When Commissario Brunetti is summoned to the hospital bedside of a senior paediatrician whose skull has been brutally fractured, he is confronted with more questions than answers. Three men have burst into the doctor's apartment in the middle of the night, attacked him and took his 18-month-old son - but why? As he investigates, Brunetti finds infertility, desperation, and babies for sale. Meanwhile, Inspector Vianello uncovers a scam between pharmacists and doctors in the city. And certain information about one's neighbours can lead to all kinds of corruption and all sorts of pain...
Donna Leon's new novel is as subtle and gripping as ever, set in a beautifully realised Venice, seething with small-town malice
Donna Leon's new novel is as subtle and gripping as ever, set in a beautifully realised Venice, seething with small-town malice
Donna Leon, geb. 1942, verließ mit 23 Jahren New Jersey, um in Perugia und Siena weiterzustudieren. Seit 1965 lebt sie ständig im Ausland, arbeitet als Reiseleiterin in Rom, als Werbetexterin in London, an amerikanischen Schulen in der Schweiz, im Iran, in China und Saudi-Arabien. Seit 1981 lebt und arbeitet sie in Venedig.
© Regine Mosimann, Diogenes Verlag
"Donna Leon is keeping up an astonishingly high standard. In Suffer the Little Children she achieves a perfect blend of characters, place, mystery and social issues ... Leon handles a sensitive, emotional subject with compassion ... she portrays Venice as a living, flawed city, not a smug tourist trap. Her 16th Brunetti novel is also one of her best" The Times