this erstwhile--and seeminly incorruptible-- police vice commassario. In “Dressed for Death,” a man's body is found, dressed in female clothing. At first, it is assumed to be the death of a local transvestite; however, it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary death, no transvestite, and the beginning of a complicated run for truth and justice. This novel shows a tangled web woven by complicted forces in Venetian society and Leon, through Brunetti, examines police corruption, political aberrations, and criminal activity (especially the illecit sex trade). She also
continues her character portrayal of Brunetti and his family. This series is quite an “addiction”!"
Bill Hobbs, Resident Scholar
"In the third of a series, Venice police commissario Guido Brunetti is sent to examine a body in Mestre, across the lagoon from Venice proper. The corpse, in a dress and high heels, turns out to be a heavily made-up males. When further investigation reveals the victim to have been a respected executive of the local office of Bank of Verona, not a known transvestite, Brunetti realizes there's something deeper going on.
The trail will lead through the area's gay community, and in the course of uncovering a massive real estate rental scam will result in more deaths, including that of a young policewoman. As always, Brunetti will face delicate political issues in solving the case, especially since his boss's wife has apparently run off with Italy's biggest porn movie producer, so Vice Questore Patta is not in any great condition to assist his star detective."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Dressed for Death
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 10% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30%
Tone of story
- very upbeat
How difficult to spot villain?
- Challenging
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 60%
Kind of investigator
- police procedural, Foreign
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- minority/women/homosexual issues
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- government investigator
- police/lawman
Age:
- 40's-50's
How much violence does he/she use?
- a little
Ethnicity/Race
- Italian
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an organization
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Italy
City?
Yes
City:
- Dirty, dangerous (like New York)
Style
Part of a series?
Yes
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
How many deaths?
- 3-4
Unusual forms of death
- asphyxiation
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
