by Donna Leon
Book 10 in the Commissario Brunetti series (2001)
Publisher: Penguin Books
The murder of two clam fishermen off the island of Pellestrina, south of the Lido on the Venetian lagoon, draws Commissario Brunetti into the close-knit community of the island, bound together by a code of loyalty and a suspicion of outsiders worthy of the Mafia. When the boss’ secretary Signorina Elettra volunteers to visit the island, where she has relatives, Brunetti finds himself torn between his duty to solve the murders, concerns for Elettra’s safety, and his not entirely straightforward feelings for her …
Commissario Brunetti finds himself adrift in his tenth investigation-available for the first time in the United States.
Dona Leon has amased devoted fans around the world for her atmospheric and intelligent Commissario Brunetti series. A Sea of Troubles offers a rare glimpse into the scrupulous Commissario’s personal life. When Brunetti investigates the murder of two local fishermen on the island of Pellestrina, the small community closes ranks, forcing him to accept Signorina Elettra’s offer to visit her relatives there to search for clues.
Though loyal to his beloved wife, Paola, he must admit that less-than-platonic emotions underlie his concern for his boss’s beautiful secretary. Suspenseful, provocative, and deeply unsettling, A Sea of Troubles is an explosive and irresistible addition to Leon’s marvelous series.
Mark Delavan Harrop says
Though written/published over 20 years ago, this Commissario Brunetti mystery feels very current in its treatment of environmental issues and of relatively new handheld technology. I concur with other reviewers that the plot is absorbing, full of insights into the plight of clam fisherman on and off the Venetian islands; it provides more detail on home-life dynamics in the Brunetti family’s home life than other installments in the series. An added twist is his conflicted attraction to and dubious use of super-efficient admin Signorina Elettra to help solve the murders in the waters off Pellestrina.